Reviews of Plough Fare Forest Inn, Kidderminster
Review by John Tapper on 25th January, 2014
Add your review Date visited: Friday 24/1/14
Had a great meal there last night, nothing was too much trouble for the staff and service was pretty good
Toilets are entertaining
I would use this pub again as the value is great and the food they provide is decent homemade food, there a lot of competition but more all less there are 2 4 1 Marstons dives or massively expensive eateries this pub has just got it right
I will be returning soon :-)
Review by Jax on 23rd January, 2014
Add your review Date visited: 19/01/14
After a lovely week end in Wales, we returned home via The Plough, looking forward to a roast dinner.We arrived at 17.00, and to be fair, the restaurant was still busy. I asked if it we could have a table for two, and was shown immediatly to a table, and we got our drinks and paid for the carvery, unfortunatly that is where the good experience ended.
When we got to the carvery, their was a small piece of beef, the remains of the turkey and some Gammon. We both requested beef only to be told that we couldnt have the beef as they were saving it for people who had booked in for 18.00!This was very disappointing, my husband said we should get our money back, but it seemed a shame, so I said I would have the Turkey, but told the waiter i was not happy, he offered to give me a small piece of beef, but I didnt think this was adequate, and I dont like mixing my food. I like the tradditional accompaniments to the meat.
I informed the waitress who had accepted us into the restaurant, that I was not happy that we had not been told that we would not be allowed to have the beef, and requested to speak to the manager.The sign set in a stone plaque on the wall stating that it is the best carvery in England is deffinatly not true.The Cauli cheese, parsnips, and broccolli were so hard they were difficult to cut and the meat tasteless and dry. The waitress did bring us a slice of beef, but as stated I do notlike mixing ,and had not had yorkshire pudding or horseradish. I insisted that I spoke to the manager. A man who I presume was the chef came to speak to us, but his attitude was if you dont like it dont come and that we should have booked. I said I felt that if he knew they had late bookings they should have cooked more meat, or at least told us that there was only limited selection available. This rather spoilt what had been a good weekend and we certainly will not be visiting again, with their indifferent attitude or standard of food.
Review by les walledge on 19th September, 2013
Add your review Date visited: sept 2013
I have used this pub for several years and found it to be good except for the toilets, however I had not used it for two years and expected much the same, how wrong I was.
firstly they have had a face lift, this was done to a good standard, with the gents (although not might taste) much improved.
They also give a discount on your drinks if you are staying on the local campsite, but the main reason for using the pub has always been the food, however this is now way below standard at the carvery side, the beef was like shoe leather as was the pork, the roast potatoes were not much more than oversized peas that had been fast fried, and most but not all of the veg was hard to cut with the knifes supplied, we did complain to the staff at the time only to be told our comments would be pasted to the chef.
we were not contacted by the chef or management but did hear other people making similar comments on the campsite.
Review by Adam on 27th August, 2013
Add your review Date visited: 25/08/13
Had a great meal at the plough last night really loved the carvery, it was very good value for money too only £5 on the special deal buy one get one free offer
Friendly service and nicely decorated country pub check out the toilets they made me laugh
Look forward to spreading the word about this venue as the other reviews slagging the place down certainly weren't my experience can't see why there are so many bad reviews??
Look forward to returning again :-)
Review by th on 25th July, 2013
Add your review Date visited: many times
i have eaten carvery lunches many times over the past 10years.
have to say that sometimes i have found the beef very tough.
and only once or twice i have found the vegetables to be cooked.
cannot eat raw cabbage and undercoooked carrots. also parsnips are not roasted - not like mine - think they must boil them first and then flash fry them.
gravy always tasty.
BUT THE PLATES ARE TOO SMALL - THAT IS WHY YOU LOOSE THE GRAVY ON THE SERVERY (WHICH IS ALWAYS MESSEY)OR ON THE WAY TO YOUR TABLE. ACCOMPANIMENTS SIDE TABLE LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED - DO NOT LIKE APPLE SAUCE WITH HUGE LUMPS OF APPLE IN THERE.
Review by Sally Healey on 31st March, 2013
Add your review Date visited: 30/03/13
Website clearly states Saturday lunchtime cost £6.95 for carvery or £8.95 for 2 course meal. Booked table for 5, was presented with menu charging £10.95 for carvery only 2 course meal was extra. With hindsight we should have walked out straight away, staff member told us they were taking advantage that it was a bank holiday weekend and had put prices up because of that. Food was nothing to shout about, plenty of meat but food was only lukewarm, most of it went home in a doggy bag. Would not go again nor recommend to any friends. Owner not very friendly either. Waste of money.
Review by martin on 4th July, 2012
Add your review Date visited: july 2012
Years ago this pub The Plough Far Forest was exceptional, could not fault it, BUT go now and the reception girl (blonde hair, and her grisley colleague so rude and i over heard several of their conversations talking about waiting dinners sitting in the lounge area, CUSTOMER SERVICE is a joke, obvioulsy self statemented "best carvery in area, customer service is second to none" I would like to know where he/she goes if their is customer service worse than THE PLOUGH. The owners should take note and come down from Bridgenorth from their other place and see how this HOLE is being run. Food may be good but your customer service is rubbish.
Review by J Evans on 27th April, 2012
Add your review Date visited: 26.04.12
Lovely carvery great atmopshere and lovely staff
Gastro starters and desserts are divine and three courses for only £11.95 is superb value
Will be going back with friends for sure and refurbsihment is finished
Highly recommended :)
Review by george ettle on 11th March, 2012
Add your review Date visited: 15/1/2012
3/1/12 Booked a table for 19 people was asked for £50 deposit paid by card this was taken out of our account 3/1/12
Told it would be taken of final bill
The service was a disgrace leaving dirty dishes on table when finished Not interested in serving us
When taking goods to the car the rest of the party were told to leave the table while our personal belongings were still on table personal belonging lost When At home we decided to work out what we had paid.No receipt given.
They had not taken off £50.
When my daughter complained she was told to send a Bank Statement to prove we had paid My wife, and myself were told the same we refused After one letter 3 Emails The management phoned us demanding a bank statement there records would not show that far back 15 days. First complaint about 4 hours after leaving the Plough We asked for a receipt and the return of our deposit 3 days after party no answer. Management were told to return deposit whithin 48 hrs or legal action will be taken he agreed to reduce the bill by £50 allegedly we wanted free meals paid 1/2/2012.
Who do the manament of the Plough think they are demanding a bank statement
If you have a carvery they keep the receipt (no receipt to send). Called Free loaders.Final party 17 2 children under 5 free. What a way to treat a customer aged 73 years on his birthday who had travaled 150 miles My wife is 67.
Card details taken on the 3/1/12 money taken out of account 3/1/12 for a party on the 15/1/12 G.A.E. Dorset.
Review by Keith Watson on 9th January, 2012
Add your review Date visited: 8th Jan 12
Cracking venue and lovely carvery, Im quite shocked there is so many negative reviews, and cant be that bad the place is packed 24/7, thats answer all the the facts, people are too quick to judge this day and age!
I agree on the service, it is a bit on the slow side but its not a bad fault.
If you enjoy a good old roast this venue ticks all the right boxes!
Thanks again for another superb carvery yesterday
Review by Mr Millward on 4th December, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 2 December
I was left really annoyed and letdown after taking the family and in laws there for a celebration meal, after spending over £100 of hard earned money we were made to wait upto half and hour between courses and all the finished plates and dishes were left on the end of the table!! All our used glasses were also left at the end of the table until until my patience finally broke and i took them back myself and complained, nice venue bad service, if they are busy then they should employ more staff. I would have expected lesser service if i had paid a lesser price but the price certainly did not match our service, never again!!
Review by G. Griffiths on 31st August, 2011
Add your review Date visited: July 2011
I visited with family one thursday evening in July.. paying £10.95 for a 3 course option.
I am aware that everything on the menu is prepped fresh in the kitchen. On the whole our food was exceptional for the price we paid.
yes, service not the best, but understandable when there is a full restaurant. Would definately recommend - especially for the trademark carvery.
Review by Jane Butler on 15th August, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 7th August 2011
We visited the Plough twice the first time about 3 weeks before to book a table for 12 for a diamond wedding anniversary. We made a point with the gentleman behind the bar that we had someone in a wheelchair and that it was a special occasion. We went to have a look at the table we had booked - the round table by the doors with the ramp -and were told on both occasions that everything was booked and ok. When we arrived the doors at the top of the ramp were closed and people were at the table we had booked. We were put on another cramped table. We were also blocking other tables because of the wheelchair. There was nothing in the book about the weelchair or a special occasion. We were very angry and the gentleman who came to speak to us was far from sorry or understanding. He offered us a bottle of champagne. A sincere apology would have been better. He needs to train his staff better. We won't be going there again in a hurry.
Review by Gina Louise on 7th August, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 07.08.11
TOO EXPENSIVE. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME. Pub was overcrowded, couldn't cope with the amount of people there. Half and hour queue for LESS THAN AVERAGE food.
DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME.
Review by A McKenzie on 5th July, 2011
Add your review Date visited: last year
l have been going to the Plough for nearly
40 years,and have had some fantastic nights there.l booked a table for 16 people we got there on time,but waited ages to be served,the large table we had booked was so dirty the waiter had to remove everything and give it a good clean.There was not enough cutlery,and what we did have was dirty.When one of the group asked what was the mess on the table he said it was wedding confetti from a wedding the weekend before.The meal was terrible,service the same,the young man was nice enough but was embarresed.The lady who came to help was rude could not be bothered.Would never go their again,please don't waist your petrol .....
Review by Peter Walker on 1st July, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 30 June 2011
I had my first experience of the plough amongst a party of 20. I found the staff apart from one quite indifferent, one chewing gum whilst delivering the food and seemed as though they did not really want to be there. The food was not that brilliant with some sweet orders forgotten, plates not cleared from the table before the next course was presented but then we were not paying a fortune for the meal. I found a piece of metal in my soup which I was informed was a piece from a pan scourer. An apology was given and a replacement soup was provided. I know it was a different bowl of soup as the one I was given was summer cabbage with bacon which I had ordered and not leek and potato that I was given first. I had been told the pub was a good place to eat so maybe I just had an unlucky experience and would be willing to give the place another go.
Peter Walker
Review by Sue Maund on 21st June, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 20.6.2011
We booked a table for 12 a week previously, so they had notice of our visit. On arrival at 6.30pm we had to wait until 6.50pm before we could tell them we had arrived, because people were being served with drinks, even though it was not that busy. We had 2 children in the party a 2 yr old & 4 yr old, who were allowed to come as a special treat, as it was my belated birthday celebration for me (Grandma).
We waited & waited and eventually got our orders taken. The first course took so long the two children had their carvery food and had been finished ages
before the first starter arrived. Five of us had carveries so we fetched them when we had finished our starter. The plates that we had collected up remained on the table until the meals off the menu arrived. We asked for puddings for the kids, were told ice-cream machine broke. No cherry bakewell left. My Daughter in law is allergic to fruit, the ONLY thing she could eat on the sweet menu, was snickers creme brulee (which she doesnt like) or ice cream. There was nothing for the children to drink except coke of squash in a glass. My Son was in England for one week from the Middle East, so we joked with the next table that we were placing our order last night for next time he comes, then we might be served on time. They said that a person on their table had to catch a plane in the morning, so we said "You better not stay for coffee then!". We spent well over £200.00 last night, with six people travelling from Cannock for the evening. Although the food was not bad the service was appalling. Considering you have posters up saying you are "The Best Carvery in England" you should be ashamed of yourselves and if you don't pull your socks up you will be going the way of many others, who lose site of the fact that it is people like us that keep you in business.
Review by Gemma Haslam on 7th May, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 7th May 2011
Called at 11am this saturday morning to book a table for lunch. Our table for 10 people was booked at 2pm (bearing in mind carvery is served from 12 - 2 so we did arrive at the end of service). On arrival, we were advised there was enough meat left for only two people. Fair enough, we did book late so were happy to choose from the mouthwatering main menu. Other diners soon finished and dispersed leaving us the only table in the restaurant. After 45 minutes we received our starters (perhaps a little too long but we were happy to see food following a clear mix up in the kitchen). The main dishes arrived over 15 minutes, proving the kitchen was in utter choas. We later learned to our absolute dismay that as there was no one old enough to serve at the bar, the chef was pulling pints whilst the waitresses cooked our dinners - as confirmed to us by 2 waitresses but only after we questionned them on over hearing one shout to the other "I've just put their garlic bread under the grill".
I must commend The Plough on their delicious Carvery (albeit when the Chef is actually in the kitchen and you do not have a table of more than 6). However, our last 2 visits have been diabolically poor in terms of service. Third time lucky I hope but unfortunately, if this level of service and disorganisation continues, we will not be going back until the management changes. Gemma.
Review by deanban on 27th March, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 26/03/2011
This restaurant has positioned itself as a quality eatery, catering for large or small parties - including events.
So we booked a meal for 8 at 7.00 o'clock, booking online and twice phoning to confirm the appointment.
Everyone was looking forward to this special birthday evening.
We arrived at 6.45 and was told the booking was at 7.30??????, we waited, waited and waited.
At 7.20 I checked to ensure 7.30 was OK, I was ignored, the second time the front of house turned and made a quick exit. Finally checking at 7.45 and was told the table we had booked was just starting their main course - our table might be ready at 8.15.
I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone, there are better organised, more friendly restaurants, with quality food in the local area!
Diners book at your own risk - beware!
Review by J.cooke on 23rd February, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 20/02/11
Having read the reviews perhaps it's obvious the plough is catering for an unusual clientele,I realise moneys tight but surely the plough is not the venue for special occasions,even in hard times you get what you pay for,20per cent of the bill is vat it's cheap as chips,what do people expect,my advice to people is buy a restuarant it's easy to make a living try it with all the expertise floating about.j.cooke
Review by Matt Baxendale on 7th February, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 4/02/2011
Booked table 2 weeks in advance for 8 o'clock 8 adults 2 children, one 6 month old baby and one 5 week old baby. Arrived at 7.45 and had to wait until 8.30 to be seated in a chicken pen, no carton drinks or fruit shoots for the kids so they had to drink out of a glass not even a straw so not child friendly the cutlery was stained and the slate mats were dirty with food previously left around them we did not leave as it was an 18th birthday where else were we supposed to go at that time. we managed to order our starters at 8.50 after we found a waitress and after 10 minutes she came back to say that 2 items were off the menu. the mushroom starter was very salty as you could still crunch the salt 5 minutes after you had eaten it. at 9.30 the waitress came back and told us that the childrens meals we ordered were not available so we re-ordered. when we went up to the carvery only half the table could be served as 2 items on the meat had run out and there was no carrots potatoes the chef said he had not been told there was a table of 10 that night to allow him to make more food available. the vegtables that we did manage to eat were hard and undercooked, the meat was below standard and overcooked. at 10p.m we were still waiting for a childrens meal of pizza and chips this is 25 minutes after first getting our meal and were still waiting for it 48hrs after ordering it. when we asked for the manager some aggresive man called Mark arrived when i asked him if he was the manager he said no why do you keep complaining. when we mentioned the starter he said he'd tried it and it was more than suitable and that we were just lowsy stupid customers and to get out as we were heading for a fight. well many thanks for your actions in front of a 3 and 8 year old child who were both screaming with fear. what a waist of £110.00
Review by Steven Cox on 7th February, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 14th January 2011
I must be part of the ever growing number of "donuts" Mark Giles the MD of The Plough refers to.
I am only adding my comments as I wrote to the Plough the day after our meal and also a month later have not had the courtesy of a reply.
We had been regular customers having visited the place over 20 times during 2010 so we booked a table 7 to celebrate my wifes birthday.
The starters were fine but the main courses we over cooked, the "jumbo" cod was small to be kind, the food from the cavery was tepid, vegatables had run out and were not replaced and the potaoes were hard and uncooked, the list goes on and did in my letter of complaint.
We had asked to preorder deserts as on a previous visit they had run out. We were not allowed to do this and you've guess it our choosen deserts were no longer avaliable.
No one came to ask if our meal was ok at any stage of the evening as this could have avoided the complaint and we recieved no apology all evening.
This may just be another bad day at the office for Mr Giles and his staff but for us it was a special occasion ruined.
I accept that everyone makes mistakes which is why I wrote directly to the MD of the Company.
I may be a "donut" to coin his phrase but as the MD of a restaurant chain you would have thought that customer service was the very essence of the business...clearly not.
You are spoilt for choice in Worcestershire with fine pubs and restaurant with which to part with your hard earnt money. In future we will be giving it to businesses that care!
Review by Callie on 30th January, 2011
Add your review Date visited: June 2010
Firstly, I would like to say that our family of four have had many meals - carvery and from the menu at The Plough and have had lovely meals without too much delay. HOWEVER, in my experience of parties of 15 people or more for works get-to-gethers,family celebrations etc. The Plough lets themselves down. This is a shame as I have recommended them many times for their carveries based on my own positive experiences. It was for this reason that I had no hesitation in booking our daughters 21st birthday celebration there last June. The table was booked 4 months in advance for 24 people and a deposit of £50 was taken. I was in regular contact regarding numbers etc. and checked on 3 occasions that all was set for the celebration meal. All our guests arrived around 10 to 15 mins early and stayed in the garden but we checked in at the desk and were told that was fine, table was ready and to filter in after 10 mins or so, which we did. We were told that a waitress would come to our table to take our orders as we were a large party, so all seemed well. However, we waited quite a long time and the place was getting very busy. No one came to our table so we told them we were ready to order starters etc. To cut a long, long story short (and an even longer evening), having arrived just before 7.30pm, one of our party had their main meal at 10.30pm by which time they had obviously gone 'past it'. During the evening we had gone back and forth asking for service and had started to complain. A couple of our party had left without a meal at all. We asked to speak to the Manager but was told he was not available. At the end of the evening, we finally paid around two thirds of the bill at around 11.30pm/11.45pm, refusing to pay the rest, demanding that the manager telephone us the next day. This he did, apologising and not insisting on the unpaid portion of our bill. Our daughter's 21st birthday was totally ruined by their lack of service and the staff on the night really didn't seem that bothered that the birthday girl was in tears with the upset and embarrassment of her planned celebration going so spectacularly wrong. THE REASON I AM WRITING THIS REVIEW NOW IS BECAUSE RECENT ADVERTISING IN THE KIDDERMINSTER SHUTTLE ANNOUNCES THAT THE PLOUGH CAN CATER FOR LARGE PARTIES - SOMETHING THEY HAVE NOT APPEARED TO CLAIM ON AN ADVERTISEMENT BEFORE. I would NEVER book another special family gathering there again because we could not risk the evening being remembered for the 'disaster at The Plough' that our daughters celebration was. Unless they have somehow changed their management style, changed some of their staff, or even if when they know they have lots of bookings already, they DO NOT continue to let new diners in through the doors (and serve them before the diners that are already seated), I fail to see how many more customers are not going to end up disappointed and possibly write unhappy reviews on sites such as this. Each time I see the advert it makes my blood boil and it seems so wrong that they can make claims like this when just reading many of the reviews, it proves that our disaster was not just a one-off.
Review by Herbert Cartwright on 27th January, 2011
Add your review Date visited: Early January 2011
My wife and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary at the start of January this year. We had heard from family members that The Plough Inn had an excellent reputation for its carvery.
We travelled from nearby Ludlow, with a party of 24 guests to celebrate our anniversary on a friday evening.
Upon arrival we were greeted by a very smart looking young man named Adam (who we later found out to be the manager)
After checking in at the desk, he allocated us to our tables. As the restaurant does not have a table large enough to seat 26 guests (understandable), they duly accomadated us to the top end of the conservatory.
That evening they had a 3 course offer available for only £9.95. This offer included all food off the menu as well as the carvery. They also had a 'specials menu' available, which was included in the offer. The meals alone were priced around £9.95-£12.95, which made the offer even more entertaining.
After setting up a tab and paying for our parties 3 course meals, our order was collected by a young girl from the table.
My wife is a vegetarian which sometimes creates issues whilst dining out, but this seemed to be no stumbling block, as the menu offered 3 a la carte vegetarian options, plus around 12 fresh vegetable to choose from the carvery. She was very overwhelmed by the selection that was on offer, but settled for the 'Goats cheese tart, with carvery veg'.
A large number of the party opted for the carvery, of which there were four meats available (beef, turkey, pork and supprisingly - venison!)
By now the restaurant was filling up, and with approximately 6 waiting staff, they had their work cut out for them!
Our tables were cleared only when all guests had finished eating. We were then given dessert menus.
The desserts are listed as homemade, and have a wide choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic sweets.
There was a short wait on desserts but when they arrived we could not fault the presentation and taste of each dish!
On the whole we enjoyed our visit very much, as did our guests. I would definately reccomend it to anyone!
Review by J Hyde on 27th December, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 26/11/2010
This is mainly in response to the ‘review’ from M Giles, who interestingly enough appears to be reviewing his own pub. My family and I visited the Plough on Friday 26th November 2010 for a double family birthday celebration. We chose the Plough as it was an ideal location as we were travelling from various parts of the country (Ludlow, Sedgley, Warrington and Surrey) and one of our party has eaten there several times and enjoyed the visit. The service was less than poor and the quality of the food was below average. Two of the guests decided to try the carvery and waited for over 10 minutes there for somebody to serve them and when they were served their food, the meat was tastelessly dry. I dread to think what happened in the kitchen in such an establishment, considering when ordering our drinks (which we had to go to the bar to do as there was no-one willing to take our drinks order), one of the members of the kitchen staff was seen coughing, failing to cover their mouth.
When we got to choosing a dessert, we thought we would order ice cream. When the ice cream arrived, we were disappointed to discover it was from an ice-cream machine which was broken and melting everywhere. Even more to my amazement and disgust the waiter licked the ice cream that was melting off his fingers in between serving.
I did not comment on this immediately after the incident as one of the members of our party has actually e-mailed the Plough a number of occasions and unfortunately nobody has had the gall to respond. We were not looking for a refund or anything free but an apology may have suggested that this was a one-off due to staff shortages (even though for a Friday night, there were only a handful of people dining there) or some other unforeseen circumstances. Sadly, the lack of response suggests that this is not the case and we will no longer be dining at the Plough.
J Hyde (a disappointed doughnut)
Review by Gemma Wright on 27th November, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 26th Nov
I had a lovely meal here and the venue is a perfect meeting point for my family and I. It is a very busy pub and the carvery is Fantastic.
The service is ok but what do you expect from a busy pub offering 3 courses for £11.95.
Good value and good quality food. I would recommend.
Review by Mark Giles (M D Plough Inn) on 27th November, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 27 November 2010
Having a spare half an hour, I took it upon myself to read the comments left on this 'review' site. From 2008 to 2011,some what quarter of a million people have dined with us and we have managed to find just a very, very small percentage of unhappy customers who like to write stupid ridiculous comments, futhermore some have not even got the gall to leave their email address or their surname. If we were as bad as people say, where does all our buisness come from? I don't know, maybe one of there doughnuts could tell me.
Here's one for you, I went into a very successful supermarket chain last christmas, most of the shelves were empty.. I stood in a queue for nearly an hour.. I had young children screaming around me... People getting very irritable. But not at any time did that supermarket allow any customer to have any products for free, like some of the very few customers we have that when we do make a slight error expect everything for free.
I will just add when i left the supermarket i was still happy, only had half of my shopping list, maybe a few more people should adopt the same attitude as myself.
I went to Aston Villa Park the other day, being a stunch villa fan, tickets £50.00 each. When it came to half time we went down for a light refreshment, we stood in an queue along with the other 3,000 people, couldnt get served, infact didn't even get served. They had shut the counters down! Yes you have guessed it, did i complain? NO. I still had a great day and to top it all i think Man United robbed us! But again we still enjoyed ourselves.
So all in all my conclusion is if you do not like what we offer at The Plough, go to a corporate, you can get microwaved, boil in the bag and foreign meat at a very resonable price. Furthermore when you have growled about it, they will proberbly give it you for nothing, so you can move on to the next corporate, and you can go round and round forever and a day!
But just remeber if you come to The Plough this chain will be broken.
Now for a serious note, for those of hundreds of thousands of lovely people out there, please do not be offended of my above comments, they are not directed towards you, just those doughnuts who write silly comments.
Review by Iain Burns on 24th October, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 24/10/2010
Firstly ( as i feel this is the most important part of any meal ) is the food. This i have to say was excellent, my family and myself all had the carvery and it was lovely, plenty of meat, excellent choice of vegetables and served with a smile, couldn't fault it at all and really wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone..
Secondly is the service. This was not good, the person welcoming us to the establishment couldn't look less interested if he tried. The table which was booked for 7 people was only made up for 6, so the 7th person was dumped on the end like an afterthought. They had had a week to prepare for this as i booked the table last Monday.
The waiting staff were too busy standing round trying to look pretty rather than clear our table and take our desert order, when they finally did they got it wrong and only delivered 3 of 7 deserts, approx 5 minutes had passed when the other 4 arrived.
The final thing i found an insult ( as we had not paid for deserts in advance )
was that we had to pay for our deserts at the table upon delivery. Have to be honest, i'm not sure why this is necessary as i am not in the habit of doing a runner without paying for my food.
Overall i would definately recommend the Plough as the food was lovely, its just the service that needs a little attention.
Review by Andy on 4th October, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 2 October 2010
I'm not sure how they can claim to be the best carvery in England - there're not even the best carvery in Worcestershire!!
Huge soup bowls with a tiny amount of soup washing around in the bottom, poor choice of vegetables, skimpy on the meat portions.
Ice cream machine broken, small choice of desserts (all with alcohol - pity if you're a teetotaler)
People wandering around the kitchen without any kitchen whites on, young serving staff trying to do their best but all seemingly confused.
Review by Carol on 31st August, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 28 August 2010
We booked a table for 2 for Saturday at 19:30. We arrived on time but were told no menus were available, but were shown to our seats (very unusual position) and was assured we would be given the menu within the next 5 minutes. We had to again ask for menus some 10 minutes later, we decided on the 3 courses for £11.95 as shown on the Menu, but were informed it was £13.95 on a Saturday. We showed the waitress the menu where it blatantly stated Monday to Saturday £11.95 for 3 courses. We were informed the prices are more expensive on a Saturday but it was too expensive to change the menus. The table next to us also joined in the conversation and agreed that we were in fact correct as you couldnt go in a supermarket and be charged £10 for a product shown at £8. We then decided as we had booked the table we, regretably, agreed to pay the price. We then went to the bar to order, it now being 20:10 after ordering the meal we were then told it would be 1.5hrs minimum before we would get our meals. This we found most unnaceptable, some 2.1/4hrs after our table booking of 19:30, so we left the restaurant and went into Bewdley to an alternative pub/restaurant and were able to be sitting down with our meal by 20:50. By coincidence whilst waiting at the bar for our meal, there were another 2 people there who also had had an unfortunate incident there the previous week, hence they were eating in Bewdley and NOT at The Plough. Going back to The Plough, mmmmm!!! dont think so.
Review by Dave on 29th June, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 24/06/2010
My wife and I have eaten at the plough many times and always enjoyed the meal and the service.
However when we went on the 24/06/10 for an evening meal things changed.
When we arrived and said that we had booked we were told our table number only to find that people were already at that table, it was the third table that they had been given. The barmaid telling them to sit wherever they wanted hence they were on our table.
We both had opted for the three course meal the main course being the carvary.
After my starter I went to the bar to get another drink there was no body behind either bar serving drinks! I and another customer waited for nearly five minutes before a young lady came and served us.
we then went to get our carvary meals only to be told that there was no Beef only Turkey and a small piece of Pork ( I should point out that this was not late at night it was still before 8 p.m. ) As both my wife and myself had specifically wanted beef we told the chef who was most apolagetic that we would choose something else from the menu.
As we were looking at the menu a waitress came and said that the chef would cook us steaks and we could have carvary vegetables, which we agreed to.
When we were told that our steaks were ready we went up and got them and the vegetables, I will say that I thought that the choice of vegetables was poor compared to previous visits Roast potatoes that were not crisp, Yorkshire puddinds that had been kept hot for so long that they were rock hard, and the rest of the vegetables ( cauliflower in a runny white sauce, peas, carrots and cabbage )all suffering from being kept warm for too long.Then the steaks turned out not to be great, and a little on the tough side.
Altogether a very dissapointing meal and experiance.
The staff with the exception of the chef all seemed extreamly young and gave the impression that they did not know what they were doing, you don't just walk away and leave a reasonably busy bar unattended for five minutes.
Review by MIKE on 28th June, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 27/06/2010
I WAS A MEMBER OF PARTY OF 14 TO CELEBRATE A 80Th BIRTHDAY, WE THOUGHT WE WERE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE, SERVICE VERY POOR, WAITED FOR A HOUR FOR OUR FOOD,MY SON WAS LAST TO RECEIVE HIS MEAL
PITZA,CHIPS,BEANS, WHICH ARRIVED AFTER 1 1/2 HOURS,WHATS THE CHEF PLAYING AT.
PLOUGHMANS MEAL 3 BITS OF CHEESE,BIT OF SALAD NO TOMATO SMALL BIT ONION IN SAUCE,PICKLE,ONE ONION, AND SMALL BIT OF HARD CIABATEI BREAD £8.75.PROFIT BEFORE SERVICE? CORRECT.
WE WILL NOT BE BOOKING THERE AGAIN,IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME.
Review by Dave on 21st June, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 6th June 2010
Good food but very poor service and not enough staff. This place is set up to make maximum profit for the pub but with little thought or care about the experience of the customer. Profit first, service second, but if you don't mind that then I recommend it.
Review by Gill Dobson on 8th June, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 6th June 2010
Lovely pub and great food the three course deal is good value for money and the carvery was one the best ive ever had. Would recommend if your like carveries and the outside bar was pretty cool having a drink in the garden before we left. All round winner in my opoinion despite what others say?
Review by G.W.Green on 30th May, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 29/05/2010
I was a member of a party of eight that had the sorry misfortune to book a table at this establishment last night. On arrival they gentleman at the door was unable to find our booking causing a queue out of the door, eventually he decided to go and see the manager whereupon a member of our party found the booking at the top of the page! We waited for a further half an hour while (I presume) they prepared another table for us. The table provided in the end was in a crazy location, where there was not enough room to sit let alone get up again. I can only apologise to the poor diners surrounding us that were barged and knocked as we tried to get in and out. Everything then seemed to go well until the main course which had not arrived nearly two hours after the time we had booked, at this point we decided it would be fairer to have the members of our party that had opted for the carvery to go and eat, only to find that they had run out of most of the food! Seriously! All that was left was some beef! There was then a procession of waiting staff arriving at the table telling us that various items on our chosen meals were no longer available. Eventually the last two meals arrived some two and a quarter hours after arrival without vegetables, and anything apart from the chosen meat. The waitress was sent away to get a selection of vegetables from the carvery as we were locked into place by the ludicrous positioning of the table. When it finally (finally!) arrived it was cold, and incredibly tough! To be frank I was not even sure it was duck, given the experience we had already seen I could not be sure it was not a piece of beef that they hoped would not be noticed under the sauce. The waiter when collecting the plates and enquiring whether we enjoyed the meal ignored us completely when we complained.
In summary, to celebrate a 25th wedding anniversary and my wifes birthday we had mistakenly wasted time and money on a meal?? at an establishment with woeful service, appalling management skills and suspect food (how can someone who does this professionally run out of food?). As a mental note, I think that if I ever find myself at the plough inn for a meal again, I shall take my own boots for them to cook for me.
Review by Jeff Banks on 13th May, 2010
Add your review Date visited: Sunday 9th May 10
My family and friends had Great Sunday carvery and the service was great too, the best carvery I have ever had! Suprised how many negative comments there are about this venue, as I could not find a fault with the quality of the food or service, this pub clearly is a successful busy pub in the countryside.
I will say of you are looking for a quiet country pub this is not the place for you as it very busy on every occasion I have been
Review by Mrs G Baynton on 30th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 13.03.10
In reply to Mr Bill Saxton's review I would like to say that the reason people like us moan is because the opportunity for a "great meal" was taken away from us due to the inefficiency of the staff doing the bookings. I think you would moan too if,like us,on at least three occasions you arrived there to be told there was no table booked in your name! What has "the credit crunch" got to do with this?
Review by Dale Harper on 29th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 20-Mar-10
Very dissapointed with the service, half of the starters were not on the menu, my in laws had to make 3 choices before they had a meal that was on the menu, the same with the sweet
Arrived at 19:30 so they should have no excuse for things not being on the menu
I spoke to my brother who had been there the week before and the group he was with had the same problems
We wont be returning
Review by Bill Saxton on 26th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 24thMarch
We had a great meal at The Plough Inn, Far Forest and I would highly recommend, I cant understand why people moan...........It is the effect of this so called credit crunch. Some people need to get a life and yes I will continue to use the plough with friends and family
Review by Mrs G Baynton on 16th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 13.03.10
(Review cont) When we arrived and asked for our table no we were told they had no booking for us! So between Thursday and Saturday it had disappeared. My daughter had been told previously, by the chef ,that they deliberately overbook in case people don't turn up.So what should have been a special occasion turned out to be a none starter. That will be our last visit!!
Review by Mrs Baynton on 14th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 13.03.10
We have always made a prior booking to visit The Plough and on at least 3 occasions have been told, on arrival, that they have no record of it.
One booking was for a big family meal. The booking was confirmed and so was the allocation of a large table to seat us all. It was then necessary to add one more guest some time later so we phoned to explain. To our horror they had no record of our booking!
The final straw was yesterday when we arrived to have a Mother's Day meal arranged for us by my daughters.On the Thursday my husband phoned to add one more guest. We were told that would be fine.
Review by Mr Wakefield on 8th March, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 5/03/2010
What can I say; I've never been treated so poorly in my life! I booked a table for 7.30pm arrived 30mins early, the place was not busy we were directed to our table NOT taken, we were told to order from the waiting staff who then told us to order from the bar, who then told us to order from the waiting staff, at this I decided enough was enough and walked out. I shall never go again or recommend it to any of my friends, I will recommend the Running horses Pub you pass on the way to this Pub though my advice is to steer well clear and save your fuel and not bother.
Review by JONER on 25th February, 2010
Add your review Date visited: feb 2010
We've been to the Plough again recently and as before the food was perfect, the wait was not too long and the drinks took just a few minutes to receive, I'm wondering if the people who have complained about this pub went to the same Plough at Far Forest as we did!
Review by Susan Nokes on 3rd January, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 3rd January 2010
Table booked for 13.30. Arrived half hour early, but were politely showed to our seats. The place was packed - a good sign. The food (carvery), was excellent with a choice of beef, turkey or pork and loads of veg. It was all cooked beautifully. The staff, although very busy, were all friendly and polite. We will be returning soon :)
Review by neil beard on 15th November, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 15 november 2009
If ever a place was resting on its laurels, it this sad place. Overcooked beef, dry turkey, and cheesecake as hard as concrete. Did I mention the terrible service? Expect to wait 10 minutes for your drinks to arrive, and be ready to be totally ignored as you stand at the bar trying to pay your bill. Full of people who must simply know no better!
Review by Keith on 4th November, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 04/11/2009
My father had a meal at the Plough today (4th November 2009), which is not an experience he will be repeating any time soon. His pie was hot on the outside but cold on the inside and the lamb he had to replace it with, was more raw than rare. When we complained and I raised the point that he could develop food poisoning as a result of eating undercooked food I was told by the chef (Mark) that I was talking utter rubbish! When my father said that we would not be going back we were told that we were barred! When we arrived home I went on www.nhs.uk and looked at the causes of food poisoning. One of them was: ‘not cooking food at the right temperature and/or for the right length of time’. Dad has now got an exciting time ahead of him waiting to see if he develops an upset stomach. Avoid.
Review by simon cock on 19th October, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 18th October 2009
I keep coming back here for one reason... i like good food. The friendly staff, excellent ales and delightful setting are all a bonus. It is quite busy at times, but thats what comes with being popular. There's plenty of not so popular pubs out there, if you can find one that hasn't been boarded up due to lack of custom. Its too easy to critisise nowadays, hopefully any prospective customers will read all the positive reviews as well as the negative ones, and experience an excellent carvery.
Review by Chris Ball on 6th October, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 4/10/09
Bang on venue. The three course offer is amazing but this is a really busy busy pub so book because i have seen many people being turned away as they are fully booked most nights. Its the busiest pub I know and the service has improved from previous visits in recent months.
Review by Savina Desimone on 28th April, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 26th April 2009
Having been to the plough recently myself i noticed Mr Horans review displayed at the reception, I can honestly say his review was not truthful and probably doesnt appriecate a busy pub! Not many left these days.
I do admit the service is fast and furious but the staff were not rude on my arrival, I can only compliment the Plough and the carvery is the best I know in Worcestershire.
Take no notice of Mr Horan's review as people are too quick to complain than compliment these days, shame what society has become
Review by Mathew Horan on 20th April, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 20th April 2009
Having arrived half hour early for a drink in the sunshine I watched in disbelief as the lady in charge of the bookings huffed and puffed at a Gentleman who turned up without booking. Shortly after we made our arrival known and letting them know we were just having a sunshine beverage, The lady said "these table are rebooked you know" Thing was we tried to book for 1:30 only to be told 2PM is one of the official slots 12:2:4PM etc.
The potatoes were hard as were the parsnips and today I decided to ring up to speak to Mark about the whole experience. The man who answered the phone said Mark was unavailable, more annoying he declined my offer to take a number for a return call.
I've just done a search on the plough to be nosy but what I read here is not a shock. IN SUMMARY:- it is clear that this establishment is not proud to serve us and they blatently think they are in a league of their own. Personally I too run a succesful business and under no circumstances would I reply that a paying customer was "talking utter rubbish" What I would do is apologise for a bad experience, invite them back and show them around with a view to requesting they retract what potentially is a damaging review. I have told umpteen people about the quality of the ploughs food(word of mouth is the best advertising), however, that will now stop. Upsetting great customers who are no less than ambassadors for your business is very unwise indeed. Publicans are supposed to be very approachable friendly people??? I assume Adam and Mark are related and obviously follow each others traits...
Review by RW BENNETT on 17th March, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 17/03/2009
We booked for a birthday party ,there were 6 of us.We have been clients of the Plough for over 20 years.We had the carvery the veg was as usual superb BUT THE BEEF was the toughest i have ever had We asked to see the owner who came to the table and agreed that the meat was not up to standard. He stated that the meat had not been hung and should not have been used. 4 of us then ordered dessets these were priced at £4.25 each If the dessert was taken with the maim meal it was charged @£2.00 We complained & eventually gave us the desserts. During our meal we heard many complants on the beef. In the present economic climate i think custommers will be voting with there feet
Review by J Roberts on 15th February, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 15/02/09
I had been recommended the Plough Inn for it's carvery. Unfortunately we had to queue for 50 minutes to be served which completely spoiled what would otherwise have been an enjoyable occasion.
Review by John Palmer on 12th December, 2008
Add your review Date visited: 12/06/2008
I wouldnt recommend this retaurant to anyone as the service was also appauling!
Defintely Avoid this place!
Not recommended!
Review by Mr E Fleming on 22nd August, 2008
Add your review Date visited: 15.08.2008
I took my wife out for a meal to celebrate her birthday & our wedding anniversary, they fall on the same day which is very special to both of us. towards the end of the night the head supervisor came to the table & stated very rudely, one of the deserts would need to be returned as this was not part of the set meal, we explained to him this was being paid for & he very rudely said he wasn't told & left the table without apologising for his manner. My wife was upset & angry about his behaviour & having paid the bill for the meal, we confronted him about his manner & behaviour at the bar. My wife said he was very rude at the table in front of our party Three times we repeated this to him & got just silence, on the forth occasion having now the attention of the whole resturant he answered (AND). This remark got gasps of disbelief from everyone in the resturant, my wife said to him, is that all you have to say. We phoned the resturant the following day & spoke to the manager about our experience, she said she was just too busy to talk to us & put the phone down. We have been celebrating this day for 25 years & looked forward to this occasion each year as a family, we had it destroyed by a outlet that dosn't deserve your well earnt money & woudn't recommend anyone going to this public house. We spent a lot of money that night & therefore seriously considering court action against them to get back our money.
Review by peter vaughan on 29th June, 2008
Add your review Date visited: 27the June 2008
Yes the carvery is very good but if you order a la carte or the special 3 course menu then be prepared for log waits for the food and very poor service. We had chips that were not cooked, a salad that consisted mainly of lettuce leaves and onions, and very ordinary wine at £14.95 a bottle. There is a mad cattle market at the bar to order food and we couldn't see any reason why you can't have a waitress take your order for food and drinks at the table. Extremely disappointing, overpriced, poor service and lots of apologies for inadequacies. Will go to The Granary, Shenstone, every time and give The Plough a miss.
Review by mark panting on 3rd June, 2008
Add your review Date visited: 15/05/08
Omly three meats on the carvery despite the menu offerring five . The beef was totally dried up , the chef said "I dont know what they did with this lunchtime " .I was offerred a choice between pork or turkey , I declined . The manager was extremely rude . Do not complain about the food at this pub .
Review by Claire on 16th November, 2007
Add your review Date visited: to many to mention
I have visited the Plough that many times i cannot remmember and all I can say is absolutly fantastic! Even my 12 year old daughter thinks its the best carvery around. But whether you have a carvery or something off the menu the food is A+ and so is the service. So any bad reviews you read about this pub all I can say is are they sure they went to the right place?
Review by BAKER on 3rd November, 2007
Add your review Date visited: 3 NOV 007
THIS WAS OUR FIRST VISIT BUT NOT OUR LAST. THERE WAS SO MUCH TO EAT WE WERE GIVEN A LOVELY CONTAINER TO TAKE THE REMAINS OF OUR MEAT HOME FOR OUR DOGS.
VERY CLEAN, GOOD SERVICE, NICE STAFF, LOVELY PLACE , VERY NICE FOOD, WARM ATMOSPHERE,WELL PRESENTED, GOOD VALUE, COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAD NOT KNOWN ABOUT THIS LITTLE GEM BEFORE.
WILL TELL ALL OUR FRIENDS TO VISIT BUT PHONE TO MAKE A BOOKING IF YOU WANT TO GUARANTEE A TABLE AS ALL THE FOLKS WE SPOKE TO HAD BEEN BEFORE BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A HAPPY, MEMORABLE OCCASION. FIRST CLASS IN EVERY RESPECT.
Review by Mark Giles on 25th October, 2007
Add your review Date visited: N/a
F.A.O Robert Pendry
All our food is homemade and its a pity you didnt ask to speak to the chef on the date of your visit. It clearly states on our menus; we welcome any person to view our kitchens and watch how we prepare our food and acknowledge our levels of hygiene, as we have nothing to hide!
Your comments are utter rubbish and dont deserve to be published, and its people like you that give a good a good business a bad name.
If you read this message please get in contact as i would like to visit your establishment and comment on your expertise.
Review by Robert Pendry on 10th September, 2007
Add your review Date visited: 24/3/07
Food is portrayed as "home made" and created by "our chefs". i have been a chef for many years, and i can safely say this is utter rubbish. very disapointed.
Review by Michele on 7th September, 2007
Add your review Date visited: 1/09/2007
I've been visiting The Plough now for well over 20 years, making a round trip of about 60 miles each time, since it was a small country pub with no resturant. The food has always been very good but since it has been open with the new extension for diners and a carvery it has become excellent. You will not find a carvery like this anywhere else, the veg are all fresh and cooked to perfection as are the range of meats which are so tender you could almost use a spoon to cut it. The staff are always friendly and especially so are the people on the carvery deck. I've also had a couple of large party bookings here and all my guests commented on how fantatic it was and how did i find it! Most of them have gone on to visit it on their own later. I'm going there again tomorrow for about my 1000th time and will dream about their food tonight :-}
Review by V A Holyoake on 31st August, 2007
Add your review Date visited: 29/08/2007
After being told that the food was very good at The Plough Far Forrest, and that they cater for everyone, my wife and I drove the 30 miles to it for lunch. On arrival we noticed there was two disabled parking spaces, both taken , no matter we were able to park without any problem. On entering I asked directions to the toilets for disabled, my wife is in a wheelchair, she has MS. I was told that there are no such facilities there, and was shown the normal toilets, which would be of no use to my wife.
We left without trying the food, pity we cannot comment on it, and thinking the cater for everyone statemant needs amending.
Review by Steph on 23rd March, 2007
Add your review Date visited: Feb 2007
i have visited the plough about five times now and have loved it everytime, the food is outstanding and the portions are huge. Only thing i had to complain about is last time we went the waitress told us our table number and didnt show us to our seat, we were just wondering around trying to find it! and when we got their someone ws sat in it! so apart from the rude (very unhappy) waitress it was very good
Review by katie Walker on 27th January, 2006
Add your review Date visited: 02/01/2006
The best carvery around it is branded as Englands number one carvery and i believe its worth the title!
Excellent food, top service would recommend.
Review by Kate on 27th January, 2006
Add your review Date visited: 10/01/2006
After visitng the Plough Inn at Far Forest i would recommend to anyone as it caters for everyone!
It is branded as Englands Number 1 carvery and i have never had such a good carvery its worth the title.
Excellent food, top service, large selection of guests bitters to choose from.
A real English Pub with all the charm of and tradtion .
I would book
Review by Adam Giles on 27th January, 2006
Add your review Date visited: 26th January 2006
AS a manager of the Plough i cannot believe that someone can write such a bad write up. Reading the review i can honestly say its a load of rubbish, we would never use an excuse that the microwaves done work, reheat food that arrived early. Any complaints raised are taken very seriously and i would like to think that i look after all my customers to ensure they leave the premises with intent to come back. I can only apologise Mr patrick was not happy but i can confirm that his review is untrue. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write this report. Manager of The Plough Inn
Review by Roy Patrick on 28th November, 2005
Add your review Date visited: 12/11/2005
We had booked a meal for my wifes parents for a special dinner for Christmas - boy was it special. We were told no starters due to microwaves being down ! (Not even cold starters). Potatoes arrive 10 mins before course, when asked for them to be heated waitress heats them and then banged them down saying "cheers" sarcastically. Asked for wine to be told short staffed get it yourself. Complained and promised money back after writing letter - no refund and when we finally spoke to the manager he was the rudest man saying don't even bother complaining. Do not go be warned !!!
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