The Old Volunteer

hi, Tuesday night visit to this country pub, 10 or so other dinners in there. Very good food, ambience, staff and location, but some dishes seen expensive.

We pre booked. The four of us had a great evening. Just after we ordered the electric went out in the whole street. the staff were quick to bring candles to the table and take drinks orders. The manager kept all tables updated that they had contacted the power supplier and it could be up to an 1 hour to come back on again. The chef had fired up a bar-b q ready just in case to keep cooking and as it happend the electric was on again after half an hour and I got my steak! Hurrahhhh! The staff all coped very well...well done. Oh, and great choice of red wine by the manageress.

A very busy pub. We felt a little crammed upstairs next to a very large table. The food was good and decent value for money.

Myself and 5 members of my family went for lunch here the welcome was excellent, the service and food was excellent, I just felt the portion sizes should have been just slightly bigger. Will be going back again and recommending to friends.

Amazing food and quick service. Been a few times and will definitely return again soon and also recommend to friends/family. Really enjoyed our Sunday! Thank you :)

Good atmosphere, lovely food and variety of menu choice. House wine could be better but espresso martini absolutely beautiful. Sometimes busy but adds to atmosphere if you don't mind raising you voice.

Excellent beverages, lovely food and great service. Large family group found the whole experience enjoyable with terrific atmosphere and spacious environment. Cannot fault our visit, would highly recommend.

Really was very comfortable, and lovely staff but scores very low on value for money. Simple stuff like tiny portion size, options for extra (how much does an extra bowl of chips, cabbage cost), and no mits with cheap coffee means we won't be going again.

Excellent quality with freindly staff. Not cheap but then sometimes you have to pay more for better service and quality. Overall a good experience would visit again

The menu and the food were very good. The prices were reasonable. The staff were friendly and efficient. We are looking forward to going again.

Food was good but limited choice of fish and steaks expensive. Dined with some friends and asked to be moved because of very noisy party on adjacent table. Proprietor very helpful but not an ideal night. Cost was about right at about £30 per head including drinks

Lovely meal .. fitted us in last minute for a Valentine's meal. Prosseco with an oyster (first ever!) and well planned 3 course menu with good choices. Food arrived promptly, service was excellent and the atmosphere was good, though not in main part of pub which I prefer (not grumbling though as pleased we got a table!). Got a rose (well two actually) when I left. Would recommend.

We had a great meal at The Volunteer this evening the food was delicious-I had Belly Pork with Scallops-the Belly Pork was soft and tasted of Pork ,.the Scallops plump and sweet.So often food in so called restaurants is bland and not cooked as it should be---not so at The Volunteer.My husband and I both had Bread and Butter pudding -light and fluffy with a vanilla custard and a tart quince jam that cut through the richness of the pudding and creme anglaise. I chose- on Jo's recommendation -a Romanian Pinot Noir which was just as she described.Jo is a great host friendly ,vivacious and knowledgeable about her menu and her wine list.Over last year and so far this year we have never had a bad meal at ''The Old Vol'' and we will definitely be returning.Pam P.

Lovely food and well kept beer (and wine). Good attentive service. Rare beef rib cooked to perfection but make sure you like it rare! Not cheap but very, very good

Booked table for 12.45. Seated and order taken promptly. Food very good - service was very friendly and efficient. The atmosphere was very pleasant as was the decor. I have dined in the restaurant several times now - food and service has always been very good and staff always friendly. My colleague had not been before but she was imressed and would certainly visit again. A very enjoyable all round experience.

Lovely food- very loud- possibly lack of soft furnishings- lots of hard surfaces for noise to bounce off of but after the initial bit of shouting across the table to each other it got a bit quieter. Staff were lovely and we shall go back for the beef wellington

Good atmosphere in the Old Volunteer., very friendly staff, nice surroundings always had very good food. Very well run . The location is also very nice with lovely views

Absolutely amazing night, food was delicious service was a delight and me and my Bessie's will be back very soon:) loved it would definitely recommend

Lovely food .There is a great ambiance and very friendly but not overbearing service . Not cheap but good value given the quality of the food.

Lovely atmosphere good service and the food we had from the lunchtime menu. Was excellent.

The food was amazing and the service was great attending to our every need without being extrusive. I will be booking again soon and cannot wait.

Inexperienced staff for relatively busy service. Food took almost 1hr to arrive. Other tables around us who arrived later than us received food before us. Despite the service the food was very nice.

Mussels excellent, crab cakes,rather dry, not enough sauce. - unfortunately some shell left in also. We will be back.Beautiful restored public house. Excellent beef sandwiches.

We had a very warm welcome the food was excellent and we had great service. The pumpkin soup was especially delicious as was the broccoli and Stilton

First of three Xmas meals booked at the Vol this festive season and, if last night's meal was anything to go by, I won't be disappointed! Fab service as always too.

Lovely food and great atmosphere looking forward to going back. Great quality for a reasonable price, a great mix of countryside and contemporary in this unique gastro pub!

Meat under-cooked and tough only because they did not ask how you wanted your meat when ordered so had to go back and cooked a little more , desserts lukewarm and not worth the £3.50 for them as tiny. Waiters/waitresses service very good but too much chatter with the headsets.

Sunday dinner nice - but expensive- -a good option when you don't want to cook -it's a shame they don't have a bottle of Cava - or a reasonably priced bottle of house champagne -as an alternative to the current trend for Prosseco- £22 for a single serve bottle of Moët a bit much.

Food was extremely good and table was ready as we arrived. Service with a smile and good balance of attention without intrusion. Will definitely be returning.

For a provincial restaurant it was very good much better than I expected. Happy to recommend it to anybody in the area and I will dine here again

Nice main chicken tikka but bhajee very dry and too crispy, thought wine a bit pricey £7.50 250ml glass, making overall bill a bit expensive

Fantastic food once again at the old vol. The service was great and the new refurbishment means we could enjoy the lovely upstairs dining area whilst the Halloween party was getting under way downstairs. Will be back again soon :)

This was our first visit to The Old Volunteer. My husband had mussels for a starter and they were good, then he had boeuf bourginon which would have been good but it was much too salty; bread and butter pudding was good although not the classic version. I had fish, asparagus, and new potatoes; came with a little saucepan of good sauce and the whole meal was enjoyable. I had some kind of poached plum (three small segments only) interestingly flavoured - could have eaten more of the plums. Mid-meal my wine glass mysteriously disappeared. There is a good atmosphere and we will probably eat here again. Price about right on a Saturday evening for the quality of the food but apparently you can have a 3-course midweek lunch for £15 - worth checking out!

Excellent food, good service from all the friendly staff and a nice atmosphere as always. This was our second visit in three days - says it all really! Highly recommended.

Food and ambience generally very good, but over half an hour before order taken. The place was very busy and reasonable waiting time was acceptable. Great value for money.

- good choice on 3 course lunch menu deal as well as normal a la carte .Great food , good value , excellent friendly service - well worth another visit

On arrival our table was not available due to a large party that was occupying the area. We were nevertheless welcomed and waited at the bar. The food and service was very good as was the atmosphere. An attractive restaurant and good value fixed price menu. Recommended to others.

Attended the Old Vol' prior to it's refurb so was nice to see what had happened. Had the Sunday Roast and the Beef (pink and succulent) and vegetables (firm but not crunchy) were cooked just as I like it, so very pleased. The wife and I managed to share a desert between us, which was a crumble I believe. Nice to see fresh herbs being grown on the balcony outside. Overall, a very enjoyable meal and I would certainly go back again

Visited last Saturday for a meal at 5pm. All of the food we had was excellent, the pork pie starter sharing platter as a starter was different and tasty. Service also very good. Will definitely visit again

We had a very enjoyable meal. All the staff were Very friendly and helpful. Pub/ restaurant has a very nice atmosphere and surroundings. Would recommend.