Brewers Fayre family pubs
17-May-2008
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Brewers Fayre family pubs

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It’s nice to go out for an evening meal and a nice pint occasionally.  The local Hungry Horse or sometimes the JD Weatherspoon pub in the town centre would normally be the venue of choice, mainly because they are a known quantity.  With a decent range of beers and pretty good food at a reasonable price you can’t really go wrong; by the way, this is not an advert for either of the above chains!

We were out visiting family one afternoon when the pang for pub grub and a decent pint kicked in, but alas the Hungry Horse was full to capacity and not being capable of waiting for a whole hour we decided to try the Brewers Fayre place up the road.  I have vague memories of having been in one of these before and the food was okay.

Whilst it wasn’t a meal to write home about last time, it was acceptable.  I really can’t say the same about this visit to a Brewers Fayre pub though and the only reason I cleaned my plate was because I was absolutely famished!

The Charter, Brewers Fayre pub - Ayelsbury

There were six of us on this occasion, four adults and two children.  It has to be said that the Brewers Fayre is good for kids, because they sometimes have quite cool play areas for them; keeps them amused whilst the adults get on with ordering food etc. Also, I don’t think I can fault how quick the service was as our meal was brought to us in around 20 minutes.

Brewers Fayre are just a little bit more expensive than the other places we go to, so naturally we expected the quality of the meal to be a little bit better as well.  How wrong was that assumption?

I ordered a 10oz Rump Steak with chips, peas and mushrooms.  All was well except for the steak which looked like at least 5oz had gone missing between the kitchens and our table; maybe the waiter was a bit hungry that day – who knows?

Also, I had ordered it cooked medium-rare, so I would have expected a fair amount of pink on the meat.  However, there was very little pink anywhere and if I had been asked, I would have said it was definitely a medium, possibly medium to well done.

One of the kids had a combo platter thing which had a bit of everything on it including some carrots.  Oh, by the way – they forgot to put the tomatoes on which should have come with the dish and had to be reminded.  Anyway, the little girl in question is a bit of a rarity, because she normally eats all her vegetables without being prompted.

She is a slow eater and can be picky sometimes, but vegetables aren’t a problem so we were surprised when she refused to eat the carrots.  Her mum tried a couple of them to see what the problem was and pulled a face of disgust.  Apparently they tasted as though they had been boiled in the dishwasher or something.  They definitely didn’t taste like lovely healthy carrots.

Out of six meals costing somewhere around fifty pounds, I think only two of our party actually found their meals acceptable.  This isn’t exactly an overwhelming vote of confidence in my opinion, so I seriously doubt that we will ever go back to another Brewers Fayre and definitely not this particular one!

Oh, and one last thing.  How can this chain of pubs get away with being called “Brewers Fayre”?  Surely that implies that there may be some connection with brewing and maybe a few real ales?  I’ve been to two Brewers Fayre pubs now and haven’t found anything other than the usual piped garbage and certainly no proper beer.  Sorry, we don’t really count John Smiths and Boddingtons as proper beer!


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pls do not enter cuckoo oak madeley telford this place is a joke. drinks/foood/hospitality go to your nearest chippy to save ,money and inconvienience also to save embassment
. for drinkers becuase these people will not tolerate people who like to enjoy themselves
*dazza man  23-Mar-2008 21:10

 
we visited the cheswold in doncaster,4 adults and 4 kids. the meal was shocking firstly it wasnt right,and they even had the nerve to sent cold gravy with it. the waiter was asked if he could bring us some plastic cutlery for the kids but never returned with them so they started eating their dinner with their fingers.after complaining to another member of staff it was sorted,but to then top off the evening the puddings which came with the kids meals were ok ut they only brought us 3 instead of 4 and after the third waiter was asked to bring it,grunted silently and went off somewhere never to be seen again so we ended up getting rather annoyed and getting the pudding ourselves, not a nice way to treat paying customers and we certainly wont be going there again.
*lisa  13-Jan-2008 20:26

 
You love garbage. You have your snout in a pigs' trough. Yesterday I threw out my swill. It's on its way to you. Enjoy! Have a nice day!
*Widget  18-Oct-2007 19:25

 
I love brewers fayre, they serve traditional meals at reasonable prices, I live in Nantwich and went to the brewers Fayre in Crewe it was fab. The staff are great and the meals are hot and tasty! It is more expensive (a little bit) that 2 4 1, but its worth it!
*do  18-Oct-2007 16:37

 
Brewers Fayre supposedly a family pub/restrant, The waters edge at Ruislip Lido is a disgrace.
Every morming when I walk around the Lido there are empty bottles and glasses on most all of the tables outside and also strewn on the grass.

The area isn't cleard up until mid morning,also plates and food scraps which encourage vermin. All this is making what used to be a nice area to take children,a place that should be avoided,children are no longer allowed in the water because of the broken glass. Is it that " The Waters Edge " is badly managed, they can't get the staff,or is it that they just dont care.
*Martin  09-Sep-2007 15:19

 
I know the brewers fayre pubs well as I work at one and wouldnt change it for the world so there!
So all you moaners out there get a life!!!!!
*chefcraig  28-Aug-2007 12:48

 
Brewers Fayre is supposed to be family friendly, so why doesn't it show?
I went to a Brewers Faryre near Prestatyn with my family. This included four adults and one child. When the adults meals were brougt out, there was no sign of the childs meal. After waiting roughly five minutes. I went in search of a member of staff and asked where the meal was. The waiter said he would look. So we waited, made another couple of enquiries. Eventually, 15 to 20 minutes after the adults meals were served, the meal finally came. Not one of the staff members offered an explanation or an appology and the 'couldn't care less' attitude was amazing. It seems that to eat as a family in Brewers Fayre, the adults are expected to eat cold meals.
*Pat  28-Aug-2007 09:55

 
I think the vast majority of Brewers Fayre users are disgusted with their experience because they are a copy of the genuine country pub. Brewers Fayre have obviously tried to take the decent country pub and condensed it into a formula and then just tried to repeat it everywhere.

They got the formula wrong, badly wrong
*Dire  08-Aug-2007 17:43

 
I used to work for a chain hotel which used to be 'Just For Adults'. I was a kitchen porter and waiter, sloggging away whilst studying to become an engineer. The food was terrible. All the vegetables were frozen and were steamed in an oven. Everything else was fried and the kitchen staff were filthy and nine times out of ten, drunk. I was treated like dirt by bosses and hotel guests alike.

But if you are reading this, and were a guest at the Holme Lacy House hotel in Herefordshire at anytime between Dec 96 and June 99. You may have noticed that the whipped cream and various deserts may have tasted a little sour. That's because a good litre of my own pee found it's way into the kitchen's Hobart mixer!
*Slash  27-Jun-2007 15:54

 
We ate at a Brewers Fayre yesterday at Telford. It was the worst meal I've ever had. The chips were cold the chicken pie was horrible, the peas were supposed to be mushy but were a stiff gooey mess. My husband had roast chicken which was overcooked his roast potatoes looked as though they had been cooked on a bonfire. His carrots were not only uncooked but unwashed!
*Bill  27-Jun-2007 14:01

 
dear yoyo.sorry for giving you the impression that I was a restaurant manager as I aint.must be the high standard of education/upbringing I had.you will probably find that some of my views are from personal experiences.I will do anything for a customer, including changing tyres on some occasions.I am a quite flattered that you thought I was a manager.the management team that I work for may as well just sit in the office.becoming a restaurant manager is not my dream job.yes I do work with a couple of people I would describe as lacking in motivation,but you get that in any workplace.If you came into the place where I work and had a problem you would be better off asking to speak to somebody that knows whats going on, (like myself) rather than the duty/general manager.I may sound harsh at times thats because I hate people that cant be bothered,wether its at work or dealing with other organisations.I always kick up a fuss if somthing isnt right.
*jimmy  12-Jun-2007 16:09

 
Visited the Centurion in Tamworth at the beginning of the year an complained about the decor in the pub and poor quality of service. I was sent a voucher for £15. We used it last weekend at The Mariner Hinckley. Pleasant, clean pub, good food. Thanks. Hoping the Tamworth pub has improved!
*Maggie  06-Jun-2007 23:25


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