Taunton and Bridgwater Community Advice

My wife and I have booked with Dave Criddle Travel for many years. Jo and Joel are both helpful and friendly. Sometimes the standard package is not ideal and with their expertise they will find just the right holiday to match our requirements. We are happy to continue supporting this established local business.

A friendly and efficient service

Things have definitely improved at Hestercombe. We walk regularly in the lovely gardens and always enjoy a coffee and cake in the restaurant/cafe. The service in the cafe is much better than it used to be. The food is excellent and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I am also so very happy that the lovely female manager does not allow dogs inside. This is much better as I for one do not wish to have a dog near me, inside a cafe barking and sniffing around. Some customers with dogs look most offended when they are shuffled to the outside sitting area. But that suits me fine. Keep up the good work.

Second time I've used SMS and the customer service was amazing. I was kept up to date at all times regarding a tricky repair and the cost was extremely reasonable. Highly recommended!!

Been here twice in the last few weeks, once for an all you can eat breakfast, which I have to say was bloody excellent, very good selection of fried food and a decent selection of pastries and fruit, would definitely recommend the breakfast. The second time was for the carvery, which I have to say I was very disappointed with, potatoes were under cooked as was most of the veg. Meat was decent, I had beef and pork which were both OK, there was NO crackling left, even tho they had 1 and a half joints still under the heating lamp, neither of which had any crackling on, surely the people not having pork should not be allowed crackling in my eyes anyway. The service was very poor, on 2 or 3 separate occasions the staff were behind the bar laughing whilst on their phones, all this whilst ours plates were on the table festering and begging to be collected, it took over 30 minutes after we had finished eating for the plates to be cleared away, and then another 10 minutes for them to ask if we would like to see the pudding menu. The wrong menus were given to us and when the correct ones were delivered and we had decided what to have we were the informed that there was no Fish and chips which 3 people had decided to have, and were then disappointed to be told there was no fish. We were also given the wrong kids menus, and having an autistic grandchild being told that the cheese burger wasn't available today when its on the menu we were given wasnt great. Pudding eventually were served and were good. I personally think there are better carvery/roasts in the area, so probably won't return for the carvery. Drinks came out and were wrong, and we were charged for an extra pepsi. Also ordered an extra kids pizza and chips that came out and was luke warm at best. Another kids pizza and chips was ordered for our autistic grandson but without chips as he won't eat them, the pizza arrived and came with chips, luckily we removed the chips before he'd seem them as he would of had a meltdown if he'd seen them on his plate.

I would definitely recommend the breakfast here, but certainly not the carvery.