The School House Restaurant

You arrive to a magnificent location, lovely old building with views over the countryside. Well spec'd inside, clean and well presented... Service was good and attentive. Atmosphere was also good once the tables filled. The restaurant was on the back foot after cancelling our reservation on my birthday with 3 hours notice, so - so far so good I guess. Drinks: We ordered a daiquiri and a watermelon soda, both great, so we had the same again... Sadly the second ones not as great as the first. The daiquiri felt as though it was lacking the rum, and the soda was far too sweet (too much syrup). Food: I had the pate. Although it was delicious in itself, the chilli jam was fiery and overbearing for the delicate pate, and having brioche toast swamped the whole thing with a sweetness unneeded. For me, it was unbalanced, and I would swap the brioche for sourdough... And toast it properly. My other half had the goats cheese and beetroot, which was as it turned out delicious and our dish of the meal. Perfectly tangy cheese on a bed of beetroot (I think 4 ways?) Mains: I had the pie, which sold a promise that it did not live up to sadly. The gravy was crazy lovely, and the pastry crispy, but the beef was chewy and the mushrooms too chunky. Oh, and where I come from, a pie has sides and a bottom 😂... Each to their own. EP had the sea bass. Disappointingly greasy leaks as a bed for the lovely fish. Half the dish wasted. The veg however.... That was amazing. Cooked to perfection. Desserts: EP isn't much one for dessert, so she had the lemon posset which was quite grainy. But a perfect lemony flavour. On recommendation I had the mango Crème Brulee. Sounded interesting... It was so close to amazing, but the dish was too shallow, so there was no wobble to the custard, the custard was too dense, and the caramelising was sporadic, so the texture was that of cold custard skin rather than brulee. The biscuit was far too thick, and not enough ginger - more like a cake. Overall, the menu was excellent, but the execution did not live up to the promise. As with all restaurants, consistency is key, and that was sadly lacking tonight for us.

This review is purely based on my experience of a wedding in the marquee so does not reflect the restaurant. The room itself is laid out well and gives a nice atmosphere. It seems that the bar staff were unaware that there was a wedding reception on the night we went (to a wedding reception). The buffet food was fine but the quality of the wine was awful. For around £8 a glass of what should have been merlot it tasted like some cheap supermarket budget wine. Yes I appreciate that could / should, have taken it back, but the bar staff were under pressure and really it's not their fault they have to sell undrinkable wine. The toilets were a disgrace, you needed a pair of wellies to get near the urinals. Pretty disgusting to be honest. I really hope the restaurant experience is better but it wouldn't give me confidence to try. And forget trying to park a car. Best just park in the first field you find!

Went for the Wham tribute for Christmas work do cannot fault the food , and serving 200 plus was done well and the food hot when it reached the table. No ask was too small a member of our table only drinks green tea which was bought out in a teapot when she requested instead of coffee to end the meal. I would recommend and will be going back to try the restaurant.