Lord Crewe Arms

“Sunday evening stay over with evening meal and drinks with friends. Great bedrooms and breakfast.”

My wife and I have been a few times and the experience is always great. We stayed with 2 friends and met for pre dinner drinks at 5.00pm in the beer garden. We enjoyed the banter and arrived at our table for 7.15. The starters were lovely and the main course perfectly cooked and presented. I had ... more

My wife and I have been a few times and the experience is always great. We stayed with 2 friends and met for pre dinner drinks at 5.00pm in the beer garden. We enjoyed the banter and arrived at our table for 7.15. The starters were lovely and the main course perfectly cooked and presented. I had cheese soufflé followed by Lamb. A few pints of Guinness went down well. The girls had a bottle of pinot and a few G and T’s. Coffees ended a perfect evening.

less

“Fantastic Food and Adorable Atmosphere.”

The food and service were top notch. The Northumbrian Beef Roast was delightful and well worth the money. The nut roast was slightly spiced and stud up well to all the other elements of the Roast. The Yorkshire puddings were out of this world as well. If there was to but one criticism, the roast ... more

The food and service were top notch. The Northumbrian Beef Roast was delightful and well worth the money. The nut roast was slightly spiced and stud up well to all the other elements of the Roast. The Yorkshire puddings were out of this world as well. If there was to but one criticism, the roast potatoes could have been cooked more and crispier. We were sat in a lovely snug room with an open fire. The venue and staff were so dog friendly, evening allowing us to bring the dog’s beds in so they could settle down quickly. The atmosphere was of a lovely country pub where the world can pass you by as you enjoy the food and drink on offer. Would highly recommend and we will certainly be back.

less

“Mixed views”

Rooms are good and the staff are really friendly and welcoming. The restaurant has some problems though. We were a table of 6 and one of the starters was missed, when they realised, they made another starter (took 10 mins) but it was the wrong one, the main course took an inordinately long time ... more

Rooms are good and the staff are really friendly and welcoming. The restaurant has some problems though. We were a table of 6 and one of the starters was missed, when they realised, they made another starter (took 10 mins) but it was the wrong one, the main course took an inordinately long time and when it eventually arrived they had forgotten one of the sides. Drink service was variable some took much too long to arrive from the bar. In the morning, again a long wait before anyone came for the breakfast orders and it took a long time for the cooked food to arrive. Food quality was variable, some really good but some average (eg. overcooked poached eggs with yolks that were like hard bolied eggs. I have given 3 stars because at the prices they charge they should be doing better than this

less

“Written with a heavy heart”

The Lord Crewe Arms has been our favourite indulgence for the past 5 years or so. We've dined here a couple of times for a weekday lunch, a few times for an evening meal and lots of times for Sunday lunch. It's a 50 mile round trip for us, it has never been cheap, but it has always been worth it.... more

The Lord Crewe Arms has been our favourite indulgence for the past 5 years or so. We've dined here a couple of times for a weekday lunch, a few times for an evening meal and lots of times for Sunday lunch. It's a 50 mile round trip for us, it has never been cheap, but it has always been worth it. Before I get into the review, I feel I need to add context. I don't, as a rule, post negative reviews unless I think its useful to other diners or the management, I never use them as a blunt instrument when I feel wronged or short changed. We've been quite loyal to the LCA and I need to leave a line explaining why we no longer can be. Maybe someone will find it helpful. Anyway, some things remain the same, the location, surroundings and the premises are still wonderful, and the service is still polite and efficient. Prices have crept up, but where haven't they? The issue for me now is that whilst the meals, in the past, have always been creative, appetising and satisfying, they no longer are. Most main courses now, on their own, don't satisfy the functional requirement to actually feed you. I think only two of the menu options appeared to have any carbohydrate. The steak had chips, the lamb had potatoes, everyting else just seemed to have a vegetable and sauce. In France you encounter this sort of presentation often, but you're at least assured the presence of bread to deal with the sauce. Bread at the LCA is £7. You'll probably need to add sides just to feed you. The dessert menu probably gives you the best indicator to the current direction of travel. Everything is £10-12, so not cheap, but everything is described so cryptically that you can't possibly know what's coming. Is it hot or cold for instance? You can ask your server what "Shipwreck Tart" (for example) is, but you rely on your server first knowing what it is, then being able to describe it so you know what to expect and make the right choice. The butter sponge with baked custard, that I had, had about 5 elements on the plate. A gooseberry compote, an elderlower sorbet, a disc of solidfied custard and two thumb sized macaroons (that were neither light, nor moist nor tasty, by the way) and something else I can't remember. I can absolutely see why it was £12 - it was complex, the components will have required both skill and time to prepare, it was pretty. The problem was that it wasn't even close to what I thought it would be, and I don't think one single element on the plate actually went with anything else. It was like a skills and presentation test on Masterchef where the requirement for it to taste nice went out of the window. It felt, frankly, self indulgent and pretentious. So a visit now means that with 2 drinks and 2 courses for 2 people, you're staring down the barrel of a £130 bill, and it's just not delivering to that level anymore. You can ask for the "discretionary" 12.5% service charge to get knocked off but what good does that do? The service isn't the problem and it just makes you look spiteful and cheap in front of your fellow diners. The most depressing element for me is that this wasn't a case of a bad day at the office. I may get a comment where the management express sorrow that their usual standards weren't met, but the truth is nothing actually went wrong. That. I fear, is just the way things now are, and its unfortunately no longer for us. So we've lost one of our favourites. So, written with a heavy heart.

less