The Black Bull Inn

First off, the staff are excellent; friendly, helpful and an absolute pleasure. The wine and the beer was also good, but that is about where it ended. We went on a Tuesday, so Curry night. Not sure what it is trying to be; small portions of the starters were overcooked, the main course Keema curry was served in a small bowl that made it look like you were eating dog food out of a bowl; not what I expected. Definitely not worth the hype.

We have had the tasting menu a couple of times. Strong Asian influence . Over all the food is interesting and very well presented by knowledgeable interested staff. My pointers for a 5 star review, The meal is not about a main course which is far too big for a tasting menu and the 3 deserts may be one too many. Finish on a savory local cheese based would be nice We will be back and hope for more delicious surprises

Very mixed experience at the Black bull. The nibbles and oysters were very good! Best oysters I’ve had in ages. The starters were ok but small portions. We were asked if mains were ok to be served medium rare which is great but the beef and lamb both arrived closer to blue. No one checked back on us until quite late at which point I said the meat was undercooked and cold (we had left quite a lot) and the waitress didn’t apologise or offer to change. The dessert was nice and the wine was great. All in all the service front of house is a bit amateurish and the food hit or miss. Not great when the bills is 200 quid!

Went for a Sunday Roast after hearing they had been highly rated in a gastropub listing. Very disappointing. On arrival before we sat down they asked if we wanted water, we asked if for sparkling and still. There were jugs next to us on the side already laid out. I've never been offered complimentary sparkling water but just assumed it was part of their experience. Never saw any bottles opened. Service was slow. The waitress was nice. We ordered 2 roast lambs, which comes with Yorkshire Pudding, we ordered extras of purple sprouting broccoli, cauliflower cheese and extra gravy. When it arrived they forgot the yorkshire puddings, which they then brought out lukewarm. The purple broccoli became green, the extra gravy was tiny, which was irritating as there wasn't that much on the main plate. The gravy was also ridiculously salty. As soon as you tasted it you could taste the salt. The lamb was nice but fatty and the roast potatoes were fried. The carrot was too hard to cut, never mind eat. We ordered a sharing apple tarte with ice cream and caramel sauce. It was okay, I found the tart pastry hard, it tasted reheated hot. It also took a while to come. When they bill came we discovered they had overcharged for the broccoli and the water was £5 per jug! They also said just as we were about to leave that they needed the table back in 10 mins - we would have been done 30 mins earlier at least if service wasn't so slow. It was £80+ tip. Don't. go. here.

Thanks to Nina and James for a brilliant experience. We stayed 3 nights sampling pie night, the tasting menu and the incredible roast dinner. The room was exquisite and the breakfast utterly delicious with great ingredients and a good set of options. All the staff were extremely friendly and attentive. I can’t wait to come back and I will be telling everyone I know that they have to visit.

We stayed overnight on the exceptional midweek DBB deal which included the 7 course tasting menu. Our room was small but perfectly adequate and spotlessly clean, with a comfortable bed. Still and sparkling water, tea and coffee bags, homemade biscuits and fresh milk were really appreciated. The meal was very, very good and excellent value. We loved all the innovative flavour pairings and imaginative use of ingredients. Better than some Michelin starred menus we have tried. Breakfast was great too.