Carveries are the work of the devil

We used to go to a Toby which was a bit run down but the staff were great and the food was fabulous. It changed hands earlier this year and we’ve not had the chance to go yet. Hoping it’s still as good!

Euuughhh Toby Carvery 🤣

What would be odd would be to expect a non-meat eater to suddenly start eating meat because their family members who do enjoy steak choose to eat at a steak house. As I say, personally I find them good for fresh fish and even vegetarian dishes which tend to be freshly cooked from actual vegetables and grains as opposed to the fake meat offerings in many other places.

I used to love Toby but then I (stupidly) read an article about how many dirty hands have touched the utensils before you do…and now the thought (as well as the thought of salad bars) turns me. 🤢

Thanks to this thread I discovered it was £6 carvery week at Toby's carvery. I have the app, and whilst we do not go often, DC was home for a few nights from uni and there is one on the way into York which we stop at when I drive her back. Off course it is not high dining and does not pretend to be. The the roast potatoes (choice of cooked in goose fat or vegitarian) and yorkshires are definitely freshly made on site- not frozen. The vegetables and selction are also pretty good, as is the choice of gravy. It is good value in the week and I have never been to a Toby Carvery where I thought the quality of the food was poor for the price. This thread is pure snobbery. You know what you are getting and it is often on a par, if not better, than many pub roasts. It is also nice to choose a selection of meats, not cook and wash-up.

It just seems like a throwback to another era — back when a roast and vegetables was ‘special food’, so there was major appeal in being able to eat as much as you liked of it..? Food culture has just moved on so much that it does surprise me too that carveries still exist.

Because people enjoy it. My teenage boys would choose a carvery over any other restaurant or fast food place. It's certainly not out of date

Our local one is in a very posh middle class area but seems to attract a range of odd characters....the food is actually ok....last visit there was a family in dressing gowns who put a tablet on the table and did a live stream of their uncle moving a sofa around his lounge and asking opinions about where to locate it...Each time we go, about 3 times a year, there is always some strange characters and behaviour.

If it specialises in one dish that's really the dish you should eat to get the best experience. It seems odd to choose to go there and eat something else. But each to their own.

I've had the honeycomb ice cream sundae! 😋 I love a Toby Carvery, you get plenty of veg, and the roast turkey is lovely, not dry at all. It's my favourite place to eat out.

I'm fairly near to the Old Windsor and Langley Toby Carveries, anyone got any feedback on these as I now want to go there thanks to this thread as I love carveries & not been for many years? Thanks

You get good and bad all over, personally I love a carvery, we have a Toby couple of miles away which is very good and always packed out. Personally I prefer one of The Farmhouse Inn’s (part of Greene King) further away but worth the trip. They take BLC too.
A full carvery is about £12 but it’s a bargain for young kids as they do a veg plate for £2.50 which is a really good size and get a Yorkshire with it. We can all eat a full Sunday lunch for under £30. It’s honestly not worth buying, peeling, chopping and washing up after for that price.

I think you were unlucky, our nearest carveries are all okay, though I think the amount of meat you get these days is stingy. We use it as a quick and cheapish option if I can't be bothered to cook. I do agree they need to sort out ventilation, though, I visited a Toby carvery with friends a month ago, we spent several hours sitting and chatting. We were in the furthest corner of the building away from the carvery/kitchen, and when I got home I had to strip and put every item of clothing in the laundry then go and shower and wash my hair because I smelled of greasy food 😳

Our local golf club has the most amazing carvery on Sundays. It’s not the cheapest but still good value for what you get. A lady who had ponies at the same yard works there and the day after the ponies were treated to the left over raw vegetables scraps.
It’s very popular and you always have to book

We took our grandaughter to a Toby last weekend because they have a play area.
The roasts, roast potatoes and gravy were really good but the veg was only lookwarm. We were trampling on spilled food which i think must have been from a child and to cap it off the play was closed just as we got to the door.
And we paid full price.

Toby Carvery breakfasts are amazing.

Wow. What a boring story.

I'm amazed carveries still exist. It's 70s/80s type cheap dining and it's looked that way since the 90s

Carveries aren't for me as I only really like the roasts my mum cooks. There is nothing more disappointing to me than someone trying to coax me out to eat anywhere that claims to cook a roast/ have a roast special for Sunday. I also don't like cooked breakfast so I have no interest in our nearest Toby even as a non carvery option. DH has been there for breakfast with a mate and said it isn't bad though.

However, obviously from this thread more people than expected do like a carvery and it sounds like there are some nice ones around so I think you got unlucky OP.

Rudy’s Pizza is actually not a good choice for vegetarians as most of the pizzas contain non-vegetarian cheese.

I don’t eat steak, but a good steak restaurant will serve good quality fresh food and there are other options.

I quite like the meat free carvery options - Yorkshire, stuffing, roast potatoes, mash, dauphinois (or similar), cauliflower cheese plus fresh veg, gravy, cranberry and horseradish sauce. Much better than a dry bean burger and soggy chips. They normally offer a veggie protein option but I don’t bother.

I’m immunocompromised and go to one that has a huge turnover and is always busy. Never eat at a quiet buffet!
went today and the beef and cauliflower cheese had just come out as I went up and they were adding more Yorkshires

I got campylobacter from a local pub that has a reputation for excellent food(!)