At Summer Lodge - West Dorset

I use to love Summer Lodge and today I felt disappointed. The afternoon Tea was not the usual high standard. Presentation was poor. The sausage roll was lacking pastry and overload of meat no garnish. No garnish with sandwiches and they were few. The sweet pastries were sickly mostly sugar. Scones moderate. Wasps were so annoying that we couldn’t sit and ponder. Not the hotels fault.Although they are said to be an enormous problem by the Head Waiter. Sad that we won’t be back and actually wouldn’t recommend. Staff were good but under pressure. Sorry Summer Lodge but you need to up the game. Five star?

Came here the other afternoon to celebrate my birthday with three friends and it was a wonderful occasion. From the moment we arrived we were attended to by polite, professional and efficient staff. Our lovely French waiter was especially lovely and very amusing! One of my group is gluten intolerant and she was prepared her own food all served, like ours, on a very pretty 3 tier cake stand everything was delicious. We were given copious pots of tea having started with a bottle of fizzy

Lovely gardens, but the food was very disappointing. When pointed out to the restaurant manager we were advised chefs do not use salt which is why the food may have been tasteless !!! Very surprising for a Red Carnation Hotel, not to be repeated.

Absolutely dreadful lunch. Starters were OK (but very pricey I had 'Blue Vinny, caramelised walnuts and chicory ' about 10g of cheese, three walnuts and a few leaves of chicory with a drizzle of balsamic glaze). Had the roast beef medium rare as a main course very tough and difficult to cut even with a steak knife, disgusting re heated roast potatoes, dry Yorkshire pudding and 'cauliflower cheese ' undercooked cauliflower with a smidgeon of cheese sauce wafted over the top. Cheese course was OK but the Francis had seen much better days. Very noisy table behind us and we couldn 't hear ourselves speak. Screaming child in the next door room. What should have been a treat for Father 's Day was extremely disappointing and overpriced.

We came here a few days ago for an afternoon cream tea. The staff were very friendly . The decor seems very dated in most areas but the lounge area is still nice if rather traditional. The main reason for my review is that I had gluten free scones etc they were extremely stodgy heavy , so much so I couldn’t eat all of them . The tea was very good. However the scone was heavy unappetising the jam seemed to be bought in not homemade . I did voice my dissatisfaction to a member of staff but I was told that they shouldn’t be like that but nothing else.