The Pig At Combe - East Devon

Beautiful building and surroundings but underwhelmed by everything else. arrived half hour early as advised for a drink in the bar. Eventually shown to our table 50 mins later. Food was gastro pub rather than fine dining. My ox tongue starter was too dry and felt like it had been prepared earlier and left in the warmer.. The main a pork chop in a dijon sauce was fine my partner had the plaice on rainbow chard which was also fine but nothing wowed us. It might help as well to have lighting from the car park , as finding your way on a cold windy night can be treacherous. In their defence the wine list was good. In summary if you want reasonable food in lovely surroundings this is for you, if you are looking for fine dining and that level of service this isnt it.

We went Sunday November 5th for my partners birthday with friends. We had table 8 a nice table for 4 just inside the main restaurant. Having read some of the reviews I can agree with the 'only one slice of bread ' no butter, but really isn 't that being petty. If you wanted more bread or butter I am sure if you asked they would serve it. Anyway, we had an amazing lunch. Beautiful food, excellent choice of wines and first class service from all the team that looked after us. A shout out to Alicia, a sommelier. She along with the team made it a very special Sunday lunch even more so. I think sometimes people expect the team in a restaurant to be mind readers. We found the moment we engaged with them, asked their names, took time to acknowledge the hard work they did, as Sunday was very busy, we were treated with respect, had fun and still got the highest levels of service. Well done to everyone and thank you.

Can 't say I 'd been impressed with any menu on the 'net before attending but friends wanted to take me for a 'special ' birthday lunch. I remember Combe House in the 'olden ' days a real treat and fabulous cordon bleu food tried not to compare with that but.....definitely not worth the ....1 non alcoholic drink, 2 glasses of Bolli 22 a glass. 2 venison with no potatoes and only 1 small portion of red cabbage on the plates, and 1 lemon sole looking very lonely with nothing else! 1 glass Pinot Noir and tap water. 1 pear pudding and 2 coffees over 200 plus helped themselves to 23.66 'discretionary ' service charge. but with no mention of that! The menu was illegible the print being far too small, staff were pushing any extras they could and waiting staff constantly interrupted sentences i.e. rude/ill trained. Clearly someone considers this a clever money making ruse and if people are prepared to pay well over the odds for very little then they 're winning, but to me it 's a silly ploy. with ghastly tasteless pigs littered all over the venue, and ruins what once was a very special place to dine/enjoy even the name seems wholly inappropriate. How sad an end to what was once my favourite place to dine.

As always fabulous location nicely kept and lovely atmosphere. Service is consistently good with well trained conscientious young staff …….although I think I heard « that’s amazing » too many times from staff members! Given we were served by six people during our lunch it becomes perfunctory and rather tedious. All well intentioned but avoid OTT! Food is OK but sensed portion size much reduced bordering on mean, particularly the Walled Garden Salad. Also general presentation off the pace. However despite possibly mixed feelings as to the value equation on food it’s largely offset by the overall ambience….. but The Pig must take care in a very competitive scene. Interestingly lunch service went late into afternoon and it was nice not to be hurried or rushed. After lunch a very pleasing southerly garden to be enjoyed before returning home.

The Pig has it all. Beautiful romantic setting Stunning period buildings, parkland and views. Tastefully decorated and comfortable dining and reception rooms. Outdoor drinks and dining are available in a choice of very attractive settings, heated by fire-pits and braziers. The menu, whilst not extensive, should have something to delight most diners. The quality of the food is very good and this is reflected in the price. Some very good wines are available. Service is attentive friendly and efficient. However a slightly bum note is sounded by the Oliver Twistian allocation of complementary bread, whereby a very small morsel of the sourdough is presented to each guest individually via the tongs. In my experience such obvious frugality is not a feature of restaurants in the class to which the Pig aspires. Get some bread baskets chaps, stinginess can spoil the occasion.