The Montfort at Stanbridge Earls in Test Valley

Nice dining room,but shared with Residents of the Retirement Village for Evening meals. Very small choice of Menu. When ordering Waitress told us 3 of the menus weren't available. This left very little choice and even then only one or two portions available. One of our party had Mussels of which some didn't even open up and very small. The Spaghetti only contained Aubergines and Peas. Went very cold quick. The fish and chips ( a last resort ) ,fish was overcooked. The Calf liver was probably the best choice. The Sweets were reasonable,but the Tiramisu was not home made. Finally the bill was wrong and a refund for the Mussels was not available. So a bottle of wine was given in lieu. Waitress service was good. Disappointed for a special night out. Only one Chef cooking on the night. Being local to the area it needs a massive improvement to entice us back.

Very good carvery. Good value for money. Very good service. Food was good quality and well cooked & presented. Nice atmosphere. Would highly recommend.

Fantastic Afternoon Tea. Great service. Good value for money. Top quality food. Would highly recommend. Beautiful surroundings. Hats off to the Chef ❤️

Having arranged a wedding in Romsey for 1.30 on a Friday afternoon we found it difficult to organize a meal afterwards for 7 people. As all the local Restaurants were closed on weekday afternoons we really struggled until we came across the Montfort. Having read mixed reviews we decided to check it out. Firstly, regarding parking, the main visitor car park is a 3-4 minute walk from the building so drop off may be advisable in wet weather. We didn’t view this as an issue. We arrived unannounced at lunchtime and were warmly greeted by the Management team who were only too pleased to show us round. The main dining room is absolutely exquisite with lovely views over the grounds, there is also a private dining room and further external seating that could be used, weather permitting. We chose the main room and were advised that if other guests / residents were there at the same time a screen would be erected to provide some privacy. We were shown the all day dining menu which was extensive, very reasonable and definitely covered the tastes of our party. So, on the actual day, we arrived at 2.30 and once again we were very warmly greeted and taken to the dining room. To our very pleasant surprise we had the room to ourselves and the table had been set up beautifully in the centre. The service was exceptional and the Management / Staff could not do enough for us. The presentation and quality of the food was superb and everyone was delighted with their choice which was served in a timely manner. It is particularly worth mentioning that the Calves liver and Lamb shank were the best ever experienced. We were in the restaurant for about 2.5 hours and at no time felt hurried. A great big thank you to all the staff who made our dining experience so special. So, in summary, we are so pleased we chose this venue and would definitely recommend the Montfort for anyone who has a similar requirement.

My husband booked the Montfort Hotel afternoon tea as an anniversary celebration. On the website the venue looked very nice and the pictures of afternoon tea looked enticing. However this is a retirement village and the building where the tea is served houses owners. The building does not say Montfort on the exterior at all in fact we parked and left once as all of the parking was designated for owners. The restaurant was not available to us as there was an owners quiz later and we were put in a small room. We were lone guests. The staff were pleasant and kind and the afternoon tea was ok with a choice of teas. Our biggest complaint is that the marketing is misleading and there is no mention of a retirement village also the signposting was very poor.

This has to be one of the worst afternoon tea’s we have ever had. On arrival at the venue, you realise you are in a retirement village and all the parking at the venue and around is reserved for owners. Walking into the building it smelt very strongly of fish throughout the building which was quite off putting. We were seated in a side room and were told our table had been given to an elderly couple so they had moved us, seemed strange to even mention that as we would not have known. We’re offered tea or coffee but no options of different tea or coffee. Coffee came out in a very water stained urn not even in a caffitere. The sandwiches looked and tasted awful. One with Brie and what was said was onion chutney but was actually sautéd plain onion, egg which had no more than a spread of butter filling, ham and salmon. Bread was stale and they were all tasteless or disgusting. Cakes seemed old, stale and hard, macaroons were like jelly in the middle and scones were over processed with baking powder and bicarbonate soda. In all it was inedible, we hardly ate anything and left (had been pre-purchased by our husbands). Website is a false advertisement of what it is like. Would never recommend or return here.

We went yesterday for afternoon tea. It was very disappointing compared to other afternoon teas. Even though the lovely restaurant seemed open we were seated in a very bland side room. There was no selection of teas and my sister who wanted coffee had no choice other than a regular coffee. Server was nice enough but a couple of times we had to go searching for someone for more tea and to pay the bill. Food was mediocre at best. Sandwiches were just okay and the egg sandwich was just weird. A runny boiled egg between 2 slices of white bread! Scones were dry and overcooked, the positive was there was plenty of clotted cream. Little touches were missing, ie the way the sandwiches are displayed, basically on a dinner plate, jam still in little jars. It felt like minimal effort was put into the food and presentation. Would not go back or recommend.

Had a baby shower for my daughter in what wad truly amazing venue , it had the wow factor , we were in a private room to ourselves ( 20 of us ) it had such character. We had afternoon tea which was just lovely , all delicious food and they catered for people with allergies . The waiters were friendly and attentive, nothing was too much trouble , would definitely go there again.

The best Sunday lunch i have ever had bar my own, Excellent quality food, fantastic service and a beautiful unspoilt location

Absolutely disgusting the way my wife and her friend was treated,receptionist wants to learn some manners

Had an excellent Afternoon Tea in beautiful surroundings. Very attentive service, would highly recommend.

This restaurant is located on an estate in a retirement home. There is very limited parking for visitors, we found (full up) three places after asking at reception. We ended up risking the wrath of a resident and parked anyway. The waitron who I asked if they were serving lunch (there were six people seated in an almost empty dining room) didn’t seem to want to stop and respond to me, was clearly trained at the Dickensian school for rudeness. First impressions are important. We left, it’s not a place I would recommend.

Outstanding service and food in a beautiful setting at a very reasonable cost. Highly recommend a visit to this hidden gem! I had the ox cheek and finished on the panacotta. Both were delicious and beautifully presented. We were both on holiday from Yorkshire and remarked that it’s probably a good job or we would be eating here every night!

We found The Montfort on line when looking to book an afternoon tea for my 92 year old mother-in-law. We booked at the last minute due to a change in plans but they called me later to confirm the on-line booking had been received. The only downside was that we struggled to find the restaurant as it is in a retirement village in the middle of nowhere - we ended up having to call for directions but Clare was really helpful and apologetic. (It is obviously not unusual!). Having arrived we had a fantastic time. The staff were brilliant and the food plentiful, tasty and fresh. The venue was really atmospheric without being ostentatious - an environment that suited us well. Having found this gem we are already planning to go back with a larger family group. Thanks to all the staff for a memorable time.

I wanted to take my wife out for a treat after breaking her leg. I thought this place and the reviews merited a visit. I tried to find an accessibilty statement for the place without success, so I thought it was woth a shot. There are no designated disabled bays, in fact no where for visitors to park at all (That I could find) I had to go inside to ask where to park and they did seem suprised at the request but responded well. SO I squeesed next to the door and started to get the wheelchait out when my wife got cole feet. From nmy short overview I would say that it would be easy to move around inside in a wheelchair, but the main door would have had to be fully opened. So I folded the chair and drove off. Sorry, I was really looking forward to it.

We visited today for Afternoon Tea. Stunning location with Silver Service and first class treatment. Amazing value for money. The choice of cakes were lovely and just the right size. Can not recommend enough. Can’t wait to go back - thank you

We booked a tour of the village and received a lot of helpful information from Gemma. As part of the invitation we received a £30 voucher to use in the dining room of the Manor house. I had the scollops and my wife had the game pie which came with not too much pastry and white beetroot slices instead of potatoes - very innovative and delicious - as were my scollops. We finished with a berry desert and had a glass of wine each with our lunch. The total bill came to £70 but with the £30 voucher we only paid £40. We had a very enjoyable lunch with excellent service too.

Our plan was to meet up with fiends who we hadn’t seen for some time and have a nice relaxing Christmas Lunch. We searched various venues and decided on The Montfort due to the welcoming looking photos of the tableclothed restaurant with comfortable seats, chandeliers and a fireplace. That’s what we booked. Its not what we got. The Montfort, though advertised as a normal public restaurant is in fact in some sort of retirement complex. It was obvious from the start that residents of the complex were much favoured over outsiders. First off, there was nowhere to park. At the restaurant, apart from about 3 spaces, all the rest were residents only. We were directed to a visitors car park around the corner. Again, most of that was residents only. We managed to bag the very last visitors space and walked back to the restaurant. Luckily it wasn’t raining. When we went in to get our table we were told there was a special event on, so we couldn’t go into the dining room. Instead we were shown into a small side room. We’d booked a table for 4 but what we were given were two plasticky looking round tables which looked like they’d been dragged from the bar and pushed next to each other. The room was soleless. Just one other diner and as far as I can remember nothing in the way of Christmas spirit at all. I wish I had thought to take a photograph to show how awful it was. The Montfort’s advertising says, “Diners can enjoy exquisite modern dining in a deluxe setting”. I have no idea what the food was like but my idea of a ‘deluxe setting’ is not theirs. Feeling so let down, our much anticipated Christmas Lunch was just not going to happen. We left in disgust and had a very nice meal, albeit not the Christmas one we had planned, at The Goat at Timsbury. We had booked this lunch over a month in advance and were expecting a top class lunch. At the time we had many venues to choose from, The Montfort wasn’t the cheapest. We chose wrongly. To The Montfort – If you take a booking and then have a special event for the residents which means your really don’t want outsiders, then why didn’t you tell us? Given notice, we could have booked a normal restaurant and not bothered you. We will not be returning.

Went to the restaurant for father's day lunch. We had prime rib of beef for Sunday lunch. Exceptionally nice. Excellent food Very nice venue. Very pleasant staff. Great day all round.

Beautiful grounds and place to eat. Service was slow but the staff were friendly. Food was good quality and beautifully presented but overpriced for what it was.

The Montfort is located in the old Stanbridge Earls manor house, which is now the centre piece of an upmarket retirement village. The building refurbishment is impressive, main bar and restaurant are beautifully furnished and there's a pleasant terrace for al-fresco dining in good weather. We visited in late November (so no sitting out) for Sunday lunch, which is a 2 or 3 course set menu and I have to say we were quite impressed. Staff were friendly and service was just right - efficient but not overbearing - and the restaurant has a comfortable ambience. We chose soup, terrine and salmon starters followed by roast beef all round - very nicely cooked and presented - accompanied by a nice Merlot. The establishment asks guests to wear face coverings when not seated and their other Covid protocols, such as use of hand sanitizer and table spacings, gave us all a high degree of confidence that they take guest safety and comfort seriously. Overall a very enjoyable lunch and we will definitely return.

My friends and I spent a wonderful day at Stanbridge earls last week. We were fortunate enough to have a private florist workshop #pompandpetals Dana looked after us from the booking of rush to arranging the meal. From the onset it was very professional. After...

Had a really lovely evening meal, very good soup of the day ad main course. Very friendly staff and would certainly return! I can’t say one bad thing about our evening.

A great afternoon in a beautiful setting. Right from the moment we arrived we were made to feel so special. A member of staff greeted us as we arrived outside offering to take our group photo. Signing in with Covid precautions including temperature checks, handled...

We visitied The Montfort to celebrate my friend's birthday and had a really good time. Lovely location and stunning grounds. The room where our table was set up was attractive and quiet, and we enjoyed great service from the waiter and waitress, who made sure...

One of the best Afternoon Tea experiences we've had! It was the perfect size with a delicious selection of sandwiches, wonderful scones and not overly sweet treats. We would definitely recommend!

We had afternoon tea at The Montfort after a girls shopping trip to Romsey. What an unexpected treat. The terrace was spacious and peaceful and the grounds were beautiful (we even had a quick game of croquet). We sat outside in the sunshine overlooking the...

The Montfort is a lovely relaxing restaurant where you are served amazing, delicious food served by polite staff. I would certainly recommend anybody to visit.

Warm, friendly and professional welcome. Delicious and copious afternoon tea. Tea topped up, iced water, Prosecco all served elegantly and graciously. Cream tea delicious, plenty of it and a wide variety. Would highly recommend.

I booked this venue mainly because of the pictures and the previous glowing reviews for my 2 lovely friends who have birthdays close to each other. I am so glad I gave them other presents in addition to this outing, as quite frankly it was...

Food was good, service was appalling. Go for afternoon tea and the waitress forgets the tea?! When we did eventually get tea, there was no offer of any other drink despite water glasses being on the table. With pots of clotted cream, jam and what...

We went for afternoon tea and were very disappointed! We had to ask for the tea and clean plates! The service we received doesn't even get 1 star. It was almost like we had been forgotten about.

DO NOT GO FOR AFTERNOON TEA HERE!! We were given dirty tea spoons and napkins. No plant based milk options at all. 1 waiter came over to us in the hour we were there. Only 1 tiny pot of jam for 4 scones. Not worth...

An amazing afternoon tea for my Mums 70th Birthday, food was lovely. The staff are amazing and the grounds beautiful. Highly recommend.

We booked a table for Father’s Day for 4 adults and 1 child. We got a bit lost trying to find it! when we did the building is very picturesque inside and out. Covid checks were in place then we were shown to our table....

We visiting this restaurant from a google find as there was no reviews on trip advisor so wasn't sure what to expect. The location is within a residential estate so don't think you have arrived in the wrong location. The building itself is very stunning...

A pretty solid rule in life is that you get what you pay for. At The Montfort at Stanbridge Earls that applies in spades. A meal here is not cheap, but the food ... ... the food! I have no idea how often the menu...