Reviewing as a customer of the take-away carvery, as we ordered for a Turkey and Tinsel meeting at…read morework. Really very generous portions of crowd pleasing food, arrived hot, and carefully packaged albeit in a lot of plastic- but in all fairness how else could it reasonably be. Bit of a faff to order vegetarian options on the day we ordered, as things kept being taken down and put up again, some of the veg was very well cooked, other bits less inspiring. All in all we were full and happy, it wouldn't be my first choice, but I would have it again.

OK so I wasn't expecting much on coming to a Toby. I guess I tend to stay clear of the big brands,…read moreand haven't been caveries themselves have become passé in my view. Saying that, maybe it's time for them to come back in vogue? I visited this particular Toby Carvery based on its location - actually inside Sutton Park, not far past the swings. This location gives it a huge advantage as a perfect stopping point for a fill before a walk around the grounds of Sutton Park (see my review here: http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/sutton-park-sutton-coldfield-2?hrid=8jH3A-DFxrbUhgLidjlHWQ). Although it is within a park, the restaurant is accessible by road and has a car park out front. It's also only a couple of minutes walk from Sutton train station. The exterior is faux-Tudor timber-frame castle; it fit right in at a theme park's 'Olde England World'. Surprisingly, I wasn't as cynical as usual, as this didn't put me off. I don't know if it was the feelings of elation from being in the park in the sunshine, but I actually found it rather quaint. As I say, I haven't been to a carvery for years, so I was taken back by cheap it was. For £5.99 (exc Sundays & Bank Hols) you can choose from four meats or opt to have a bit of each, all hand carved in front of you and help yourself to as much veg as you like. The price does rocket up on Sundays and BHs though, to £9.49. I find this different prices for different days system to be a bit odd; not so much a 'happy hour' as an 'unhappy Sunday'. However, I guess their main draw is a meal that we Brits refer to as a 'Sunday Dinner', so it kind of makes sense to want to attract customers over the rest of the week. I actually really enjoyed my £6 meal, much more than I have other meals for twice the price at hip foodie pubs. Ok, it might not have been THE best meal in the world, but it did represent great value. The meat was succulent and the veggies were fresh, what more could one ask for? This may have been due to the fact that we arrived at 12:10 though; I expect that later in the day (depending on their turnover) some of the food will have sat under the lamps for a while. As we arrived early, the restaurant was fairly empty and the service was efficient. On finishing however, the restaurant had filled up and we had to wait a while for the bill. They only have one handpump, which had Brakspear Bitter on when I visited. The beer wasn't in top-notch condition as it should be. It wasn't off or infected, it just should have been a bit brighter and have more life to it. Couldn't complain though for £2.50 a pint! The [brand] cola is also £2.50 a glass, but customers can refill their glass as often as they like. I'm don't think that unlimited soda is good for our children's health, but it does offer convenience and value. There are other things on the menu other than the carvery, but I'm not sure if many people bother with them and I expect they are standard combination of microwave and boil in the bag stuff that one finds in most large brand outlets. I thought their cavery was a bargain, but they also do an even more bargainous breakfast! For £3.99 you get to help yourself from the breakfast buffet, all you can eat style; served until 11am. What a great way to fill up on fatty pork products, then walk it off around the 2,500 acre nature reserve? I've not tried the breakfast yet, but I certainly intend to! It is without a doubt the location that makes this place special, combined with no-nonsense value, makes it a place worth visiting.

I ate here 2 months ago and it was awful. I should have known it would be a nightmare as i have had…read moreproblems here before but we thought we'd try it and the food was overpriced, microwaved and generally terrible. On my previous visit, i had struggled to pull up a high chair with my daughter and bag under my arm, the lady who worked there just sat there with her friend watching, once i managed to get myself sorted and get my daughter fed the lady came over and told me i couldn't sit there as the table was reserved (it was 3.30 on a quiet afternoon, all of 3 other people in the place) i couldn't believe how rude she was, she said she was the manager as well ! when i said 'thanks a lot' under my breath she started having a go at me, we vowed never to go in there again. Food is generally £10 per head, fish dishes from £14, a bit pricey for poor food and poor service. I have given this place 2 stars as they do have a gated area outside that is good for children to play in the summer, however you are not allowed to eat anything more that a starter out there and that generally causes them an inconvieniance !

I used to be a huge fan of this place but it has really gone down hill. We visited last week and…read moreour meal was appalling. Upon arrival we noted that the tables were sticky, there were children gambling on the fruit machines and the whole place seemed chaotic. The chap on the opposite table was in the process of sending his steak back as it was inedible. We should have left at that point in hindsight. Our starters never arrived and having heard the other complaints regarding the food we decided to go without them and move onto the mains. My meal wasn't even cooked?! The meat on my brothers mixed grill was inedible and my husbands pie was 98% mash! To add insult, the meals had clearly been sitting under a heat lamp for quite some time as the lettuce on the salads was brown and slimy. We asked to speak to the 'manager' who could not have cared less and didn't seem to understand why we were complaining. She just stared at my father with a vacant look on her face. She made no attempt to apologize and seemed to think that this was nothing out of the ordinary. To make matters worse, when I said that the the whole meal was awful and older waitress collecting drinks at the bar turned and laughed at me! I'm so glad she found our ruined family meal so funny. I can only imagine that they are under new management as standards have really slipped. The kitchen needs a visit from environmental health if they think that sending out un cooked food and off smelling meat is acceptable. I have made a formal complaint to the brewery in the hope that they can intervene and save what was once a lovely pub.

Always popular, but never over-filled, The Country Girl is a great family pub located a little off…read morethe beaten track between Selly Oak and Stirchley. There is a great selection of food, and they do a particularly good Sunday lunch menu. There's loads of seating, including an external dining area. Service is prompt and the staff are very helpful and friendly. Even if you're not local, The Country Girl is well worth the trip. Most likely you'll be visiting by car, so luckily there's a large car park to accommodate you.

Only visit for drinks as it is an ok setting but the food and management are a joke. I visit…read morerecently for a Sunday beef dinner with my mum who is recovering from a heart attack. I have never been so disappointed. I could genuinely cook a better dinner with my eyes shut and they are supposed to be professionals. The beef was terrible, roast potatoes were not fresh but frozen ones and broccoli was over cooked by about 10 minutes (mush). They had ran out of basic condiments I requested and told me they were on order. Nobody clearly does a stock check to keep on top of things. I spoke to Sharon the manager who huffed and puffed in my face and stormed off mumbling under her breath, never to return. Unacceptable behaviour from a manager offering a service that is far from satisfactory.

I liked this carvery restaurant for the location, its really nice and quiet, nice place, with…read moreplenty of parking. Now you can't say value more than £4.90 for carvery roast and ice cream dessert before 6.30pm. Must get the restaurant fuller earlier in the evening but offers excellent value for us customers. You get choice of meat from three, yorkshire pudding, stuffing, and choice from about 5 vegetables, choices of sauces and gravy! Food was pretty nice, well cooked and fresh from the kitchen, very nice I almost didn't have enough space for ice cream! Drinks were average pub prices for lager on tap, bottles seemed a bit on the expensive side though! So perhaps better avoided!

this paticular toby is well located and ideal to get to…read more food is tasty and good value for money, i love all the toby carvery pubs but i must say this one has been the best out of them even though i dont come here that often!! staff are always happy and make the dining pleasurable

I've been coming to the Saxon Mill for years but always thought it was a bit overpriced. With…read morecurrent inflation however, general pricing has caught up and the prices seem reasonable suddenly. The food always seems fresh and the service is better than most country pubs. Mind your head in several places downstairs but that all adds to the authenticity, right? Take a leisurely walk after lunch and definitely save room for dessert.

I had a very disappointing meal last night. Half chicken with fries. The fries weren't got and had…read moreto be sent back and l got more at least 10 minutes later. The gravy wasn't hot either and since the guy didn't come back for 10 minutes there was no point complaining as l had started on the chicken before it became cold too. Considering it was just chicken chips and gravy, it's hard to understand how it could be so bad.

Still good. Nice to see its been well maintained. Standards are still very high and you get what…read moreyou pay for.

Popped in with a colleague for an early lunch on myway to a meeting in Coventry…read moreLots of parking narby. Easy-going,friendly atmosphere. Tasy looking breakfast menu still being served at 11:45, but we opted for a cheee platter and a cold cuts platter. Well presented qualty produce ham, potted chicken, slami and a gorgeous hot tomato, red pepper and chorizo dish (the tenderest chorizo I have tasted melt in the mouth). The cheese platter had a good array of cheeses complimented with chutney, appe and celery. Washed down with a pint of Ubu or Doom Bar a worthy lunch time treat! BTW looks to be a favourite Mumsy morning meeting place lots of Mums and kids in evidence when we arived at 11:30 :-)

This place looks lovely and warm and cosy from the outside, exactly like a good old fashioned pub…read moreshould look. However, entering the pub, all the tables were labelled reserved, and the candles, décor and clientele was a little too upmarket for my liking. I persevered and continued to attempt to find a table that had not be reserved, but unfortunately could not. I was about to walk out, when a member of staff kindly offered to allow me and my friends to sit anywhere, and removed the reserve sign from the nearest seating area. In this instance, my initial liking for the Bluebell had been rekindled by the staff, who were very friendly and welcoming to the likes of a scruff such as me. Although I still felt a little too underdressed to fit into their sleek, modern designed interior, which was littered with bear skin rugs on the floor, curtains around doorways and potpourri scented toilets. Drinks prices were reasonable, which I found highly surprising, as I thought they would reflect the pub surroundings. I purchased a sailor jerry and cranberry juice for around £3, so nothing to complain about there. I found it very interesting that the Bluebell doesn't keep cranberry juice in cartons, but has small glass jars full of the fruit juice instead. I'd never seen anything like this before!

Betwixt Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon lies the sleepy town of Henley-in-Arden. It's 30 minutes…read moreby train from the city centre through glorious postcard perfect English countryside, and on a summery Saturday we headed there to try out a Michelin recommended pub - The Bluebell. They've been around a while, in fact the Tudor hostelry has been feeding and watering the public for half a millennium, so they've had plenty of practise. For the last decade owners Leigh and Duncan Taylor, and their head chef James Devonshire, have been offering food that has won plaudits including two AA rosettes, and he Good Food Guide Midlands Restaurant of the Year 2013. They offer coffee and cake from 10am, lunch from noon, and dinner from 6pm. Obviously there's an à la carte menu and they've also just launched a two course for £10 lunch club, available Tuesday to Saturday, noon till 2.30, and that's what we went to sample. The restaurant and bar are intimate spaces with low Tudor beamed ceilings, flagstone and wooden floors, and heavy velvet drapes. The furnishings are eclectic and owner Leigh's eye for design is obvious with shabby chic furniture, artistic lighting, and quality stemware adding to the overall feeling of lusciousness. The private dining room looked particularly inviting. The lunch club menu (two courses for £10, or three courses for £15) is changed daily, so you get what you're given i.e. there are no options. If however you don't like that day's offering (I think that's unlikely) you can of course eat from the normal menu. On the day we went, the lunch club menu comprised Sweet Corn and Basil Velouté followed by Cottage Pie with pickled red cabbage, and dessert of Pavlova with English Strawberries and Chantilly Cream. We started our lunch with a "Bluebell-ini" (£7) that's Prosecco and strawberry juice, with a ripe strawberry on the rim. Our first course was the Velouté of Sweet Corn and Basil. Served in a vintage tea cup and saucer the smooth and creamy velouté was well seasoned, piping hot, with light sweet corn and basil flavours. It was served with sourdough bread made onsite from a "mother" dough that Chef James has lovingly nurtured for three years. The sourness of the bread worked well with the sweetness of the corn. As you'd expect The Bluebell are big on using the best suppliers, and the quality of produce shone through, worthy of mention was the creamy butter from Netherend farm, and that they use Aubrey Allen butchers for their meats. The main was a Cottage Pie, which initially I thought might not be summery enough, but the side of pickled cabbage with star anise lifted it so that it was not at all heavy. The pie itself had great beefy flavours with a good texture, and the mash was fluffy and buttery and attractively piped with crispy grilled edges. The wine list is impressive and there are 15 by the glass. I went for the delightful Veramonte Chardonnay (£6.25 a glass, or £25 for the bottle). We also had a glass of the Luigi Bosca La Linda Malbec (£7.15 a glass, or £28 for the bottle). Those wine lovers amongst you will know from just those two name-drops that there are plenty of good wines to choose. Not a wine drinker? Worry not, there's a good selection of other drinks including Purity ales (a local independent brewery). In the interests of fully reviewing it, obviously we had to have desert. A large pink quenelle of crispy sweet meringue was topped with Chantilly cream, roasted pistachios, and English strawberries. A super finale to a summer luncheon. Monthly event nights are run at the venue for about £40 which includes a three course dinner and entertainment. Coming up in July is a Calypso night with singers and dancers, and then in August there's a Ratpack night. I like venues that are run by a small and dedicated team because their passion translates in to the food and the service. That's exactly what The Bluebell will offer you. Quality produce, well prepared, and served with care and enthusiasm for what they offer. The £10 lunch offer really is extra-ordinary for this quality, so get there when you can. We will inevitably be back, which given that we get a nosebleed when we cross Brum's middle ring-road, is testament to how much we liked it. Simply delightful.

amazing service from start to finish. Lady who greeted us was very pleasant. we were seated and…read moreMia came and cleaned our table, topped up our cutlery and checked about allergies ( we had a diner with a peanut allergy ) This was taken very seriously. she then took our order and I ordered poached eggs and she took the time to tell me when I needed to put my toast in so that I got warm toast and hot poached eggs. She was friendly and efficient and her customer service skills were excellent. The breakfast itself was also very nice and all well cooked. Great experience overall but the star of the show is little MIA !

The Duck is a well-established pub on the Hagley Road. It was my uncle's regular around 30 years…read moreago. Since then it's had a makeover and updated to the 21st Century. I came to know of it when my cousin began DJ'ing there. They usually have promotions on drinks so chipping in on a pitcher cocktail is a pretty cheap way to spend the evening with friends. The bar staff are welcoming and accommodating. It gets quite busy on Friday and Saturday nights but their customer service remains great. The ambience is laid back and targeted towards over 20's as opposed to students. So generally it's a chilled out, sleek atmosphere. It's also a Beefeater Grill where the food is freshly prepared and deliciously English!