The Pig at Combe - Devon

I don’t usually write reviews, but after our experience I felt compelled to mainly because we left feeling disappointed and, honestly, a little short changed. We had recently celebrated our wedding at The Deer Park (also local), and although we tried not to compare, it’s hard not to put venues of a similar calibre side by side. Unfortunately, The Pig at Combe just didn’t measure up. Our visit was a thoughtful and generous gift, a £120 voucher for a three course meal from the 25 mile menu. We were touched by the gesture and arrived with high hopes. The drive up is undeniably stunning and the house itself is full of rustic charm. Sadly, once seated, the experience began to unravel. We were placed side by side at a table for two. When my wife moved her chair so we could sit opposite one another, she was asked to move back in case she blocked staff walking through. It felt unnecessary and set the wrong tone. When we arrived, we were also very upfront with the staff, we explained that we didn’t intend to spend beyond the £120 voucher, which we thought was more than enough for two people. We advised them that it was a wedding gift but the response wasn’t overly exciting. The only person who seemed to fully understand this was a young blonde member of staff, who was warm and attentive. The others, not so much. For food, we ordered scallops and pork belly bites to start, followed by pork chop and chips, with one beer and a small Diet Coke. With £120 to spend, we expected to comfortably enjoy three courses but we quickly realised how steep the prices were. Sides of vegetables were £6.50–£6.75 each, which felt excessive. We were offered half a slice of bread (with oil and salt pushed across, but no butter), and it wasn’t clear if this was complimentary. The starters were fine, but nothing remarkable. The main course was disappointing, we declined the pork pink which is how they normally serve it and asked for it cooked through, but it was still bland. The chips were no better than those from a local takeaway. We were then offered a dessert which we had calculated that we were £105 into our voucher leaving £15 for a dessert even if we had to share. We asked and the waitress came back to say that’s it’s up to £118, naively I didn’t question it as couldn’t wait to leave but have since woken up feeling cheated. The waitress put it through and then asked if we would like to see it but a little too late. On reflection, I suspect we were charged for the bread and possibly even the tap water. A discretionary service charge had also been added without discussion, which I would have removed if given the choice. Staff were polite but unengaged overall. Definitely felt like a number. The service and food simply didn’t match the reputation or the prices. It left us feeling let down, especially given that this was a generous gift from dear friends who spent their hard earned money with the best of intentions. I sincerely hope they don’t read this review, as the

One of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed at. The room was comfortable and luxurious and the staff were so friendly and accommodating. The bar stayed open until the last guest was ready to go to their rooms, cake was served in the drawing room after breakfast. Every morning at 11am there was a garden tour where you could see where all the produce for the kitchen was sourced and the Folly had the best pizza in a beautiful setting. The Arabian horses grazing in the pasture in front of the hotel made the whole experience feel magical.