We have enjoyed many lovely meals at the Luttrell over the years. The ambience is lovely and the food is always wonderful. However the last twice we have been there have been a few issues which did dent our experiences somewhat. On the first occasion, we were with a friend who is allergic to sulphides (preservatives commonly found in bread, wine and spices). We had checked in advance and been told that our waiter would be able to provide the allergen information. She wasn't. When she checked with the kitchen staff, we were told to avoid potatoes. This was somewhat surprising, but we changed our order accordingly. When the food arrived (already rather delayed) the wrong order had been cancelled, and so one of our party had to wait longer for the correct order. On the second occasion, we had booked some weeks in advance. The time we were hoping for was not available and so the booker initially plumped for a later time. However, after consulting with the rest of the party, we decided the earlier time offered would be preferable. We telephoned back some five minutes after the original call and requested the time of our booking be changed, and were told that this would be no problem. However when we arrived at the earlier time (6.30) we were shown to our table but told that our booking was still for 7.45. We explained what had happened and the waitress acknowledged that this wasn't our fault. But she also made it clear that her priority was another party who had booked for 6.15. We were initially willing to be a bit flexible, and asked for some foccacia and olives while we waited. Our order was eventually taken at about 7.15. By this time, the other party had ordered their food, received their drinks and finished their starters. The foccacia and olives arrived (after we chased again) about 7.30. The tap water never materialised. By the time our main courses arrived, we were hungry and tired, and frantically texting our babysitter to check that she was able to stay later than planned. It turned out that instead of amending our booking, a new booking had been made for 6.30 in the restaurant rather than the bar. It is therefore unclear why the kitchen should have found it so difficult to accommodate us at this time. Nobody apologised for the error or for the fact that we were inconvenienced as a result. It might have been a nice gesture to not charge for the foccacia, but this was not offered. Instead, our waitress made it clear that we were a great inconvenience and she couldn't possibly be expected to look after our table and this other party at the same time. The food was as delicious as ever, and so we are likely to return to the Lutt (especially given that there are few alternatives in the local area); but I do hope the service can be improved back up to the standard it used to be.
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