Deeping Stage

As a place to eat...I won't anymore. Used to be good pub food with excellent service, now iys sloppy, poor quality food with no taste. The only good thing is the view of the river to have a drink. Even that is spoilt by parents ignoring their children throwing rocks into the water ans the giant screen tv blaring. Avoid.

Popped in for lunch with no booking (on a Tuesday). Friendly, quick service. Basic pub food was fine, though mushy peas portions were extremely small. Reasonable value overall. I can't comment on the beer as I was driving and thus didn't have any.

Gone are the days when you can go for a peaceful pint in a pub. We had to put up with a continual barking dog outside, we went inside just to get some peace. I find it annoying at why in this lovely weather we should be forced inside because owners cannot control their dogs. Why are dogs allowed in pubs!!! I thought this was a place to sit, talk and enjoy your pint! Gone are those days!! We always go to the stage, over 20 years we have been going. Barking dogs, dogs in general need to have responsible owners when others are just wanting a nice peaceful pint.

This independent hotel is well worth a visit and the Manager went above and beyond to make our stay the best ever experience. We will definitely come back. The breakfast was delicious too. Nothing seemed too much trouble. Staff were polite and efficient.

Had slow cooked beef brisket here in February & it was wonderful - hot yummy tender. Had it again on a visit this week expecting consistency but it was tough & dry, hard to cut into & not nice to eat. 3 others in our party had same & agreed. Waitress didn’t come to table to check all was ok so I went to find staff & asked for more gravy to help it down, they provided 2 gravy boats but they were tepid. Carrot & broccoli were nice, mash wasn’t hot, overall really disappointed as I know they can do better.

The Stage is very much a “curate’s egg”. Positives: The ambience is lovely The lounge is comfortable with leather armchairs but shabby (ripped and worn out upholstery). It would be nice if they lit the fire. The bedroom was warm and comfortable. Room 8 The food offering at all meals was excellent. Breakfast particularly so. The staff were on the ball, efficient and friendly. The Manager was approachable and willing to listen. He looks like he needs a couple of days off though!! Negatives: The bar was noisy. The doors to the lounge were not kept shut. The parking on site was tight and limited, however we did just find a space. The “drum & bass” music from the bar was excessively loud and was not turned own/off until 0015hrs. We went to bed at 2230hrs. We went up for an afternoon nap on arrival as we had had a long drive. The residents of the adjacent room (several young girls) kept up a verbal assault with loud conversation, shrieking, and laughter for an hour or more when I finally banged on the adjoining door and told them to “Be Quiet!!” The bathroom in the suite was tired and the shower was broken and held together with zip ties. For room that cost £260 for the Saturday night to Monday morning, there was no fridge (I need to keep my insulin cold) and no bottled water in the room. Both taps in the bathroom ran hot. On balance - keep the noise down at night to avoid losing your “older” clients, spruce up the lounge, light the fire in winter, revisit the bedroom amenities and equipment.

We held a birthday celebration as a party of 20 guests on Saturday 14th October. The food was delicious and piping hot. In particular we were very impressed with the menu choices, especially the gluten free options. The service was impeccably organised, attentive and friendly. I wouldn't hesitate anyone wishing to book a large gathering to book here. Our area was spacious and the way the tables were positioned made it easy for everyone to be sociable. We were all delighted with how the celebration went and will definitely be returning.

We booked a table for a Birthday Dinner, turned up no booking! Waitress 2 weeks ago wrote it down didn’t make electronic diary! Most of us had three courses, food and service was excellent, and made up for their mistake on booking. I believe we were served by the general manager, and he stayed to make sure all was perfect, as he departed at the same time as us!

We have eaten here so many times in the past because it is an excellent place. Comfy surroundings and excellent food. We have always recommended it highly. It is therefore disappointing to report that the breakfast on the 1st was terrible. Don't misunderstand, the quality of the produce was up to its normal impeccably high standards but the cooking left a lot to be desired. It was clear that the majority of items hard been cooked well before and had been under a hotplate for some time. The bacon was like cardboard the beans and toast were cold. I found that the egg was difficult to cut, and that was with a decent knife! I understand from the waitress that there is a new chef in place. The sooner they learn the "Stage" way and standards the better. I did raise it with the waitress but felt, on reflection, a written statement would (hopefully) be more effective in ensuring that they return to their normal high standards.