The Terrace Dining Room at Cliveden

I was taken here for my birthday in January. Lovely approach to the house and to see it with no tourists roaming around. But things went downhill from there. My salmon carpaccio was tasteless, much better the pate of my dining partner but arrived with only ONE toast. My main, pike with chorrizo and lentils, was so salty I sent it back, something I have not done in years. I was brought the beef which is what my partner was eating. Not great either. Dry vegetables and at £10 a glass, the vapid Chianti was a rip off.

I recently went to this once grand old house (National Trust Property), which is now ran by Von Essen Hotels.

I have powerful memories of Cliveden, as I have been fortunate to visit the property for dinner and lunch over the years, but had not been back since Von Essen Hotels took over.

My first comment is that the staff are not to be blamed, as the hotel clearly has an unwritten policy to employee trainee's from Eastern Europe for a majority of the available postings and although there are all willing, they are clearly not given tools to do the job!

The days of shabby chic are over, even in these austere times for such a grand property. Von Essen has not spent a penny in any area that would benefit a paying client, since they took over some 8/9 years ago!

We were visiting some friends from America, who were staying there for three days (it should be noted that they cut short their visit, due to an extension of a very poor afternoon experience).

We visited just after the falling of the first snow of December (mid to late December 2010), for afternoon tea and were shown to a table that had been set up for three people – there were 4 of us and this had been clear when the booking was made.

Our table was located behind the large curtain that shields the Great Hall from the front door/reception. It was draughty and cold, so we asked to sit in one of the smaller rooms that are located off the main room.

All of these rooms were very tired and not in any way welcoming. We asked if the fire could be lit – it was gas, and the answer was sadly no, as the hotel had not invested in fans to draw the fumes out of the rooms – it turns out that this is the case throughout the hotel.

The Hotel had placed a small and somewhat inadequate electric radiator in front of the non functioning fire – more badly run retirement home, than 5 Star Luxury Hotel.

The afternoon tea was very average. Stale sandwiches, tepid tea and a shocking range of assorted cakes, all of which could so easily be bettered by a visit to M&S – a good supermarket for those reading this from overseas. The ham used in the sandwiches was of very poor quality, not even off the bone.

Normally you would ask for some hot water to top up your chosen tea, not at Von Essen, where the tea must be made in huge heated urns…no fresh tea leaves in the tea pots!

We stayed for dinner, as we wanted to see the most of our friends, but the dining experience was no better, if not worse, because it highlighted that Von Essen are also cutting costs by buying cheap food from wholesale suppliers instead of local butchers and fish mongers. It is no wonder that Waldo's lost its Michelin Star sometime ago.

I ordered the Beef Burger, which was not served with its described potatoes, but with frozen chips. The burger itself was not fresh, and was that normally found being served by takeaway vans at a rock festival.

Once finished, the plates were taken away and scraped into a bin behind the bar! Not nice.

All in all a 0 out of 10.

The visit to the Terrace Dining Room at Cliveden was indeed a special and nostalgic one, having visited its grounds for many years. It is certainly an experience to enter the grand house having only ever laid eyes upon it from the outside and it is as you would expect it – filled with an air of a life once lived and a grandeur beyond expectation. However once the initial novelty and fascination wear off, you do begin to see some of the cracks (literally in some parts of the dining room) of this once prime property. Silverware is dull and tired, the carpet showing wear and the windows are in need of a lick of paint.

Even with this initial analysis, there were still high hopes amongst myself and my fellow diner for the food and service. We found ourselves a special offer on the table d'hote menu of 3 courses for £25 and the food certainly justified good value. Starters of jerusalem artichoke soup and grilled mackerel were polished with well balanced flavours and attention to detail. Mains of cod with chorizo and puy lentils and chicken chasseur were equally well executed with a good combination of ingredients. However the dessert choice was a bit of a let down and a few slabs of chocolate garnished with some nut brittle and raspberries didn't quite hit the spot for me. For Oenophiles, the wine list is extensive and as you can imagine lends itself heavily to wines from across the channel. Though if you are after wine by the glass expect it to cost you just over a tenner. Service was commendable though we found the waiters kept disappearing just when you needed them.

Certainly one to visit for the experience if you are that way inclined but I can imagine there are more accomplished country hotel kitchens out there if food is what you are all about.