The Crown in South Oxfordshire

Disappointed booked for my son’s birthday as we have been many times. Ordered drinks only to be told this was an old menu and the lager was no longer available and they hadn’t received the new ones. We ordered the buttermilk chicken which we have each time we go, so disappointed the chicken arrived with a pile of Lettuce just dumped on the top no presentation, no sauce no coleslaw and the chips came a minute or so after and were cold. Charging the same price for less food. Unfortunately this has ruined it for us and we won’t be back.

We have always liked the food and service in Harvesters. Always been loyal customers. However, our most recent experience was not great at all. The place was busy, the salad bar was quite empty and the food took a much longer time to arrive which we could excuse as a one-off. But some of the food was not cooked through unfortunately, which believe it or not, again we sort of excused as staff apologised and replaced it. What we cannot overlook however was the menu has changed and unfortunately all the tasty parts of the food have been replaced with hard, tasteless freezer food. Prices have gone up too, which is understandable but they should not have messed with the quality of the food. The chicken, the hash browns were not soft and succulent as before. The nice onion ring was replaced by hard and cold cheese jalapeño rings. Totally different food experience now. We are not going to go back in a hurry, let's just say. Really sad as we did like frequenting it over the last few years.

The pizzas are good, but if you live at RAF Benson, you're screwed. They used to have drivers that could come unto station with a pass, but the last couple of times, they've sent foreign drivers with no valid ID. I can't always pick it up at the gate, and now I have to cancel my order. Sort yourselves out, Dominos!

First time eating here. Food was very tasty and good value for money. Wasn't too busy so didn't have to wait too long for the food. Just a shame the service let it down. The member of staff with blonde hair made no effort to smile or make eye contact at any point, either at the bar or serving food, which made one feel like an inconvenience. Not a very welcoming feeling.

£20 for a walk around a garden and a cream tea - you might think that would be eye-wateringly expensive. And to some degree you are right. This could be a description of the quintessential English experience. And yet, and yet ... even in the depths of winter this garden is exceptional. I began my walk feeling completely out-of-sorts, not uplifted by the well-meaning messages on little boards on the Truth Trail, and yet by the time I had found glorious fields of snowdrops and small glimpses of the tiny wonders that are the early spring crocus, I was well on my way to upliftment. The gardens are an utter enchantment. Everywhere there are signs of great husbandry and quiet wisdom. Simple imagery becomes clever symbolism; from the dark yew hedge hunched over in the centre of the broad expanse of lawn, to the exquisitely espalliered orchards and the order of the herbaceous borders, you are led to the magic of the little girl dancing upon her own reflection in the wide waters, and the child offering wisdom in the formality of the Silent Space. Even in the Walled Garden, the National Collection of Saxifrage blew me away - utterly stunning in both its setting and design. I came away utterly bowled over by the beauty of the gardens, happy to have spent the money. The lovely little cafe in the portacabin was delightful, and the cream tea delicious. I shudder to think what the queues and the wasps are like in summer, though. I will be brave and come back in summer though, because the gardens must be even more magical then. And because I have to see, with my own eyes, the huge swathe of camassia leichtlinii in bloom. And THAT'S something I never thought I would say in a Tripadvisor review! :D