The Royal Standard of England

Avoid at all costs

Been going to this pub on and off for 20 years but it has been going down. Today was the worst meal ever. Roast lamb was chewy and hard to cut, suede crunchy, Yorkshire pudding soggy and horrid almost like a wet towel. Roast potatoes were well rubbery, not sure how anybody can call that “roast” potatoes. Waitress helpful and friendly and completely agreed with our feedback.

Think management would care? Well the manageress avoided coming to the table when the waitress told her about the problems so she could hear for herself the feedback. Then we finally went to the till and told her and she could not care less. She even said the chef thought it was the best meal ever and ordered us to pay for our drinks with somebody else. Could not care less.

Avoid this pub and find somewhere more friendly, inviting and tasty.

We found this pub when we were looking for a short (around 2 miles) walk to do with our dog which included a pub lunch. We found a circular walk online which started and ended at the RSoE (and its very large car park) so we'd built up an appetite by the time we arrived. It's dog friendly throughout and the staff made a fuss of the dog. The only water though was outside which our dog (being of the fussy variety) turned his nose up at so I'd take my own bowl in future if yours is of a similar disposition.

There was a lot of choice for us on the menu and everything which came past looked very appetising. We enjoyed our meals and thought the prices were reasonable and comparable with other similar places. The pub itself is worth a visit for the history alone although best to sit by the window if possible as it's lighter there. The staff were also very helpful in providing treats to get our dog back in the car which was much appreciated.

If you're interested the walk is also available at the entrance to the pub so you could pick one up there too. Well worth a visit.