Ludlow, The Feathers Hotel Ludlow

My Husband wanted to go to the Feathers for his birthday lunch. I was uneasy but agreed.I choise chicken liver pate, an unpleasant pink ( not chicken liver pink)rubber square with no flavour. My Husband faired a little better with Smoked salmon roulade. My mains of Fish and Chips,consisted of some good chips, but the fish was non too pleasant, my Husbands Lemon Sole arrived black served with tired "new" potatoes and cauliflower, I really wanted him to send it back.I did register our conmplaints but the bar staff looked as though it was to be expected.

Food was excellent in the Restaurant, the staff couldn't have been more helpful adapting the dishes to a member of our party who is lactose intolerant. The rooms were clean and lovely. The large bathroom with spa bath was particularly great. Would happily stay at The Feathers Hotel again.

When spending £30 on a two courses, one might expect to be eating some pretty decent food. Sadly this was not the case at the Feather's restaurant. In fact, the food was so awful, that we wondered if we were eating in the same restaurant that is apparently "famous for offering the best of both traditional and innovative contemporary food". I do not have the heart to trawl through all the gory details of our dining experience, but I think a brief description of our main course might give pause for thought for the prospective diner.

I had the duck. On the plate there was a halved duck breast, three slightly burnt slices of leek, and a weird crisp 'cup' with a couple chunks of artichoke in the bottom and a few sprigs of cress. This all sat in a pool of lurid thick brown gloup of a most unnatural colour and consistency. The duck was passable, if a little over done, but at least was edible - the rest was not. The braised leeks were dry and stringy, the crisp 'cup' pointless, the artichoke, described on the menu as baked, was almost certainly out of a tin, and the inclusion of cress bizarre. As to the gloup, this I think was supposed to be the 'fois gras veloute' also mentioned on the menu. It tasted nothing like fois gras, and if it did not start it's life in a tin, I would be extremely surprised. One does not expect Bisto on a dish costing £20.

My girlfriend plumped for the lamb. Now, if you assume you cannot really go wrong with lamb, you would be much mistaken. This was supposedly confit lamb shoulder, which is an odd idea in itself, but one might think in a restaurant of this price it might be something a bit special. It wasn't. The lamb was a tough, dry, overcooked, grey slab redolent of my grandparent's disastrous Sunday roast of years back. A simple rule with lamb: don't overcook it! This was accompanied by potato Dauphinoise, which was okay but lacked any oomph, and a horrendous pool of pureed carrots which, unfortunately, looked like nothing more than a pool of vomit, as one can imagine pureed carrots might. And again there was the brown gloup! We were assured that this was a different sauce to that on my plate, but, aside from being overly salted, it seemed pretty similar. Bisto again, I fear.

At the end of the meal, our waiter realised our dissatisfaction with the meal, and informed us we would not be charged for the main courses, just about redeeming himself for not offering the wine for us to taste before leaving the bottle on the table earlier in the meal. And in a restaurant where 2 courses cost £30!

Stayed for a weekend with a group of friends at the Feathers Hotel Ludlow. The reception was warm and the staff friendly. There was some refurbishment of our wing in progress and this was not mentioned by the reception staff. Although this did not interfere with our stay, walking past a building site, which could have been discreetly hidden, did give the impression of it being down the priority list of the owners.

The bedrooms, although of reasonable size, left a lot to be desired. Tired d cor and out of date bathrooms were common. Many functions had not been maintained, with light bulbs blown, no shower/bidet pressure and the perennial hotel experience of untuned TVs.

Our only dinner in the restaurant was a let down. The promised 'innovative and contemporary' cooking seemed to be a complex and eclectic mix of ingredients, with the aim of winning a Michelin star, rather than an AA Rosette. Dining for a large group seemed to present the head waiter with numerous problems. Even pre-ordered courses were presented incorrectly. My friend was forced to accept an alternative starter, when the head waiter stated he could not have made an error. Further problems arose, when two bottles of wine were withdrawn due to being full of sediment. Excuses were made and an inferior wine suggested. The portions were small and the excuse for vegetables with the main courses was embarrassing. The desserts were either frozen or tasteless and everyone was left unsatisfied.

On the upside, the timber-architecture of the James I lounge and reading room were wonderful. The Bar/caf on the side of the hotel was modern and staff friendly. Breakfast offered a range of choices and was very popular.

The consensus of the group was the hotel is living in the past and relying on its heritage rather then offering good value for money. It seems to be another example of the out of date mentality so prevalent in the TV series, presented by a famous Scottish chef.