The Olde Coach House - Daventry

From the exterior, the Olde Coach House seems impressive, but on entry into the bar and particularly the stairs to our room above, the air was faisty and our twin room had an unpleasant smell too. Apart from a nice view, one mattress had protruding springs, a wall plug had its cover hanging off, the shower room extractor hardly worked and was extremely noisy, and the washbasin light didn't work, and no bedside tables After an uncomfortable night with much door slamming we attempted to go down stairs for breakfast, the door would not unlock, we had to hail a passing member of the public to go to our aid to summon a staff member. On the final morning , they had no eggs for breakfast. No compensation or room transfers were offered.

Friday evening visit for food. No atmosphere, cold, dark and fairly empty. 3 staff standing at the bar having a chat. Had to interrupt to ask for a table and we were told to sit anywhere. Had to ask for someone to take our drink order. Then had to ask again for menus and again ask for our order to be taken. Took our order then came back to advise there was a wait, but couldn’t say how long. Asked for a more precise wait time, and after a wait ! was told this would be at least 25 minutes. All a bit weird given the place was empty! We left at that point, having wasted an hour. This pub has been very inconsistent for many years, right now it’s clearly bottom of the curve.

Such a nice friendly place. Enjoyed the best ribs and chicken wings I think I have ever had. Great service. Worth a visit if you have never been.

My partner and I tried to eat here on a Friday lunch. That should not have been overly ambitious, right? There were some cars in the parking lot, which looked disheveled. We walked into the bar area-no lights on and nobody in attendance. Was it maybe closed after all? A few minutes later the manager walked in. She flipped on some of the lights and said we could eat anywhere. No attempt was made to show us “anywhere” and much of the restaurant was still dark. We went outside. One other table was occupied. After some time, we got service for drinks and food, The drinks came after a wait. Then we waited and waited. And hour for hamburgers? The manager, after my husband went in, said our orders were next out. I didn’t realize that the kitchen wasn’t capable of more than one order at a time. Ten minutes later, after more than an hour of waiting and an appointment we were in dander of missing, we left. A shame, as it is a pretty village.

My friend and I booked for lunch at the Olde Coach House, because it was convenient for our visit to the wonderful historic church in Ashby St Ledgers, a pretty village with strong Gunpowder Plot connections. We were made very welcome with a choice of restaurant seating that’s spread over a series of rooms, one with a working fireplace. There’s a garden too, and dogs are welcomed both inside and out. For me that’s a big plus, as a potential venue for wider family gatherings. There's ample parking and it’s located just a few minutes drive from the A361 Daventry road. There’s also the option of accommodation, so it ticks a lot of boxes. In my opinion the food alone makes it well worth a visit. It’s a small menu that changes regularly (website gives examples) and in my opinion that’s usually a sign of freshly cooked seasonal food. We had a sweet potato and chick pea curry, steamed rice and onion bhaji, which was delicious and very reasonably priced. Drinks choice was very good, with a decent selection of beers and non alcoholic choices as well (eg Days Lager 0%, Fentimans Rose Lemonade). I understand this Charles Wells brewery pub changed management recently, and currently the website looks like it’s under reconstruction. On this basis alone it would be easy to overlook what this pub offers so I hope this is prioritised soon. I’ve no hesitation in recommending it and look forward to returning.