Downham Hall

01.02.2025

Had a lovely meal in the restaurant recently, location is a hidden gem, beautiful views, giving the feel of country & food & service was second to none. Definitely would go back. Next time to try one of the taster evenings

27.01.2025

We enjoyed afternoon tea with brilliant service, very good food and served by super helpful, friendly staff.

24.01.2025

Beautiful setting, fabulous room, great food, friendly and competent staff. I needed to stay in the area for work, and unbelievably this was a comparable price to the local Premier Inns, yet completely incomparable in terms of quality and service! I had breakfast included in the room rate because I booked direct on their website.

23.01.2025

Disappointing evening from start to finish Our party of 13 attended a murder mystery evening at this venue with 3 course meal. Upon arrival the venue looked lovely. We were greeted and shown to our table in their orangery (conservatory) an overspill room, again this looked nice but soon after our arrival we found it to be cold & unheated, after several attempts of complaining the heating was turned on. The food was sparse and not what we were expecting at £55 per head. In fact 3 of my party sent their food back. The spicy Moroccan lamb 2 pieces of lamb 2” square served on 3 dessert spoons of couscous is not adequate portions and the pasta dish was disappointing and tasteless. The reply from the manager on complaining was “Menus served on these evenings are not our usual 2 rosette fair, as we are having to cater for up to 70 guests all being served at the same time” There were also long waits between courses with us eating our main course just before 9pm and arriving at 7pm. The murder mystery itself can only be described as chaotic with the actors running between 2 rooms that were not near each other and information and clues needed to solve the murder given to the different tables separately rather than together, in a very noisy room, which meant that some tables were given more information than others and we often couldn’t hear what was behind said. This venue is clearly trying to maximise their bookings by having 2 different rooms but clearly not delivering suitable food and service for the numbers catered for. The final straw to our dissatisfaction of the entire evening was paying for our drinks at the end. We made several payments in cash & by card and the waitress actually moaned about this. Definitely not good customer service and in fact very rude we thought. To sum up our evening Very disappointing and definitely not worth the money On writing to the manager about our evening his reply was simply “These evenings are not to everyone's taste, and I am sorry that not all of your party enjoyed themselves”

16.01.2025

My wife and I had dinner here last night and was very impressed at the quality of the food. It's a really lovely place to go for dinner The owner Christina was very attentive and personable and the dessert was epic (choc and hazelnut delice) Would go back for sure.

02.01.2025

We could not have been happier to have our wedding reception at Downham Hall. Every step of the way was no trouble for them. The day was the most wonderful day, food was excellent and the amount of compliments we got about choosing the right place was outstanding. Even with the rain that started just as we arrived back from the church, everything was thought of with umbrellas, being greeted at the entrance, drinks on hand and all done with wonderful smiles. We could not have asked for more. Thank you so much again.

28.12.2024

Lovely place.

15.12.2019

A really lovely hotel in a superb location. Great breakfast and really friendly hosts

12.12.2024

Last minute booking and we enjoyed a meal and plenty of booze. Staff were friendly. Room was clean and comfy bed

21.02.2022

Great evening wreath making.

27.11.2024

We visited Downham Hall for coffee & cake, the 2 people who served us were so hospitable & made us feel very welcome. It’s a lovely setting & we look forward to visiting again soon for dinner.

23.11.2024

Just held a function in the marquee for 86 people. Staff couldn’t have been more helpful, not just on the night but on the build up to it. 3 course meal with lots of choices and they got everyone right. Many comments from guests about that. Management were first class. All staff very accommodating. There is a can do attitude from top to bottom. Even had choice of background music. Also been there for Afternoon Tea again first class. I highly recommend this venue. A big thank you to everyone there.

09.11.2024

My son had his wedding there 12th October,totally amazing! I can't fault anything at all! The food was amazing, rooms perfect, the staff were incredible! Vikki was just amazing! I can't thank you all enough for making my sons wedding run ever so smoothly. I'd 100% recommend here for any venue big or small. I miss being there ❤. I think a cheeky one weekend stay soon xx

07.11.2024

Great afternoon tea ,at a very reasonable cost thanks 👍

07.11.2024

What an unexpected fabulous breakfast experience set in Rolling countryside warm greetings and smiles from the moment we entered by the lovely owner Christina and staff lovely Food and Coffee in luxurious surroundings free parking Gorgeous conservatory and grounds extremely peaceful. Also doing afternoon cream teas ,Sunday Roast and themed nights. Sireously great venue hidden away like a secret Gem. You will not be disappointed can't wait to go again. Simon.

03.11.2024

Just been here for lunch for my birthday. I was really impressed with the level of service, the quantity and quality of food and the ambience. I’d really recommend coming here and so lovely to have someplace like this on our doorstep. You can tell they’re making real efforts to make this a lovely local venue. I’ve already booked for their Christmas afternoon tea in December.

02.11.2024

We had afternoon tea here and had an absolutely delightful time. Service especially was excellent.

29.10.2024

Went to the Downham Hall for a meal on a Saturday night. Wasn’t busy when we arrived but filled up later. Nice surroundings and looked ok in the dining room but nothing to write home about. Was asked to sit wherever we wanted to and chose a window a table. I was then told there is a dog laying behind you and there on his bed was a large dog. Not what you expect to see in a so called fine dining restaurant. The staff took our order and their service was good. We paid £38 for a £13.50 bottle of wine. Ok. Starters came up with my wife choosing soup and I chose trout. My wife’s bread with her soup was burnt to the point of smelling of burnt food and my trout was the most tasteless fillet I have ever had. Even the beetroot had no flavour. The mains were much better with my wife choosing Guinea Fowl. I chose Veal. We only had 1 desert between us in the form of a small plate of thinly cut cheese. Very poor choice of cheese on the plate as 4 of the 5 had no flavour whatsoever! Our bill was £190 including mandatory service charge. It’s safe to say it was a very disappointing evening which we were looking forward to. Will not be returning sadly, as I am local!!!

26.10.2024

We attended a murder mystery eve...supposed to be themed...James bond? Don't know which bit was? Wasn't our thing really. Glad we experienced it BUT Actors were repetitive, gaps of over 1 hr in between courses was too long! Food was mediocre......half a mushroom with our dinner..... We were overcharged on our bill with drinks we hadn't ordered..... Was a disappointing evening.

31.08.2024

We've stayed here four times either celebrating birthdays or just fancy treating ourselves to a luxurious stay in beautiful surroundings. Have stayed in the Bridal suite and Balmes room, both beautifully decorated with views of the countryside from every window. Comfortable beds and bathroom with rainfall shower. Nice to have choice of tea or coffee machine with milk, biscuits 😋 and bottle of water. Very quiet too. Breakfast is plentiful the full English and Eggs florentine with our large coffee leaves us feeling full and satisfied (cooked perfectly) We booked the evening meal with our stay, both had the lamb which was best I've ever eaten and cooked to perfection chef is amazing 👏 with a bottle of fizzy Rose and salted caramel cheesecake 😋 to follow we felt extremely full and satisfied. Lovely friendly waiter looked after us all evening until we went to our room. Look forward to visiting again soon, highly recommended.. Thank-you Mandy & Rob ❤️

01.10.2024

We chose Downham Hall as our wedding venue and have absolutely no regrets! The venue was beautiful and the food great (a number of guests commented on the quality of the food). From the moment we booked and on the day all the staff were amazing. One of our favourite things about Downham Hall was that you really felt that all the staff cared. They were so accommodating and everything felt so personal (unlike some places we visited when it felt like you were a number on a conveyor belt). Our overnight stay and breakfast was great too. We can't thank Downham Hall enough and can't wait to visit many more times in the coming years.

23.08.2024

The restaurant was excellent. Food and service were first class.

21.08.2024

We visited their North Wing Restaurant. Lovely location and wonderful food. Service was top notch and catered for my wife who is dairy intolerant.

07.08.2024

Had the most wonderful Afternoon Tea at Downham Hall; delicious sandwiches, perfect scones and the most amazing cakes. All surrounded by incredible views of the Essex countryside. The staff were very friendly, welcoming and attentive. We will definitely be back and thoroughly recommend a visit.

06.08.2024

On the back of there menu which I picked up it says please give a positive review, the sandwiches and cakes were delightful, but when it came to the scones they were hard as soon as you used your knife to separate them, they crumbled in pieces you was lucky if one half stayed in one piece, the tradition with scones is butter first then Jam and cream. We had to ask for the butter, to embarrassed to say these are rock hard which they were. We were embarrassed to say anything. You can only give a honest positive review, which I hope they will take this on board. I met with my family for my birthday, afternoon tea at 12midday The place has history and the gardens are beautiful. I hope to visit again at some point. IT HAS NOT PUT ME OFF

03.08.2024

Enjoyable afternoon tea with family

28.07.2024

Visited here for lunch today. Sat outside in the beautiful gardens with an amazing view in the sunshine. We had the roast dinner which was amazing. The food was outstanding and the views are great too. Very friendly staff who make you feel very welcome. We'll be back 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

24.07.2024

Fantastic room was absolutely stunning Massive comfy bed Absolutely spotless Nice warm welcome Definitely staying again

20.07.2024

We had a perfect afternoon at Downham Hall. We had a delicious afternoon tea served by the friendly staff. We sat out on the patio which overlooks the beautiful Downham countryside. Then after we explored the stunning grounds. This is a beautiful place inside and out, ideal for all sorts of occasions. Thank you for making our day so special

20.07.2024

Went to wedding reception. Loved the location.