Page 2 | Toby carvery is terrible now

CurdinHenry · 2026-11-06T17:38:29+00:00

The cost of living crisis has gone too far

CatesandAle · 06/11/2026 20:26

I’m so curious about this place, I’d never seen or heard of it before Mumsnet. Is it a chain? Are they only in one part of the country? I’m in the south east and I don’t think I’ve ever driven past a place called Toby Carvery.

Firetruckers · 06/11/2026 20:26

MyballsareSandy2015 · 06/11/2026 18:19

£75 for Xmas dinner at a Toby is extortionate … for £25 more you can get a superb Christmas lunch at a very nice pub around here.

That's quite a lot more though if multiple people are going.

Candleabra · 06/11/2026 20:28

Agree. The roast has been shit for ages.
and I went there for the breakfast all you can eat recently and that was dreadful too. They had hardly any stuff and were trying to hold it all back for the Too Good To Go bags before the customers had finished eating!

DuckFilledPlatitude · 06/11/2026 20:38

I'm not a fan of a carvery on principle - if I'm going out to eat, part of the fun of it is having my food brought to me - just sitting there while nice things (hopefully) come along to me. Queuing up completely spoils the experience.

Also, a roast isn't wildly hard to cook. It's only worth it to me to pay restaurant prices for things that are faffy to cook or need loads of ingredients to make well (e.g. a proper curry).

Without descending into Mumsnet chicken madness, a roast will at the very least feed a family once; depending on size of both roast and family leftovers might do a second meal - and the standard accompaniments aren't expensive either.

Taken as a whole, it just isn't worth it.

Middlemarch123 · 06/11/2026 20:45

TheHairInClaudiasEyes · 06/11/2026 18:52

George Michael loved a carvery.

He did indeed, bless him.
I remember watching a documentary about him and the landlord of his local pub said he regularly ate roast dinners there, and always ordered extra broccoli 🥦.

CatesandAle · 06/11/2026 20:47

Middlemarch123 · 06/11/2026 20:45

He did indeed, bless him.
I remember watching a documentary about him and the landlord of his local pub said he regularly ate roast dinners there, and always ordered extra broccoli 🥦.

Show quote history

I’m trying to imagine broccoli being the thing I ordered extra of with a roast…

NobodyEvenCares · 06/11/2026 21:02

It’s been rank since the 80s! I can’t believe they are still going.

Copiousamountsofpulses · 06/11/2026 21:09

I went once and when I picked the plate up I could feel it was dirty on the bottom with caked on food 🤢.

UnjustifiedAncient · 06/11/2026 21:17

I went a couple of times maybe 15 years ago when my kids were small because a good friend liked it.

Horrible. Grey roast beef and extremely processed, rubbery gammon. Dry roast potatoes and powdered mash. Overcooked veg and gelatinous gravy. 1980s school dinners 🤢

It was packed, though, and people were piling their plates high. Baffling.

girlygirly · 06/11/2026 21:20

Last time I went to one was a few years ago and the slice of turkey was so thin you could almost see through it!
im really fortunate I have a superb carvery near me that’s gives you so much meat you can get a doggy bag and the take home has fed me and DH the following day!

Katemax82 · 06/11/2026 22:31

I've not been to one since my son (called Toby) was 3, 5 years ago

AutumnAllTheWay · 06/11/2026 22:46

Weve got two near us

One is really nice. Only in the week tho. It gets too busy at the weekend and the quality suffers

cupfinalchaos · 06/11/2026 22:46

I’ve never been to a Toby as i always assumed it was a Petri dish with everything sweating under lamps. Does anyone remember Garfunkels? Is it like that?

Greenmouldycheese · 06/11/2026 22:48

The food there has always been terrible. Very bland.

Original poster

CurdinHenry · 06/11/2026 23:08

AccidentalPrawnYouFool · 06/11/2026 20:22

Has Toby carvery ever been good? I’d rather have a McDonald’s!

Back in the day I loved it

OP posts:

Original poster

CurdinHenry · 06/11/2026 23:09

Lol at the similar threads tho wtf

"Is Andy Burnham doing a good job?"

Is this a Yorkshire pudding thing?? That's the other cpast, Mumsnet ai

OP posts:

SueKaChoo · 06/11/2026 23:09

We used to go to one many years ago which wasn't bad. When I went to one recently it was disgusting. I won't be back! I wouldn't go for Christmas Dinner if they paid me the £75.

Flannelfeet · 06/11/2026 23:16

Iceland sell lots of "Toby carvery " meals now...wonder if that just all the leftovers frozen to save waste?🤣.

socialdilemmawhattodo · 06/11/2026 23:19

Vitrolinsanity · 06/11/2026 18:45

I can remember the Bromley outlet from when I was maybe 15. I’m 60 now. The good old days.

Was that one opposite the college?

bugalugs45 · 07/11/2026 07:23

CatesandAle · 06/11/2026 20:26

I’m so curious about this place, I’d never seen or heard of it before Mumsnet. Is it a chain? Are they only in one part of the country? I’m in the south east and I don’t think I’ve ever driven past a place called Toby Carvery.

I’m also south east, Kent to be exact , I know of one although sure there must be more . Never been in there though!

thebrowncatisback · 07/11/2026 07:37

Now? When was it not terrible!

Boomer55 · 07/11/2026 07:45

The one at Badgers Mount in Kent is pretty good. But, it gets really busy. Need to book at weekends . 🤷‍♀️

I prefer a carvery - I have a small appetite and a mountain of food served by people who don’t know what the word ‘small’ means, just puts me off the whole meal.

MrsMoastyToasty · 07/11/2026 07:55

The one at Whitchurch, Bristol is appalling.
Food was cold and unappealing.
DH had cause to go to the gents and he came back saying none of the cubicles had a working lock and it was generally dirty (he's not normally a fussy bugger but he wasn't just going for a pee).

ImAnElf · 07/11/2026 08:00

I’d argue It’s always been a bit awful! But in a warm comforting way, like McDonald’s or Greggs. You know what you’re getting there and you know what the bill will look like.
if you go to a pub your paying at least a tenner more per meal, it’s not fine dining and doesn’t pretend to be.

ours went shit for a while got refurbished and it’s back to ok again. We went the other week for £7.

rwalker · 07/11/2026 08:01

Ours used to be good TBF you can’t fault the breakfast
veg like mush luke warm beef terrible quality
turkeys and gammon ok