The best restaurants serving British food in North Dorset South West

A lovely dinner although we could both only manage one course, there was a lot of food! I had the pigeon breasts and my wife the cheese souffle, both perfectly cooked and very plentiful. It may not be the cheapest place to eat but for this quality and quantity it was worth it. Staff are very welcoming and friendly.

Great food, well presented and served by attentive staff. Has restored my faith in pub Sunday lunches, after a series of being presented with slabs of grey beef or uniformly brown meals smothered in thick claggy gravy by businesses obviously just happy to take the money with the least possible effort or care. We had obviously fresh, well cooked meat with a good choice of fresh vegetables. Thanks!

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: oh dear… Everything about this place now screams: ‘lack of enthusiasm and care’. First off, in this day and age to serve soft drinks from a big bottle is unbelievable. Flat soft drinks from a pub is just not acceptable. Secondly, the Sunday roast is maybe the worst I’ve ever had. School dinners are better than this. Rock solid veg, water disguised as gravy, thrice reheated potatoes… actually impossible to say anything positive about the roast. And I’ve now seen the pictures of the roast dinners served here in 2023 before the new management came in and they looked fantastic. Several steps back. Also we were sat in a cold, echoey barn conversion which doesn’t feel fully converted. All of which is a massive shame as it looks great from the outside and the main little pub building is full of character.

Visited for dinner for belated birthday. Have been coming here since I was little (now 55!) and it never disappoints. Warm welcome, so nice to sit and enjoy drinks and nibbles in the comfy bar whilst choosing from the menu. Food was delicious all 3 courses. Service friendly and professional. Wine recommendation spot on. Only wish would be to bring back the dessert trolley.

We had our wedding reception meal here last week and I can honestly say it was fabulous. The staff were extremely attentive and the food was the best. Thank you to Lee, Hannah, Jay and the team for making our special day so memorable.

Scruples is a little gem. Unpretentious, homely, welcoming, with a real community spirit. So much so that we regularly make the 30 mile round trip from where we live to have lunch there. The food is always freshly prepared and delicious. The service is attentive without being overwhelming.

Had A Lovely Breakfast at the Secret Garden Cafe at Thorngrove Garden Centre, it was delivered to our table nice and hot which is always a good thing. The service from Sam and all the staff was very good. Will Visit Again

The cafe definitely feels like it’s in an institution - it has a feel of a church/hospital/AgeConcern cafe. It’s in a multi-functional building that houses the prison’s learning centre, on the second floor. It was originally opened to serve prison staff and visitors, but is also open to the general public 10-3 (kitchen closes at 2). It’s simple food - jackets, baguettes etc and is fine. We were served by two very hard working ladies - no sign of any inmates and no “HMP” stencil anymore on the cappuccino (as was shown in someone’s post). You could forget you were in a prison, the few reminders being bags, mugs, aprons etc with the Jailhouse logo on. It’s a great cause (rehabilitating prisoners) and worth supporting if in the area and in need of a simple lunch.

A lovely place to stop for a drink and a bite to eat. Friendly service in great surroundings. The food was bang on and the cider was good. Next time we are passing,we shall go again. 👍

Amazing food!! very reasonably priced, very polite and attentive staff, would highly recommend to anyone! :) I Don't understand any of the negative reviews on here at all...there a load of rubbish because the food is top notch 👌

Excellent food, huge portions, great friendly team and staff. Thank you very much for looking after us and our staffy Elvis, who is now apparently on the photo wall.

Not for the first time my friend and I turned up for a quick pint on our way home from work before closing (it was 22:45) only to find that despite the advertised closing time (23:00) it had already closed. The unreliability of the opening times is very frustrating. In my opinion, if you advertise opening hours you should stick to them!!

got food poisoning when i came and ate here do not recommend to anyone

Dropped in to Zero Waste whilst on day trip from London. Encountered light rain, and cafe looked inviting. Warm, friendly relaxed service, pleasant surroundings. Nachos and a bowl of delicious soup both served with generous portions of bread, must point out nachos was supposed to be accompanied by corn chips. Meal accompanied by a mulled wine and water. A pleasant lunch experience.

Eva was brilliant, great customer service and made sure we were very happy.