Four Horseshoes, Thornham Magna

Visit Thursday 17th June 2010. Depressing. I used to go to this pub regularly from school as well as in the summer for a pint. I was greatly disappointed with the food having taken my wife back here in June 2010. The bar area is nicely decorated and welcoming, beer is as you would expect with a few guest ales. Unfortunately I was driving and primarily looking for some good food. Having baulked slightly at the �3.95 asked for a bottle ( small ) of Magners for my wife I ordered the game terrine (�5.99) and gammon steak with egg and chips (�11.99). She was having Chicken Dippers (�4.99) and Lasangne with chips and garlic bread ( about �9.99 - can't recall exactly. ). Now considering this is the depths of Suffolk none of this is exactly cheap - but could well be justified if it is good quality and at least some of it home made / cooked. The good first - her garlic bread was a clever adaptation of some cheap ciabbata which was satisfying but not pungent, the gammon steak was massive. The bad, well firstly unfortunately we had an incredibly surly waitress, who brought no cutlery for the starter and then ,shortly after being gently rebuffed after trying to remove my half full plate of food, declared "finished now are you?" before clattering our plates away noisily. Blunt refusal was the response to a request for a drink. No task was too small or perfunctory for this girl who should have been at the herb factory or somerfield for the holidays instead. The menu declared all desserts to be sold out, but we weren't offered them anyway, nor coffee. The lasagne was dry and tasteless, the chips were oven ( surely no excuse for this ) the terrine bland and milky - its accompanying beetroot relish was truthfully, just beetroot. It was warm, but it was all very greasy and after the �50 bill was parted with the feeling was of money and time wasted, and a squandered precious lunch opportunity. My opinion - leave this one for the octogenarians on their organised lunches ( of which there were plently ) and head down the road to the Elsewhere Arm's.

18 Jun 2010 16:06