The Polecat Inn in Chiltern

Went for a casual lunch after walking the dog, having moved to the area recently. We went in expecting to just have nibbles, but the menu sounded great so we decided to splash out a bit. What we received was very disappointing and definitely not worth what we paid for it. Service at the bar was very unfriendly to the point we felt the staff would have preferred us not to be there. Starters weren't bad, I had the chorizo scotch egg which tasted nice, even if the egg yolk was a bit gelatinous. My wife had the croquettes which were also tasty but a very small portion. Main course was very poor. I got the Pollo picante, which is advertised as half a chicken in a spicy marinade. The chicken was dry and the marinade was very bland - what flavour it did have was not spicy and not even very pleasant. The amount of chicken provided was also not great - half a chicken suggests at least two very large chunks of chicken, what I received were two meagre breasts which had dried out under the grill. The chips were also poor - they had an unpleasant floury aftertaste and weren't very crispy- I'd expect better in a pub geared towards food. My wife had the pasta calabrese al forno, which was also somewhat dry and the sauce tasted burnt. It had only a small amount of chicken and practically no chorizo. We had thought about pudding but decided not to in the end. We live locally and had thought this might be a good place to come with friends and family but might not bother, given the overpriced and mediocre food and unfriendly service.

As soon as we walked in we were greeted with a warm welcome and shown to our table to await other members of our family (table of 8) The decor was charming and the chairs were comfortable (we were there from 12.30-4.45!!) The food was excellent and the service very attentive .I noticed they had intimate dining pods in the garden which looked great . I would recommend the Polecat Inn 10/10

I would not be going back I am very disappointed the staff were so rude and not accommodating I was standing at the bar with a baby looking for somewhere to sit when they told me they were fully booked but then they were allowing walk ins but they didn’t accommodate us at all I am very disappointed

We for Sunday lunch, the staff and services were excellent as was the guinness but the food reminded me of a carvery. I expected better from the polecat

the service was a bit slow, but we were not in any hurry. the starters were all very good. the main courses were not so good with the spaghetti containing so much chilli. The worst of all was the gammon egg and chips. the chips had been over cooked and were dry and hard, the soft fried eggs were hard and were burnt and crispy, and the 12oz gammon had shrunk to only 8oz and tough a shoe leather. I had trouble cutting it and even more trouble trying to chew it. Finally it was not good value for money with a starter, a main and 2 drinks coming in at £50 per head. I don't think I will be visiting again.

Not been to the Polecat before so it was a real treat to find it busy, lovely ambience, super staff and very tasty food. It was a bank holiday weekend and the place was heaving. We had the roast which was huge and tasty except for the roast potatoes which were a little hard, but that is my only negative and it is difficult to keep them fresh. Our server Harry was very charming and nothing was too much trouble. I would definitely recommend going there.

Came with family on Friday 9th august and sat in an outdoor pod. There were 9 of us probably one or two too many. The food was excellent as was the service and we will definitely come again. Loved the decor in the toilets too! Thank you

Whilst not the least expensive option, the food here is top quality with huge portions and plenty of choice, which overall represents good value for money. They have a wood fired oven for pizzas and a charcoal grill for the steaks and burgers, alongside conventional cooking methods. You can choose from nibbles, starters, small plates and mains, and if you want to make it through to desserts, careful management and sharing of the above would be wise. However, they also have the nice touch of a selection of mini desserts for those whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs! All of the food and drink is beautifully prepared and presented, showing that there is a talented chef running the kitchen. The ambience is good with a large indoor space, garden and outdoor pods available. Service was also excellent, which on a very busy Saturday in the middle of summer was a great achievement. Staff seemed very professional, attentive and well motivated, and our server for the day Erin, did a great job.

Disappointing. I know I had the small plate of Eggs Benedict (with no sauce) but why send out on such a large plate! Presentation was poor.

Here for an annual reunion for my 88 year old dad and his brother. The food was excellent as usual and the service top notch. We were served by Ollie who was super helpful, patient and charming! Will return!

Booked table, went for pizza, given menu then only when trying to order they disclosed pizza oven out of action! We left. Discovered afterwards they had over-charged for drinks (about 30%). Not going back.

We were served by a lovely waitress called Elina, we were a big table and everyone was very happy with service and food. Had a wide range of food on the menu and very accommodating staff. Definitely recommend.

Came here for a family lunch. Elina was very patient and attentive - service was amazing. Had Easter colouring for the children and all the food was delicious. Thank you for having us!!

We booked a Pod for Sunday lunch first sitting 12.15. To cut to the chase my roast lamb was poor. One or two very overcooked roasties and I mean very overcooked for a 12.15 sitting not sure how that should happen . Broccoli pretty much too hard to eat. Lamb was ok as were carrots luckily. Just disappointed and a bit embarrassed as we had bought sister in law and family there expecting great quality

Popped in at the end of a busy Sunday as we couldn’t face cooking after a long drive. The service is excellent and the majority of the food is good but the roast dinner was completely inedible. Be warned. I’m sure it’s cooked first thing and reheated. I sent the first one back because I couldn’t cut the meat. The second one was better to cut but still the meat was overcooked, I left it and I refused to pay. If you promote yourself locally on a fantastic Sunday Roast, please make it excellent. I do appreciate we came in at 7pm but this level of quality is not acceptable. The service was excellent tho.

We came in for a friends birthday lunch. There was 8 of us. Only two or three had a couple of alcoholic beverages, so not the wildest group as a quarter of us were pregnant. We were sat by a very drafty door which wasn’t pleasant on a cold windy day but not horrendous. The person serving us was incredibly sweet but the service was so slow. We only had mains but the whole experience took 3 hours? It was lovely to catch up with friends but we cleared our own glasses off the table and ended up stacking our own plates before anyone came over to remove them. Again, this wasn’t the end of the world but added to my disappointed and annoyance at the end by the server - we paid our bill and INCLUDED the 10% tip but the server then wondered over and apologised and said we were under 10p short!!!! 10p????? This was 10p short on the subtotal is was 10p short on the tip. As the website clearly states this is a discretionary tip?? Why have restaurants become expectant of this tip? A tip is where someone has gone above and beyond what they are employed to do? Which I don’t feel was done but we paid it regardless all bar 10p? Do their tills not balance if that 10p wasn’t put through? The manager and owners need to speak to their serving team and explain that you do not go chasing the tip money, only ever query the subtotal money. If it wasn’t my friends birthday and everyone was looking I would have educated that person myself but it was inappropriate for such a special occasion. Plus the server was a very sweet natured person and I know didn’t mean anything by it. I personally am put off returning due to this expectant tip.

Popped in for dinner as we were late getting back from work. Food was nice but the staff were brilliant this evening, fast, efficient and attentive. Particularly want to mention Charlie who was excellent.

Lovely Sunday Lunch , for Mother’s Day , excellent service and great food as usual , even thou it was really busy the food came out in good time , great atmosphere and super friendly staff Well done all

Venue is light and modern with a large car park. It wasn’t particularly busy but service was slow, with other customers complaining about the wait. My starter was bruschetta, but it was dry toast with cut up tomatoes and rocket dumped on top,not the delicious mix of tomatoes and herbs I’d hoped for. Then Caeser salad,again lots of lettuce with I egg and some anchovies just shoved on. No real attempt to make it look nice. The final straw was what came when I ordered a chocolate brownie. A chocolate pudding arrived in the shape of a small pudding bowl,not a brownie. The server tried to tell me this was a brownie but by this time I had lost patience and sent it back. The whole thing was slapdash and disappointing.

Great place ! amazing festive dinner back in December and will def coming back sometime in the future

Booked a pod for a family birthday. The pod was nice and warm with music. Of the 5 adults, 3 of them were tempted by the Lebanese pulled lamb. Our waitress was superb, giving us every attention on a cold wet afternoon. All starters were delicious. Then the mains were served and our 3 Lebanese lamb meals were very disappointing. The meal was very bland, there were no spices or seasoning in this meal at all. The lamb was not pulled, but pieces and the rice was plain. All in all not at all delicious and hardly Lebanese cuisine! We mentioned to our waitress how disappointed we were with these 3 meals. She spoke to the manager and we were given a 50% discount on these 3 meals. Not great when they were at the top end of the meal prices. I personally was not happy at such a poor discount and also no sign of the manager to ask for our feedback. I felt it put a dampener on our family meal out. The other 2 meals we ordered were beef and chicken which were both very nice. I would therefore not recommend the Lebanese pulled lamb here. Order something cheaper!

Just had the best Christmas dinner out, food was very tasty and plentiful, the serving staff were all lovely. We had a pod for 6 of us and couldn't have asked for more. Thank you all.

Went with Family for Sunday Lunch. There was a range of starters, mains and deserts available. The service was very good, professional and personable. We booked a table in a relatively quiet area of the pub at the back and had a very pleasant meal. The pub has a large well laid out car park. Tip: It can be a bit noisy at the front as there is a large indoor area with a tiled floor which was quite busy.

Lovely meal. The pod was cosy and service from Aaron was great. Porchetta was delicious and the non alcoholic cocktails recommended were perfect. Looking forward to coming back soon

Love this place, come here at least twice a week. Staff & food are excellent. BUT they allow dogs into the restaurant. I know people love their dogs and we are all supposed to too, "he's just being friendly" as the dog sniffs at our table while we are all trying to eat.

Excellent, highly recommend. Service was amazing, we had a button on the table to call our server but we never needed to she always turned up at the right time.

Literally nothing to complain about, even the weather was perfect. Will absolutely be back and will bring friends and family next time.

Absolutely loved the feel of the place. Super friendly staff,amazing food, well priced and so calming. Definitely recommending to my friends and family. Keep up the good work 😊

Had dinner for five in one of the pods again yesterday. All of the food was excellent, as was the service from Ollie. This is our second visit since lockdown and we will definitely be booking again.

Staff were great, the renovation is great, lots of outside seating areas, the new extension is nice and bright, with lots of natural light. Service and food were great,

As a local to this pub I have to start by saying it is not the lovely old village pub it used to be. However, time and tide waits for no man and progress forces change. We visited on a fine Sunday evening and had to wait sometime to be greeted (?) by a faceless silent man who showed us to our table. This is the first attention to detail lacking as we observed a stream of visitors left standing for a considerable time leading us to surmise that what is definitely needed is a 'host' to greet customers and show them to their table. As for the food I would say this leaves a lot to be desired. How can you offer a Greek lamb salad served with Italian ricotta cheese and not feta? There were several other minor failings which added up to a suboptimal experince which could easily be improved by attention to detail. At the end of the day it's not rocket science and is the difference between a poor and fabulous dining experience. All that said, our waitress was a joy...efficient, friendly and helpful.

Yet another almost empty garden and still a 17 minute wait for a drink to arrive after ordering on the app. Kinda ridiculous as i saw 2 tables turn up afyer me that were delivered deinks before me. Strange attitude to customers from staff.. its not my problem and i dont really care if you only have 1 bar staff on, its not my problem its yours.. i will continue to write one star reviews after each visit if the lack of service, quality of food and lidicrous waiting times for 1 drink continue. It seems if youre not eating youre a second class citizen. But id rather spend my money on 'non brake brothers' quality food at ather restaurants within a cohple miles. Well done again the polecat, never cease to amaze but never amze everytime with poor service and sub standard food quality.

We had a lovely family lunchtime get together, food was yummy and staff very helpful and attentive, we had our one year old granddaughter with us and the menu was excellent for her choices as well. Luckily it was a lovely sunny day we sat in the garden in which the tables had parasols over us to keep the sun from making us too warm.

Great food and service. The staff are very professional and attentive and a great choice of delicious food

Visited today for lunch with family, and had booked a pod, which we were very impressed with!Food nice ( not the cheapest) and service amazing, Jodie who looked after us was great, really friendly and made sure we had exactly what we wanted in good time.

Reserved a pod for a birthday dinner with family. Great service, use your own music playlist, all weather scenario (we had sun & heavy rain), and delicious food. A bit expensive but great for a treat.

Great customer service great food waitress was fantastic so happy & helpful great evening but 90 minutes not long enough

Celebrated my Mum’s 80th birthday in a pod at The Polecat, the service was great, food was good, all the staff so friendly and helpful, we will definitely be going back again.

Fantastic Birthday supper in a Pod , great service, delicious food , and a lovely sunset to finish it off ! Pod was pleasantly warm and we played our own music via the system. Highly recommended, have booked again for next month!

Just had lunch in one of the pods - the food (steak and sea bass main courses from the specials menu) and the service (from Ollie) were excellent. We’ve already made our next booking.

Good to be back - good food and service as always. Georgia the manager - well in control. We were served by Helena who looked after us this time.

This was our second visit to the Polecat and the first one since the pandemic. We were meeting another couple and the pub is halfway between where we both live. Also we both have dogs so it was a good spot for a dog walk. We parked up and did a 3.5 mile circular walk before ending up at the pub. The arrangements for outside dining were excellent with plenty of shelter despite being overcast and a bit rainy. The dogs were comfortable and were brought a bowl of water. The service was friendly and we were well looked after. The food was excellent and we all enjoyed our meals. A particular highlight was the "sharer" Antipasto Misto which was perfect for four people. Mains were excellent too with the Pork Belly a particular highlight. Also the Sole from the specials menu was delicious.Highly recommended and we'll certainly visit again.

We were 5 people of large age range. booked 2.30 lunch in a pod. Bit nervous on temperature since it was 13 degrees and overcast instead of the better forecast when we booked. Not to worry we were warmly dressed and the fan heater under the table did the job. Warm welcome and prompt drinks service to start with. The food was very nice - pork belly, duck breast and massive piece of fish and chips all hit delicious and hit the spot . Conrtrary to some reviews on here we were all warm ourselves and the food was also hot. the services was friendly, efficient with our french waiter ( sorry didnt get his name) was very good. all in all we had a great couple of hours here and all enjoyed every aspect

Managed to get a table outside. Luckily the weather held. Food was quick and service was good.One thing to mention was that a group in the field area used the bushes as a urinal rather than the toilets which was disgusting given that its near kids play area.

I met a friend for what was meant to be a lovely post lockdown catch up, and we were seated at a table with partial covering (it was spitting with rain). I politely asked if we could sit on one of the spare tables in a different section under more covering, but was told the table had been booked which was fine. There were 2 x rowdy tables in the pods creating (I think) a bit of a scene with the management team and staff, but once they left I asked if my friend and i could sit in one of the pods only to be told they were also booked with a group coming shortly. Needless to say, that group didn’t turn up. What I don’t understand is why we couldn’t sit in there and move once the group had turned up. I found the staff quite abrupt and rude with their response and not being accommodating. The food was great, but my friends sides were missed. We asked one of the staff that we were expecting sweet potato fries, but they never came and we were forgotten about. In addition, nobody came and asked how our meal was. I would eat here again to give it another chance, but overall, it wasn’t a great experience. Felt like we were more of a pain along with the staff fed up more than anything. The waiter apologised at the end and said he would relay the information back to the manager, so hopefully things will change as it’s a lovely venue with a nice menu. Service counts for a lot.

Lovely food and great service in the pod, did get a little cold as a few of the window panes had been removed but that was to be expected, will defiantly go back. The pork belly dish was lovely and the Girros were great.

Great location and excellent staff but the food....dreadful I'm afraid.Risotto dry, solid and tasteless, like flavourless rice pudding, one lump or two?Burgers were dry hard and overdone, ..left on her a warming grill for hours?This was a disgrace for £66.00 which included soft drinks only.I'm not that fussy, but this defied imagination.Never to be repeated........

We had a really lovely brunch at the Polecat Inn this morning. The outdoor dining area is beautiful and all of the COVID-19 measures made it a stress-free and enjoyable experience. Our waitress was really friendly, and the food arrived quickly. The poached eggs on the eggs benedict were cooked to perfection - definitely will come back!

Our party of 6 dined at the Polecat for lunch on Saturday last and really enjoyed it . The team had prepared well for reopening and the attention to detail to look after customers in a safe environment was evident . The quality of the food was very good and service from G and Helena was excellent . We will return

Table booked for 4pm. Drinks finally arrived at 5.10 along with some of the food, that was stone cold. Food went back and came out lukewarm, with the wrong sides. They didn’t have some sides we had ordered and didn’t have any Prosecco. Waitress was walking around crying as there was clearly problems but there was no apology or compensation on the bill. Highly disappointing

I almost feel bad writing this.We were given an allocated 1.5hours slot. It seemed quite firm but I understand the reasons.We arrived on time but had to wait 10 mins to be seated.With 2 managers down and 3 staff members called in sick, you could see the stress on the team there. One lady was pushing back the tears as she was serving and there was an air of chaos. Confusingly we had table service even though the signs clearly said to use the app. I’m sure this was adding to the stress. I was certainly confused. Drinks took 20 mins. A coke and lemonade. And at £2.45, a small low ball tumbler and straight from the tap, felt very over priced.The food arrived after an hour. NB we only had 90mins. My pasta dish was stone cold but tasty. The roast was missing the sausages but seemed ok.The table next to us sent theirs back as the order was completely wrong. Thankfully the weather was kind, but open to the elements I’m not sure where or how we would have protected ourselves had it turned cold or rainy. No parasol at our table.My overriding feeling was that something somewhere here isn’t working. We’re a small community and words travel fast. Something needs to change or their reputation will be the death of them. Good luck guys.

On arrival we had around 10 minute wait to be seated being told our table was being wiped down - when we got to our table it still had crumbs on and clearly hadn’t been wiped. We ordered drinks and had to wait around 20 minutes for them to arrive (they were also out of Guinness).We ordered 3 Sunday roasts and a pork main meal and while waiting were aware of people around us waiting a long time for food, meals arriving at different times and with no cutlery.None of the roasts were particularly hot, all 4 mains were missing components (including all 3 chicken roasts missing the advertised chipolata which is a fairly substantial part of the meal) and all 3 roast chickens were dry. There was a pitiful amount of veg on all 4 roast dinners, and the potatoes were all over done. At £17 for a chicken roast you at least expect it to be good, and to have all the advertised items. There was no mention of apology for the missing items.The staff were clearly overworked and very stressed so it felt cruel to add to the clearly abundant complaints when presumably there is nothing they could do, but overall very poor value and wouldn’t consider coming back unless something material has changed.

The positive was the drinks app worked very well and drinks arrived quickly.The bad was it took an hour for a waiter to acknowledge us and place a food order. Way too long and from reading previous reviews this has always been the issue. Not enough staff I would say. The staff themself were friendly but over stretched.Food was what I would expect, just average for the price point. I most probably would not come back for food but on a sunny day the large beer garden with app ordering would be good. There are bar snacks you can order which includes pizza’s, chips etc through the app, so maybe that is the best way.

My partner and i booked a 9pm table for our anniversary. Was greeted by a very friendly member of staff who led us to a table at the edge of the garden in complete darkness. We were told she would bring out a candle for the table and send someone to give table service. After waiting 45 minutes we got fed up and decided to leave feeling very disgruntled. It's a real shame as we, like everyone else, hadnt been out for dinner in months. I understand its busy but staff obviously need more training as there is a clear failure to communicate between staff. All being said our excitement of visiting the polecat has been replaced with a bitter taste for ruining what was supposed to be a lovely evening.

Come on guys. I could have done something else today. I saved the day for the Polecat and you ring me one hour before to say you have a powercut. Thanks for wasting my day. My first day out of lockdown. Thanks for your non existant compensation of my bus fare and my mothers petrol as we were both on our way when you rung us. Ruined my day.

2 minutes ago-EditI'm only giving this excuse for a restaurant 1 star as I am unable to give it 0 stars! My daughter and her 3 friends had booked a covered table outside for dinner prior to the enhanced socially distancing restrictions.... only to find that the table booked was external with a Summer parasol, offering Zero protection from the torrential rain / adverse weather conditions. Once the girls asked to be moved to a table undercover out of the rain and cold, they were offered a blanket at a cost of £5.00 per person by the waiter. I would like to add that the "Girls" were aged between 15 and 16 years and spent on average £16 to £17 per person. My daughter returned home soaking wet and freezing cold with very little good to say about the staff and restaurant! Buy the way... this is the 4th or 5th time the group had visited this establishment with no problems previously. Could this be a case, all too common these days of a business maximising opportunity / profitability due to Cov-19? I will be seeking a full refund for the entire group as I feel that the #Polecatinn has taken advantage of these youngsters in these unprecedented times. I will provide an update once a response has been received.

Went to the Polecat to celebrate my husbands birthday on 15th December. Dined in one of the Pods. Very cosy and warm. Love the idea of being on your own. We were supplied with a buzzer to contact the server who was there very quickly. Our server was Ollie - what can I say about this young man? Well he was very polite, professional, efficient and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble for him. Food was delicious and very well presented. Well done to the chefs.Very Covid aware and very safe.Highly recommend.

We once again had a lovely lunch at the Polecat. All sensible systems were in place to protect everyone. We sat in the newer area and do have to say it got a little chilly at times when food was being taken to the pods. It may be good to have a porch there, meaning 2 doors and lessening the chill breeze.The pods look very cozy but I do worry how hot the food would be when it got to you. Our waitress was attentive and very polite.My other half enjoyed the chorizo scotch egg as a starter. It looked delicious . I chose the lamb as my main course and I’ve got to say it was the best lamb I’ve eaten in a very long time( and not just this year). Beautifully tender meat, crunchy fresh veg and a superb lamb bubble and squeak. 100% recommend this.We were a little shocked at the price of the Deconstructed Beef Wellington £30!!But,all in all we enjoyed our lunch and we will be back.Sorry no pictures we were enjoying the food too much .

Dined in the pod which was a great experience. I think that they could advertise more about them on their website and sell it more. Food was great but my roast needed something “green “ with it. Great service.

Zara our waitress was very attentive. The food was excellent and the restaurant is very Covid safe with screens, hand sanitiser and staff in masks etc

I ate dinner here with a friend last week and I have to say having travelled extensively and eaten out a great deal in my life that the food was fabulous and our waitress HANNAH was exceptional, perfect timing for everything, informative, quirky in an interesting way. A true credit to your business.

We went there with our friends for lunch and enjoyed so much about pizza and churros.Overall the service was very good and all the staff lovely and polite. We will definitely be pleased to come back.

3 of us tried the different Sunday roasts. All exceptionally delicious in a friendly atmosphere. Lovely afternoon. Thankyou Polecat.

We came out of hear hungry ridiculous price for what you actually get never again if you must eat hear the breakfast is your best bet

Booked a late lunch for two last week. The service was poor. We were right by the exit door. Hurriedly served drinks -one of which was wrong, but couldn’t be bothered changing it. Husbands burger was good, he said. My sea bass was a bit over cooked and dry, but tasted OK. Started to feel a bit off and whilst trying to get the bill was feeling worse. I thought I was going to pass out getting back to the car. Husband got me home, just in time to be ill. Have felt awful for most of week. Time spent on premises 50 minutes!Took two phone calls to Manager to get a response four days later - offered another meal at a discount - No Thanks!

The restaurant didn't have enough staff. They wanted you to order the food on the app. Which is fine for young people sitting within reach of the buildings wifi, but not so great for older customers. There was items on the menu which weren't on the app. And you couldn't order tap water on the app eithee. So we eventually had to get someone to take our order.We put through the drinks on the app. They took 30 minutes to come, the bar was understaffed because of social distancing. And they didn't have an extra temporay overflow bar. Eventually my mum's wine came in a tumblr. Tables were not being cleared fast enough and they had run out of wine glasses.The starter came with the main course. Which defeated the point of the starter. Once the food came, you had to wait a few minutes longer for cutlery and sauces. By the time we were eating it was 9pm and it wasn't particularly warm (we were outside). Manageable for young people but again not so great for older customers.I felt sorry for the waiters and waitresses. They were probably making under £10 an hour and just saving up for university or their first car. They were frantically running round the restaurant. And were constantly being shouted at by frustrated customers. The management need to hire more staff, reduce the number of tables, buy more wine glasses and have a second temporary bar till covid goes away.

We visited for an early dinner. Waiting staff were welcoming and very helpful. The conservatory area is a lovely space. We had the wood fired pizzas which were huge and delicious and very good value for money. Finished off by sharing a banoffee sundae. In these strange times it's good to have somewhere to go that feels safe and is a real pleasure. We'll definitely be back!

All in all wonderful experience. A beautiful lunch in wonderful surroundings.Covid measures in place make you feel safe and comfortable.The bathrooms are simply wow (I know, I know - it's a toilet!). I took photos of the toiletries for my home (I will stop now!) lolOne mark deducted due to the charging of soda water (it's only water with bubbles, yes you have to wash the glass. You don't charge for tap water, so don't charge for soda water!). Also, took an age to pay the bill (service was slow towards the end, we had to ask for dessert menus and nobody asked us for drink top ups etc).

We had a lovely early evening experience at this venue with our two children. Food was very good and service excellent. Hannah in particular was an attentive waitress who served us with a smile - something so simple yet so often missing. Have eaten at the venue several times at all times of day and always enjoyed the occasion

I met up with a friend for breakfast, having booked online. We both had the full English breakfast, which was both tasty & filling.We sat outside, to take advantage of the ladt of the warm, sunny weather.Social distancing is managed very well & we encountered no problems at any time.The restaurant inside is also well laid out for good social distancing.

Excellent meal.Lovely vegan burger and gluten free burger.The service was excellent and everything was very well organized and safe during these difficult times.Looking forward to my next visit

We’d stupidly booked an outside space by accident when the weather was cold. Despite the inside tables being booked up the manager took pity on us and opened up a private room so that we could eat inside. He kept us all entertained with his great sense of humour. Food as usual was top notch. COVID precautions were meticulous. Well worth a visit.

Six of us ate late lunch very slow in taking our order.. three good meals pOrk belly,crab pasta and salmon salad, Fish and chips was average. but the calves liver was overdone and tasteless, and lamb meal was also overdone. We had churros for dessert unfortunately they smelt and tasted of onion (cooked in same oil as onions maybe?)So overall a bit disappointing.

We finished our drinks half way through our meal, and were never asked if we wanted more We asked for a bottle of water for the table but never recived it. Table next to us ordered after us but theire main course before us. Service was very poor, resturant and food was great. Could be so much better with better management.

Enjoyed the vegan choices and the food was delicious. Service was excellent too. I had no meat meatballs and they were superb. Very filling.

We walked in on a Sunday with no booking at 5pm, warm welcome and shown to the beautiful gardens where out table was sanitised and we were shown the one way system. Exceptional staff and service, Sunday roasts are just gorgeous. Recommend the cocktails too. A perfect end to the weekend in the perfect place. Just brilliant. I highly recommend a visit. Prices are good at this quality.

This is our first visit to the Polecat Inn and it’s fair to say it was an amazing experience. We were greeted at the door and seated without a problem. Everything is clean and tidy. The track and trace was explained and easy to follow. Our waiter took orders and the food and drinks arrived quickly. Amazing food, wonderful roast dinner with all the trimmings and a fantastic dessert to follow. Looking around I didn’t see any tables leaving food. Would highly recommend for a visit.

Arrived on time & shown to dirty table which we had ask to be cleaned & sanitised. Hence the chairs were not done! It took a long time for orders to be taken & starter to be served. 50 mins from when we sat at our table. Staff sipping their own drinks while guests were waiting for theirs to be served. The bottle of wine arrived, well chilled at the table nut we were not invited to sample it before excepting it. We had to serve it ourselves. Perhaps this is what to expect nowadays!?Food, when it arrived was delicious. Each & every course was well presented, tasty & ample portions. It was just a shame that the service was so poor especially when you led to believe that you only had your table for 2 hours.

This was my first 'full monty' since last November and was well worth waiting for. Georgia , the boss , was well in control and looked after us very well. Wil return.

Having previously eaten here, with a party of 30 people, we decided to book again after enjoying the food and service. However, this time we were sadly disappointed. We ordered from the bar food menu, as the restaurant and patio area were fully booked. We ordered a starter of Bruschetta, which presented itself as soggy wholemeal bread with chopped tomatoes. Unfortunately it was pretty tasteless. Perhaps we should have said something, but we were polite about it and put it down to a one off. The main meals were ok, not a representation on the meals that we have had there before. It is plausible that the chef(s) were having an off day. HANNAH however, saved the day with her high class customer service. She was extremely helpful, friendly and professional. Because of the good service, all was not lost. A shame really. It's a great pub for family. A sweet little play area for children and a huge field area. Nice ambience. Just may not return in a hurry to dine. Worth a try, to see for yourself?

Hannah was our waitress and she was great, she’s served us a couple of times before and is a real sweetie. The food is ok, decent simple pub fair, certainly a safe place to eat. We’ve eaten here a few times and never had a complaint.

Me and my partner visited the Polecat this last week after seeing some great reviews. The food and decor lived up to expectations, they have a great selection for both meat eaters or plant based diets. I had the beetroot fafafel burger which was great and the vegan sticky toffee pudding which was to die for! Our waitress was lovely too and our food and drinks arrived quite quickly as well.Overall, great experience and will be returning soon!

We had a fantastic meal here at the Polecat today. The food was delicious, and we felt well looked-after. The service was a little slow, but we later found out that the managers were all out, and we felt the staff coped really well with the volume of custom, in view of that. We had lots of requests - e.g. beans next to toast, not on top of, can we please change this option for that - and they did everything we asked for. The servers were all so smiley and made us feel very relaxed and at home. We were also really pleased to find out the food is still discounted in September! I don't live locally, but I'm sure my in-laws will be back soon. Thank you Hannah et al for looking after us so well. Well done, Polecat.

Great venue, great food, great service.A wide range of dishes on the menu, good light snacks and robust tasty meals, all at a reasonable price.The staff are smart, friendly and helpful.The garden is very pleasant and the inside is comfortable, with modern and classic features.We were impressed by the measures to support social distancing.

Always have a lovely time here, came again last week, our booking seemed to have got mixed up but was sorted very quickly and efficient, sat out the back at the quiet table, lovely to see how strong and professional the staff were during this time. The host was amazing, feel very bad not asking his name but wore the most lovely checked trousers! I had the most beautiful pizza!! I worked in hospitality myself so hats of to all the staff being smiling and helpful even in this tough time, keep going I shall be returning

I’ve visited this place 3 times in the last 2 months.... First visit was great, but it seems to have gone down hill each time afterwards. Booked table stood waiting to be acknowledged for around 10 minutes, could be longer.... but the were busy. When booking I requested a table in the new part of the restaurant, we were seated in the back which is quite dark. Waited 15 minutes for our drink order to arrive. Table water warm and glasses boiling hot clearly straight out dishwasher. With not such a great start we decided to have mains and leave. My meal pollo picante was niceSons burger dry and burnt bun. Mother in laws burger bun was rock hard. Side salads on dishes were poor and soggy. Service is very slow. I’d return on a nice day but only for drinks in the garden.

Ate lunch outside today during Eat Out to Help Out. It was understandably busy, but we had excellent service from Hannah who ensured that we had everything we needed promptly and always with a smile on her face. Thank you.

So there have been some poor reviews over the last few weeks, but based on my experience these are unfair. We had a perfectly lovely early evening dinner for 4 adults and 2 children - I think people need to make some allowances for the current Covid situation, as it is not easy to manage diners at the moment.The welcome was friendly, we had a lovely table, and service was prompt, if a little stiff.We had excellent fish and chips, nice sirloin steak (maybe slightly over done from medium rare), belly pork and great pasta. Kids meals were generous and tasty. Great selection of beers on tap, including Meantime IPA and Kozel lager, and a very decent bottle of Picpoul white wine. Being picky, the wine list was ok, but a little pricey.All in all, a very nice experience in a very stylish pub.

Nice enough place but the fayre is standard for this kind of establishment. In fairness there are many other places that fall into the same bracket but with nothing really to differentiate them from one another the whole package is a bit bland. The service was pleasant but a bit hit and miss in terms of orders placed either not appearing or turning up cold instead of hot. Won't rush back.

Thought we'd take advantage of the eat out to help out scheme. First visit to the new Polecat. Arrived for breakfast 10.15. Straight in no problem. Not really our setting as open plan and very noisy, especially coming from the kitchen. Apart from the noise, quite nice surroundings and decor. A couple of little things that could have been avoided with a little more care. No spoons provided with tea/ coffee. Milk missed with coffee. No milk jugs to poor milk. No butter for toast. All rectified, just had to ask each time. Food arrived looking lovely, full English. Sadly, this was luke warm. Just warm enough to eat without having to send back. Shame really as all these little things add up. Won't be visiting again I'm afraid.

Such a shame this place can not get it right.Staff on a go slow and food very average with brown avocado and cold coffees.Not worth the money.Been 3 or 4 times now and all poor. Overpriced.Such a shame as location and decor good.I feel for investors who have done their bit but run badly

I’m absolutely appalled on several counts by the poor service and behaviour of the staff .We went there for a meal to celebrate a 30th birthday. We were waiting almost an hour to get our drinks which I can accept if they were busy but they were not. Then the main waiter was rude and sarcastic to us because we simply asked for our drinks. This was not called for when you work in a service industry.Then it gets worse...We were sitting outside and it was made clear that we could not go inside if it rained as the tables were booked for later which was fair enough.However as we know the heavens opened on 12th August with a Biblical type storm just as our long awaited drinks arrived. We were still not allowed inside even though we were all getting absolutely drenched trying to stay dry by the edge of the building. We had with us a screaming crying child scared of the lightening and hailstones. (It was too dangerous we felt to run to the car.)They were plenty of tables free at the time so we could easily have been accommodated inside at least until the people who booked tables arrived and observed social distancing.We were simply ignored, until of course we came to pay for our drinks.A very unpleasant experience indeed

Having read some reviews I was concerned however the food was amazing and it wasn't particularly busy with coronavirus restrictions well in place. The service was amazing to. I had a delicious brunch and will be returning next week with some friends.

Arrived for breakfast 10.00. Pre booked. 15 min to be seated. 25 mins before order taken. Food arrived no cutlery 25mins later. Cutlery arrive 5 mins later. Drinks arrived a further 10min later with no tea spoons or condiments. Food was burnt/ over cooked and inedible. Complained to waitress about burnt sausages, took them away and came back 20 mins later with undercooked sausages. Paid bill, waitress didn’t even bother to ask if food was ok as full plate of food left, just wanted us paid and gone so they could reseat the next poor victims. Really sad, the polecat used to be an brilliant dining experience before the new owners took over, now its just a pub chain that does not care about quality or service.

the food is mediocre, the service is awful and covid guidelines sound good on paper, but 16 to a table some sharing 4 to 1 chair just because they were 'friends of the pub'. Used to be a great place, but now looks the part but it's awful - not surprising to see the tripadvisor rating going down and down...

Lovely way to spend a summer night. Lauren, our waitress, was brilliant and very helpful. Mark the manager is good humoured and very welcoming. Good food and great service all round. See you again soon.

Been in this evening for my other halves birthday meal. We ordered a round of mojitos - all flat, watery and flavourless. The replacement drinks, took 30 mins, the best bit about it was the and espresso martini served in a wine glass, drink pouring down the sides, none of them included garnishes. The food was average, the lamb not worth the £16.50 they charged for it. As for the bar staff... utterly rude and disgusting. The faces they pulled as the mocked customers. The shouting at other coworkers as they chased up drinks. Whenever they heard us say anything about the quality of our meal they would make comments loudly like “Oh My God!” I don’t think I’ve had a worse meal out. However, our waiter was a genuinely lovely man. He was kind and considerate and deserves a hell of a lot of praise for putting up with the rudeness of his colleagues, he made the night bearable. Return? What is the point.

We had lunch at the Polecat last weekend. Reserved a round table outside. Having read a few disappointing reviews I was hesitant about the lunch. However, the food was very nice and the service for both drinks and food was efficient. We had 3 teens in our group and it was good for them to be able to leave the table and take a football up onto the field/overflow car park at the back. All in all, very enjoyable and we will definitely return.

We visited the Polecat for a family meal, and the experience was superb. We felt totally reassured by the safety measures in place, and whilst these were stringent, they didn't detract from the relaxed ambience of the place. The staff were attentive, the place was buzzing, and the food incredible. Will definitely be returning!

My partner and I chose to venture out yesterday evening for date night. I hadn’t been since it’s been renovated and I was blown away by the changes! We booked to sit outside which had a really good atmosphere. Each course came quickly and was delicious. I had the rump of lamb and my partner has the pork and we would definitely order them again! I genuinely cannot think of one fault and I look forward to returning soon! I noticed the paper menus and one of us was asked to sign into the WiFi for track and trace purposes, which was nice to see. I strongly recommend this as the perfect location for a summers evening meal!