Tollemarche Arms in Kettering

Title of great British pub of the year is well deserved. Wide variety of food to suit all palettes. Dishes are a culinary delight using locally sourced fruit and vegetables (we saw produce being delivered). Service was excellent and staff were very friendly. Even if you aren't local, diverting to the Tollmache Arms is definitely worth it. You won't regret it.

Lovely old fashioned pub serving food quality food at reasonable prices. Definitely worth a visit

Why 2 stars. The fish and chips were too greasy. The other dishes were fine. We order drinks and wine. After a while the waitress explains to us that we only have 20 minutes to order desserts. A shame. The manager arrives and explains that they allow 2 hours per table and then she must be released. So we didn't have desserts. Impossible to stay in the lounge which was full. This is the first time we're timed for dinner. Too bad, part of the family was sleeping there and we had to drive 2 hours and leave a bill of £260 for 7 people. It was a family meal to reunite after a year. We won't go back there again. I advise against it.

Enjoyed a lovely lunch of sea bass with creamy crab sauce here. Lovely service in an atmospheric old country inn. It was good to see a lot of ingredients sourced from local suppliers. You can see why this pub has just won Great British pub awards 2024. This is a dog friendly pub that offers special treats for your hound.

I recently dined at the Tollemarche Arms with my sister and niece, and unfortunately, my meal was inedible. I was offered another choice, but since my sister and niece had already received their meals, that wasn’t an option for me. While my meal was taken off the bill, I still felt that my evening was ruined. I wanted to email you directly but couldn’t find an email address .I hope you can address this for future patrons. Thank you.

My Belly Bacon starter and Main: Hanger steak was great. My wife’s Beetroot starter had hardly any beetroot and mostly whipped feta and the fish and chips was very poor. All batter and virtually no fish. Disappointing considering its recent acclaim. Would give it another go and put it down to an off night.

My wife and I do not get many opportunities to have a meal out due to childcare etc. We are so glad we chose to come here for a lovely couple of hours. The staff, food and surroundings are lovely, really enjoyed the experience. Thank you to the team

Lovely meal enjoyed by both of us and very attentive and quick acting staff. Will return. Our mains were pork belly and spatchcock chicken.

They have set this pub/ resturant up so well. Nice resturant area, good outdoor space and I expect a really sociable space in the summer. Dog friendly with even a dog menu. Plenty of parking, out in the sticks with nice views. Food was OK, good but in truth because of the reviews I was expecting more.

Thank you soooo much for looking after us and our elderly parents tonight, we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Every single member of staff was helpful, attentive and super friendly. You all work together so well as a team and you deserve the award you won recently. Once again, thank you!

EDIT - thanks for the response, I let Nathan know my roast was only okay and he wandered off without probing more. Furthermore he did not ask how the dessert was, nor offer any coffees to have with the dessert. I provided feedback to the bar staff prior to paying but the issues were fundamental to any dining experience so there was no point in discussing further. I appreciate your gen-z comment as I’m actually a millennial so my skin routine must be doing me some favours. Instead of using combative language and pointing your finger at those who have had a poor experience, I’d strongly recommend looking inwards. It may help with mitigating against potential poor reviews like this in the future. Attempting to ridicule me has just ended up in embarrassment for yourself. ————————— Where to start…. we read The Tollemache Arms had won awards so went here for a last minute Sunday roast with my wife. There was no seating in the restaurant but they have a really nice heated barn where people can sit. The only issue is that the barn has a concrete floor with no rugs or carpet so whilst there’s some heating from the ceiling your feet get freezing throughout the meal. I’d really recommend that the staff try sitting for a meal in the barn to see what it’s like for their customers. We both had a roast dinner and unfortunately it seems the chef has a strong aversion to seasoning and flavour. Everything tasted like it had something missing and therefore lacked any real taste. The roasts was lukewarm, not hot, which compounded the poor experience. It reminded me of a Toby’s carvery but an expensive version. The meat tasted like it had been sitting out for a long time. The desserts were different, almost, I had a basque cheesecake which was delicious however my wife had a treacle tart with tepid custard which ruined the dessert for her. The location and surroundings are very nice and I can imagine hosting a party in the summer to be great. Unfortunately because of our experience today we’ll definitely not be returning and will share our review with our friends and family.

Good food, good service and a warm welcome.

Wednesday evening dinner. Party of 3, 1 of which saw that this establishment had recently won an award, so we decided to give it a try. Service was very good, with extremely polite and friendly staff. Dining room was a large open plan room, which at times was quite noisy with the other guests all talking loudly. Food was well presented (see photos) and super tasty. My starter of calamari was tender and crispy, mains of chicken breast with mash and green beans was absolutely full of flavour. I personally was a little disappointed with the dessert selection, but with the other 2 in the party opting for sticky toffee pudding, I decide to try the lemon posset, it was topped with meringue and fresh strawberries. The posset was quite sharp being lemon, it was interesting and whilst finished probably wouldn't be my choice again. Which means a second visit with the same selection of desserts would be no dessert for me! The bill averaged £40per person, which was reasonable. However, I did feel the portions were slightly on the small side, and despite having 3 courses, I certainly wasn't full, and had room for another course. Overall I'd suggest it's worth a visit.

Absolutely amazing experience here. I went for lunch with a friend. I asked for a Caesar Salad. It wasn't on the menu but they say they would see what they could do... what they brought me was BY FAR the best one I've ever had. I will be back! Service was lovely. Setting was beautiful. Environment was welcoming.

Other pubs near and far should look and learn. The Tollemache Arms knows how to do it . No mediocrity here! A smiling and knowledgeable team preparing and serving delicious food and drink in an environment that would be happy to spend time in and return.

Lovely welcome. Good menu, small amount of vegetarian choice. Ordered a starter and side, wedges possibly a little overdone but still tasty. Lovely sticky toffee pudding, very busy considering Monday at 6pm. I would go again.

Came here for dinner as we were staying locally. Nice cosy pub with friendly staff. Our group ordered burgers and fish and chips. The burgers were great, the fish had very thick batter which was a bit soggy. Prices on the higher side, compared to other places, but contrary to some reviews on here we thought the food portions were good sized!

We came for dinner and it was really nice. Great food and drink; helpful and friendly staff too.

Absolutely brilliant food and service. We came for a large family gathering for my son’s second birthday, and the staff were fantastic throughout, welcoming and so helpful with the dietary requirements of two of the group. Cannot recommend this place highly enough! Amazing food!!

So nice pub to visit for dinner/lunch or couple of drinks. Local gin Warners are here. I had lovely roast on Sunday and as well ones we've been here for dinner. Definitely recommend places to visit;))

Very polite staff. Good atmosphere and great food. What more do you want ? Very please with visit and will be back. The staff should be proud of themselves 10/10 . . . .

Great dog friendly pub. Excellent food and a large selection of drinks. Very friendly atmosphere and great service.

We will be back soon what a great place it was a shame the weather was not so good as the garden looks really nice and would have been fantastic for the kids

Appalling for this pub to turn away custom during its advertised opening hours. Especially when I was literally the only customer in there. I see from TripAdvisor this has happened to other people. What is it with the barmaid who smugly states "sorry but the bar is closed" an hour before it's advertised closing time? And can't give an answer as to why? I know from local news the pub is struggling. Which makes it all the more baffling as to why I was turned away. I don't own a pub. I don't run a pub. But if I had to, I'd do that little thing of... SERVING CUSTOMERS WITH WHAT THEY WANT. Yeah, I'm such a genius businessman with that one! The people of Harrington have to decide, do they want their only pub to be a real friendly village pub that meets the standards of basic adequacy or do they want it to remain as the unwelcoming customer-repelling nightmare it currently is? EDIT: Hi, owner. I'm as nice to people as they are to me, it's simple as that.

Ok. So. Lovely place. Lovely looking. Very picturesque and steeped in character. Had the burger. Should have stopped there: if I had, would have been 5stars. However!! Ordered lemon posset. It arrived about 1 minute after I ordered. Pre-prepared and it showed. No body. Like liquid. I poured it into my spoon. At £8, it needed to be considerably better. The burger was epic. No complaints there. Service was good. Dessert… disappointing. Overall, great place. Great scenery and very relaxing. I just won’t get another pud!

The food and service was amazing. I promised the manager I will be giving a review. Loved it.

Fabulous food in a beautiful pub with excellent service. What more do you want? Highly recommend the whipped feta and beetroot salad but 11/10 for the burger! Best burger I've ever had.

Great views friendly staff best Lime and soda ever!!

Absolutely lovely lunch for us today and as first time customers we found 'The Tolly' restaurant and bar a sheer delight! Had seen a post on Insta and booked us in without hesitation even though a fair drive away (25 miles)and I was very jet lagged having just returned from Australia, it was indeed worth the effort. Bar and restaurant was well set out with lovely decor and comfortable seating. Menu choices were great and much to choose from with great portion sizes. Many thanks to all the lovely staff. We will return.

Lovely meal tonight served by Amy a delightful girl , very friendly & chatty. She made us feel very welcome all evening. I do believe she was on a challenge to upsell various items which fingers crossed we helped her to achieve. All in all a very enjoyable evening all round. We will be back.

This was our first visit, and unfortunately, we left disappointed and hungry. We arrived at 12:30, drawn in by the beautiful beer garden and the dog-friendly area with a park for kids, which was great! However, there were no menus available, and the waitress ignored us, so we went inside to order. This wasn't a problem, but we were then told we had to wait until 1:15 PM to order food. We had an errand to run, so we had a drink and then left and decided to return later. When we came back at 2:00PM, we were given menus again but weren't informed that the kitchen wasn't taking orders. After deciding what we wanted, we were told once more that we couldn't order food until 3 PM. By this time, our child was crying, and we were all very hungry. It's a shame that our first visit was so disappointing. I understand the kitchen can get busy, but it seemed today was particularly bad.

Went for a meal the staff were friendly and helpful and a great service. The food was very good and dessert were very nice

Service is excellent food delicious fantastic views

Went here for lunch and what a lovely place, service was excellent and so was the food. The beer garden has amazing views. Thanks for a great experience!

Was disappointed dropped by for bite to eat when there was no one eating outside to be told they are fully booked and we could not order any food

We're so lucky to have this place so close to our home. Food is very tasty, staff friendly and this old pub has so much charm and is full of warm atmosphere. As a nice bonus for they have nice selection of non-alcoholic drinks which they call "fancy lemonades". Give them a try, they're delicious.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. I went for a lovely beef bourguignon while the other half had the seabass. Safe to say, neither dish was safe from the other! The desserts were delicious too (I'd recommend the sticky toffee). Really recommend this local and idyllic pub. Staff and locals all seemed very welcoming and friendly. Would 100% go back and recommened to a friend or family member.

Didn't stay, just used the restaurant. Good value, service, and food quality.

Fantastic location and it pains me to say this, was really looking forward to this as a Father’s Day treat, had the pork as did my wife, crackling was soft, veg were not cooked enough, one of the boys had a burger, so dry! Was not good at all unfortunately.

Absolutely amazing experience. Staff were attentive and polite. Food was exceptional. Highly recommend.

Made us all feel welcome, from ages 3 to sixties.

Being turned down in one place prior to this and coming here was totally opposite. Amazing welcome, they were so busy and fathers day yet went above and beyond our expectations giving us a table for 4 for 2 of us and treating us professionally! Amazing food, QUICK food, starters came in less than 5minutes and mains followed in under 5mins again. Beef roast and chicken literally melting in the mouth. 20/10

The Tollemache Arms is a delightful dog friendly country pub that offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere and exceptional service. Nestled in a picturesque village, it boasts a charming rustic decor and a cozy fireplace. The menu is a true highlight, featuring delicious, locally-sourced dishes and a great selection of ales and wines. The staff are friendly and attentive, making every visit feel special. The outdoor seating area is perfect for enjoying sunny afternoons. Whether you're looking for a hearty meal or a relaxing drink, the Tollemache Arms is a must-visit gem that perfectly captures the essence of a classic English pub.

Lovely Fathers Day meal ! Service was attentive, we have a nut allergy within the family which wasn't an issue - and a spilt drink was dealt with quickly and without fuss, saving embarrassment. Food was delicious too - and with limited waiting time. Will definitely be returning soon - thank you!

Food and service were great 👍🏽 would definitely recommend.

Had a lovely lunch here - excellent service and well prepared food

A lovely place with lovely views. But why wouldn't you serve food outside or have a bar outside??? It seems crazy to me. The Sun was out so after one drink, we went to a pub that served food outside.

Fantastic meal, we were a large group on two tables, the staff were amazing, the food delicious, we would highly recommend this venue.

Honestly hands - down one of the best pub styled restaurants I have ever experienced. Food & beverages were reasonably priced, absolutely OUTSTANDING quality, they cooked me a mean seabass! Followed by a gorgeous affogato washed down with a glass of pressy. I was accompanied with my dad & sister who ordered classic fish & chips with a mint mushy peas and they also said their food was perfect! Staff were all very nice & friendly which made our day out all the more wholesome. Keep up the awesome standards!

Don’t eat the chicken/ Korean food as we now have food poisoning and both feel incredibly sick after eating the Korean wings to start and the Korean burger as our main.

A great place to eat and take in the beautiful views. There are a lot of different areas to eat in with extensive outdoor seating.

Lovely little place, expensive but great quality of food! Gorgeous pub garden view! Highly recommend the earth burger and the prawn and cauliflower curry was delightful. They also have a great choice of cocktails available:) Also dog friendly!

Fantastic pud setting great staff that go the extra mile so friendly and accommodating also knowledgeable about their produce! Food was lovely, good quality and portions. Will definitely return with all the family, including our Spaniel! thanks Guys xx The Redmonds

Food, staff, drinks and setting all top notch. Superb.

Delicious food and a great atmosphere. Lucky to have this place so local to us.

Had a very nice meal, there’s not lots of options on the menu and only one vegan choice. However the food was delicious and the service was excellent. A little noisy but we did go on a Sunday lunchtime. Definitely will go again.

Lovely place for a meal with the family

Great country pub, brilliant atmosphere for a drink or very tasty food. Amazing views from the garden too.

We had a lovely family Sunday lunch at the Tollemache Arms. Such a lovely location. The food was great so tasty, roasts were amazing. And the puddings were all delicious, we had to share them all to make sure we got a taste of each, nutella croissant bread and butter pudding was a highlight. Thankyou for making my birthday celebrations really memorable, will definitely be returning whether we had won the vouchers or not. The staff were all really lovely and friendly, and made us feel very welcome. Highly recommend

Brilliant venue, excellent food, great service!

Typical pub. I find pubs very expensive now, but we were served well and despite my beef bourguignon was a Just a steak pie, it was nice, wine nice and lovely atmosphere.. Well done Team Tolly.. I will come again. Phil

I visit from Texas and am within a 5 minute walk of The Tolly. Always great beer food and conversation. This entire area is charming.

Delicious food and a great atmosphere. Lucky to have this place so local to us.

Lovely meal tonight! 6 of us old colleagues catching up! Food was excellent and service was fabulous. I didn’t catch the name of the lovely girl who looked after us but she was great!

Had a lovely roast here and really enjoyed the home made lemonades (mango was the best!). It was especially enjoyable to have our dog with us and see all the other dogs there too dining with their families. They even do doggie roast dinners and ice cream. Will definitely be back! Got to mention the big jug of gravy - exactly what you want with a roast!! Plenty to go around and did not need to ask for more. Make sure you get the cauliflower cheese as it was the best I’ve ever had.

Good menu bit over priced. Burger not the best fir the price. Really nice staff. I would come again but not for the burger

My burger was really good. Wife's fish from the fish and chips was soggy and undercooked batter. Chips were fantastic. Food I thought was reasonable prices but the pints are horrendous prices. Literally had a cheaper Guinness in London

Went for lunch today..warm welcome! Larnie who looked after us was courteous,friendly and the very best at making latte and her job. Food was exemplary.Will definitely return

Excellent food and service. Delightful internal ambience and set in the most beautiful countryside.

Family Mothers Day Sunday lunch.... all the meals were very impressive. Excellent presentation superb size portions and very tasty. I thoroughly enjoyed the Roast Sirloin Beef, three vegetable portions, great Yorkshire puddings and tasty Roast Potatoes. The dessert menus a real treat, I love Afogota.. Tollemache version a must to try. Friendly atmosphere staff made us all welcome. We'll be back ... you must try. Well done Tollemache Arms and thank you once again.

Very nice pub restaurant, highly recommend

Food was lovely. Service spot on

Wonderful! Park for the kids, lovely outdoor seating & views. Amazing roast! Dog friendly... super friendly, they even offer a dog roast. Wonderful, friendly staff. Definitely a new favourite

We visited for lunch before gin tasting at Warner. Great selection, catered for gluten-free too! Service excellent all staff were warm and friendly thanks for a great lunch!

Very nice food with quick and friendly service. Partner was really happy with the gluten-free options.

Went to Tollemache Arms this evening - service excellent, food excellent - what more can I say. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Took my Wife & friends here for here birthday treat. Well pleased with the food Cooked perfectly .looked good and tasted perfect. The staff was making the evening that more special looking after us . Really unexpected when the staff brought the desserts out with a candle lit and sang happy birthday. When the evening came to an end my wife had another surprise .A card signed by all the staff. With a surprise inside. thank you all We all had lovely time there and would definitely recommend Tollemache Arms for the food . service and the person touch that we all experienced .looking forward to our next visit there.

What an outstanding place for Sunday lunch! Absolutely brilliant food and wonderful service. Provided you like your beef rare, which I do, simply the best tasting and well presented Sunday lunch I have had.

Beautiful pub and restaurant... Great food

We ate at the restaurant and it was fantastic. The food was high quality and beautifully cooked, you can see on the website and also on a board in the dining room where exactly the food you're eating has come from, which is a brilliant touch. The atmosphere was relaxed while also being definitely higher class than your average pub (without the high price tags) very cosy and homely. The service was top notch, everybody we spoke to was polite, helpful and couldn't possibly do more to make you happy to be honest (we aren't picky and didn't request anything, they just go above and beyond as a default). Will definitely go back to try the rest of the menu

We love visiting the Tolly. The pub is beautiful, the food is fantastic and the service is so good. We are always made to feel so welcome with our 2 year old son; Flo and her team are very thoughtful and often use little touches that make our visits feel special. We’d also say that it is probably the best roast we have had!

A friendly pub we go here a lot as most pubs in the area have closed and its reliably good food. Also a beautiful setting especially in the summer. But I have to say the last time we went the food was a bit cheap, I had squid with wasabi (the wasabi where was it) no heat at all and it was awful, greasy, bland over cooked. 6 small breaded squid for £8! What, how, why….. The curry was gelatinous, and the rice was sticky and bland and served with raw pokchoi? It was near £100 for 2 of us with 2 medium wines I thinks this is a bit outrageous tbh. The place is in need of a spruce up and a good clean, the toilets and corridor smelt of pee. You can’t charge that money if you can walk the walk.

Friendly atmosphere with great food and service

Lovely country pub, with friendly staff and decent food, plus beer garden for the summer.

Only popped in for a quick half but the staff were all very welcoming. The seating area was cosy, if a bit small.

Just had a Saturday lunch. Best rural pub/restaurant we have been to for a long while. So many locally are disappointing.

Great atmosphere and charming setting.

We hadn’t been in almost a year and the food is still incredible, best pub food in the area, cozy atmosphere and friendly service. The calamari,beef bourguignon, and steak were delicious.

Had a wonderful Sunday lunch here. Great value and service. Lovely selection of meals and drinks.

We have just had our Christmas Lunch at home, 49 residents at McKinlay Court, Kettering. What a wonderful experience, a fabulous meal served by wonderful staff. Thanks once again to the boys from the Tolley

First time here.Excellent Roast beef Sunday lunch. Attentive and timely service from Isabelle. Will be back.

Delicious food, great friendly service and really good value for the quality of the food, highly recommend the hanger steak. Went with my wife for her birthday with our new born and they were extremely accommodating with us and the pram and even gave my wife a birthday card, lovely touch. We will certainly be back.

We chose a central location for a pre Christmas lunch, we chose well as we had a lovely meal and drinks at *The Tolly*. Excellent food choice from a varied well priced menu, excellent table service from Lydia in a very warm and welcoming restaurant. We had travelled a long way for the occasion but it was well worth the effort.

Great food but smaller portions than i am used too.

Absolutely superb from start to finish, couldn't fault a thing. Delicious meal, welcoming and friendly staff and fantastic atmosphere on a cold winters night.

Brilliant food and service- what a wonderful treat after attending Gin tasting at Warners Distillery!

Walked in around 3pm in the dead of winter, just as the sun was setting and was greeted by a roaring fire and a collection of lively locals. 5 of us decided on this location for a 60th birthday party and from start to finish the experice was lovely. The atmosphere wa cosy and the food was incredible. I had the salt and pepper sqid to start which was really tasty, although the portion size was a little on the small side, for my main I had steak and by god was it glorious, I zoned out of the conversations and just got lost in how good it was. For desert I had the brownie which was the weakest of all the dishes the potion size was very small and it was served with some other icecream other than vanilla which 9 though was odd and didn't compliment the chocolate taste of the brownie. Overall though I was very impressed with the whole experience as was everyone else in out party. Would recommend to all to pay a visit and taste the incredible food.

Has Sunday lunch and the main and desserts were lovely and the service amazing.only disappointing was the starter we really fancied a prawn cocktail and got some poor prawns on a lump of bread that were really dry but we still will come back as the atmosphere was lovely well done.

We had heard good reviews and we’re not disappointed. Staff were friendly and attentive, food was excellent. Good, local and seasonal produce on the menu. Good atmosphere and not surprised that the Arms began to fill up as the evening went on. Will definitely be back.

A very nice venue and friendly staff, the beef bourguignon pie was served with no pastry or potato we were advised the chef didn't think it necessary so although the meat was excellent it was served with half a carrot and a piece of rather stale under cooked cabbage stork which I feel would have not even made my hens happy.