DINING at the Chateau Impney, Droitwich, is a strange experience to say the least. At the end of a winding drive, through pastures of grazing sheep and cows, past a little lit-up stream, you find yourself coo-ing at a gorgeous fairytale castle.

The place has turrets and everything.

A smartly-suited doorman greets you cheerfully and so far, so good but inside, you are transported not to 18th century France but – the 1980s.

There are two restaurants, Jason’s Carving Room and Angelique’s Restaurant. We dined in the carvery on a Saturday – which cost £20 each for three courses – and where everything from the paper doillies under the starter dishes to the carnations on the table and the retro sweet trolley make you feel you should have come wearing leg warmers.

The menu was also a tribute to the decade; prawn cocktail... chilled fruit juice... black forest gateau.

Despite the initial surprise at this strange contrast between exterior and interior styles, we were made more than welcome by the attentive and friendly staff.

Although we had several different waiters and waitresses through the night they were all prompt, helpful and pleasant.

For the starter, I had the prawn cocktail, my guests had melon and country vegetable soup.

The prawns were small, spiced with paprika and served with a nice amount of salad; the balled melon was plain but fresh. The vegetable soup tasted more like leek and potato, was smooth, a little dull and lacking in chunks of vegetables.

The carvery for the main course was a nicer experience than many because the staff carried the plates to the table.

There was a choice of pork, Worcester turkey and beef, as well as a couple of vegetarian options. The pork and beef were fairly good but the turkey was the best, as it was the most tender and tasty.

As for puddings, a fluffy-looking butterscotch cake was basically just a big pile of cream.

The black forest gateau was nice but seemingly missing the main ingredient, black cherries.

The lemon meringue pie looked amazing but sadly didn’t live up to its look and was left half-eaten.

The Chateau Impney is clearly a very popular place.

The restaurant was packed and it included more than one birthday party, the staff singing for them and merrily honking car horns.

HOW IT RATED

Jason’s Carving Room,
The Chateau Impney Hotel,
Droitwich Spa
Telephone 01905 774411
Food ★★✩✩✩
Value for money ★✩✩✩✩
Ambience ★★✩✩✩
Service ★★★★✩