I took my husband to the Bell Inn, Brook, New forest for a birthday present. This was supposed to be a two night break, with a glass of champagne on arrival, two nights' accommodation with dinner and breakfast. It actually turned out there was a mistake in the write up and it was one dinner on the first night and then just breakfast on both mornings.
The champagne turned out to be very flat – we asked the barman for some more and I heard him open another bottle – which was a good sign!
The meals were the tiniest I have every seen! I had venison – which was three tiny pieces of meat stacked up in a modern fashion but with no veg at all and a tiny bit of garnish!! We had consumed nearly a bottle of red wine by this time so had to quickly order a plate of cheese and biscuits to soak it up. The meal was not cheap at £18.99 for three small pieces of meat! It was the sort of meal that you need to go out an eat properly afterwards – but alas we had had the wine so that was out of the question.
The waiters and waitresses needed more training. The meals were plonked down on the tables and then the customers were called over. It was very fawlty towers – but an expensive version. The rooms were clean and comfortable but badly needed updating.
If you fancy this break in the New Forest – just make sure you take a packed lunch to eat after the main meal!!
