Carveries are the work of the devil

[Soontobe60]

DH and I decided to go to a Carvery after looking after the grandchildren,Daren earlier this evening. It’s on the way home and meant we wouldn’t get stuck in commuter traffic. I’ve not been to one for years!
The one we chose, a Toby carvery, is just next to the motorway slip road. There were about 4 cars on the car park and a couple of tables were occupied; mainly it was empty. We stood waiting for 5 minutes until someone came to see to us, asked us if we had a booking and said that as we hadn’t they couldn’t serve us as they only had enough food for the reservations they already had. It was 5.15 on a Tuesday evening!
When we walked out and sat in the car laughing, we realised we reeked of cooking fat and boiled cabbage 😳. Looking at the building we saw it was basically falling down - I think we had a lucky escape.
there was another Carvery a few 100 yards further on so we went there. No problem getting a table, no horrible smells, all looked nice and well kept. Clean toilets (very important!!). DH ordered a bean burger and chips - he’s veggie and wont touch a carvery - and I went to get my food. It wasn’t great, but wasn’t inedible - soggy veg, mushy roasts and gloopy mash, but tasty meat and gravy.
DHs on the other hand was very much inedible. A stale bun that shattered as he cut through it, a bean burger that seemed to have been stored unwrapped in the freezer for weeks so was rock hard, uncut table and certainly inedible. It was the colour of uncooked pastry! (maybe they had used butter beans). Chips were very undercooked and soggy.
I took the plate back and the staff were very apologetic, refunding the meal instantly. He ended up having cheese on toast for tea. I’m gutted - I was so looking forward to a tasty mid week meal!

What on earth made you visit a carvery? Did you have an urge to eat 1970's food at 2020s prices? And your poor OH who is veggie... How could you?

I'm still traumatised by an awful Toby carvery meal about 3 years ago and have refused to return to any.
I didn't overly favour carveries before this as I hate queuing for food but, like OP we wanted a quick easy meal one night. I didn't realise it was possible to make vegetables taste of nothing.

You forgot the bit about half of them not even liking Chinese.

I don’t care enough to look in real detail tbh😂🫣 Your previous post said that they wouldn’t be standing there peeling potatoes and they are. That was my point really. I didn’t re-read the article but IIRC I think the reference to “industrial” level was the par-steaming machine they use as it allows them to cook potatoes quickly.

It’s meat with potatoes and plenty of veg available, all made freshly in-house. If you’re looking to eat a properly clean diet, yes, you’d have to consider oils etc. But for most people, this is near enough to being a healthy option especially if they want something cheap and cheerful. It’s not UPF or heavily processed and you can pile your plate with veg. I think that’s a pretty good deal - especially when it’s cheaper than shite like McDs.

Mind you, my DP doesn’t like a Toby either so you’re not on your own with avoiding the place 😂

My mum was northern and taught me how to make the best gravy

I don't think that I have ever had a carvery that was done well, admittedly I avoid them as much as I can. I they are often barely warm. The veg is over cooked and the meat dried out. Also if I am paying to eat out I don't want to have to queue.

My idea of hell. Even the non carvery dishes are usually poor. Once we went to a Toby and I ordered fish, which was forgotten and when we chased it up it was stone cold.

Visiting a Toby carvery by a motorway slip road sounds like it was never going to be a great night out!

Love going to a Toby Carvery. We have been at least twice this year so far. At least twice last year. Can't beat it for a huge plate of veg. The meat takes okay. Don't be expecting fine dining but if you're looking to feed a family for a special occasion and to save cooking it's a great choice.

We just book a table online. When we arrive it's usually busy every time.

Crack on and turn your nose up at carveries then. No-one cares. Just means there's more for the rest of us.

And as for the 'no good food exists on the side of motorway' comment, from @ReceiveIt .. All the LOLs. Again, leave it then. Leaves more food for the people who aren't massive judgemental snobs. 😎

I rest my case. Some people are laughably snobby about carveries. Like they think they're too good for them. They're not!

Rude and unecessary
That poster said she didn't like Carveries, she didn't insult you personally

Probably get flamed for saying this but if people ate at carveries rather than the ultra processed crap food at Macdonalds, the nation would be so much healthier ( runs for cover ...)

We don't have a Toby anywhere near us.
Our DD is in Nottingham and we generally go to one there.
It's great. All proper veg, nothing frozen, and brilliant Yorkshire puddings.
I love it

All the Toby’s in my local area serve absolute slop, are filthy and have dirty looking rude staff. Im actually surprised they are still in business.

It sounds very depressing OP

Our local Toby is great but never get the beef as always tough and stringy !

There's quite often a rather erm portly gentleman in the corner having a big plate special.

Bloody love a carvery. We have one near us that calls itself the 'world famous Aga carvery' and it's bloody fabulous. Our closest Toby isn't too bad either, but their breakfasts are better.

I like a carvery so that I can take as much veg as I want. For me the meat is secondary, and I could eat my own bodyweight in cabbage and carrot & swede. When I have plated Sunday lunches out I generally end up feeling hard done by, because there never seems to be enough.

The Devil's Carvery sound like one of those natural landmarks you get in Yorkshire or the Scottish lowlands.

As a professional cook, I would never eat at a carvery. Generic gravy is revolting. 😐

Perhaps the potatoes are done on site but I assume it won’t be by hand. I used to work in a chip shop you’d empty a sack of spuds (25kg) into a peeler and then another machine wiuld chip them then you’d scoop them out to chuck in the fryer. I imagine it’s much the same but with bigger bits!

Just visited one last weekend for the first time in years and it was ok. Nothing special but made a change from cooking.

Nope, it was advertised as £8.99 at this one and the place was empty at 5.30!

I wanted the carvery and the Toby and did cheese and onion pie plus the other carvery gayer.