Squires Cafe Bar Restaurant

Below is a copy of the e-mail I have sent to the hotel management. "Having given the matter careful thought, I feel I need to express my disappointment at our Christmas Day lunch with you today. On arrival, if you are insisting on having all the car number plates registered, it would have been nice to have someone at the entrance, taking our number and showing us where to park, rather than being left to our own devices. We then had to find our own table. Fair enough, my name was on a placard on the table, but I would have thought it would be courteous if someone could have been at the door, showing us where our table was. We had booked for the 14.00 sitting, but arrived some 10 minutes early. The food was served almost straight away, so had obviously been prepared and plated in advance; this even included the soup for one of the grand-children – we had requested tomato, as he did not like the menu offering of chestnut. As this was “off menu”, I would have thought it would be prepared “to order” and arrive piping hot, but it was only luke warm. There was no ready offer of drinks, and we had to chase one of the waiters to order some. I would have thought there should be a wine/drinks list to peruse, but this was not forthcoming. I do not know what “make” the Sauvignon Blanc was, but my wife said it was unrecognisable as a SB. When the main course arrived, the vegetables were barely luke-warm, and we had to get them sent back to the kitchen, where they were presumably nuked in the microwave to get them hot. They obviously could not have been served “freshly cooked”. The menu states “To finish tea, coffee and truffles”, but we were expected to go out to another room and help ourselves. This is not the sort of service I would expect having paid £69 a head. Additionally , your brochure states “with treats for the children”. Nothing materialised! Finally, to add to the indignity, we appear to have been overcharged. 3 adults £69) and 2 children £34-50) come to £276, whereas I have been charged £50 deposit and £228 “final payment”. Your comments would be appreciated.

We went for a quiet drink and after a while decided to check out the menu. We didn't fancy a full meal so settled for a pannini. When the food arrived I noticed that the substantial accompanying salad had a dressing that contained mustard seeds. I have a mustard allergy and so I informed the waitress of the problem. The dish was replaced immediately without question with a gracious apology although I hadn't even informed them of my allergy. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. I would definitely return and also recommend the restaurant to my friends

When we last visited this establishment, the service and the food were disappointing, despite having good meals and service in the past. Artisan bread and butter was not and it was served with FLORA. Took 20 minutes to get starter, and a further 40 minutes to receive our main. One waitress managed to ignore our party all evening despite walking past our table on several occassions. The quality of the food had deteriorated and no care shown with presentation. We are rethinking returning

The Sunday lunch at this restaurant was absolutely fabulous, with excellent food and a brilliant, kind, and helpful staff. We will definitely be coming back again. This restaurant is truly a hidden gem, but won't be for much longer, as the team here, from the carvery chef to the bar and waiting staff, are all dedicated to ensuring their customers are well taken care of. The food was excellent and great value for money.

I highly recommend trying the Sunday roast at Alton House Hotel. The food was excellent and the service was impeccable. At only £12.95 for two courses, we found it to be great value for money. We will definitely be going back!