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!

A bean burger at a carvery. I would expect something from the freezer. That’s what most places would serve up, I’d reckon.

Probably 😂

Because he knew I wanted one, that they did veggie options and he was happy to accompany me. Sadly, I’ll never be able to persuade him to go to another!

Trust me, it did 😂

I love a Toby Carvery. You don't go for the world class cuisine. You go for the unlimited refills, and to pile your plate with 10+ roasties, mounds of stuffing, Toby gravy, and random sides you never have at home like the pasta. Then you roll out feeling like you never want to eat again. They also often do the £6 carvery offer, and no one can really deny that's a bargain. I personally always feel you get plenty of meat.

Also all the people with 'a huge plate of veg' 😭 where are my carb girlies and the token spoon of peas at? 😂

I hate carveries, especially when you have young children to try and get food for as well as yourself!

Eh? So many daft assumptions there. We laughed because I’d had to persuade DH to go, he said he thought it’d be rubbish, the place was empty and they still couldn’t serve us because as the waitress said ‘we’ve only got enough food for the tables who’ve booked’ like it was some kind of fancy tasting menu restaurant that limits its customer numbers. We laughed because when we looked at the building whilst sitting in the car wondering were the rancid fat smell was coming from we realised just how dilapidated it was, we laughed because we were starving and considered the drive through Greggs over the road as an option. We don’t do Facebook so I’ve no idea what the other things are that you mentioned, but I can guess by your tone that it’s not a complement 😂. And now I’m laughing at your assumptions!

True!

😂😂😂 that’d be weird siblings of each sex being called the same name 😂

Veggies boiled for 6 hours like mother used toake.

I’ll eat pretty much anything but DH is a bloody fussy vegetarian who doesn’t like eating out anyway. We usually go to Rudy’s for pizza when we eat out as he loves it there. I craved Sunday lunch on a Tuesday evening and he was happy to oblige. (tThere were veggie options)

Unless it’s a French aire🇫🇷

True fact!

These carveries are literally opposite each other on the motorway junction between my house and DDs so it was very convenient. The first one was ‘full’ (of empty tables) so we went next door. Had they been unable to serve us the next option at the other side of the roundabout would have been Costas, Greggs or Burgerking.

I love them. You were unlucky. I know it’s not the best roast you’ll ever have but I enjoy them. The bean burger you can’t count as being a bad carvery as that was just something from the menu. Can’t imagine any bean burgers being nice tbh

@BatchCookBabe
YABVU, many carveries are great, and I find it odd that you stunk of boiled cabbage and cooking fat after a few minutes of standing in the Toby Carvery. I have never stunk of anything, after being in ANY of the eateries I have ever been in - ever, in my life
We found it odd too. But think about it - it’s a room where food is kept hot for upwards of 8 hours a day under heat lamps, that food will have an odour as all hot food does, the veg included cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower which are particularly pungent. I’ve no doubt that if the extractor fans were as dilapidated as the rest of the building all those delicious aromas would cling to the very fabric of the walls and ceiling - plus any unsuspecting customer who happened to find their way in!

So when you go to a restaurant with someone do you all eat the same thing?

I’m immune suppressed so carveries buffets etc are off the menu, but my DP had food poisoning from a Toby Carvery.

But at the end of the day if you eat at one you’re eating food which has been sat out for God knows how long, so it’s never going to be quality.

If you left a cut-up roast out on your kitchen table for an hour that wouldn’t either.

Roast dinner is meant to be eaten hot, and fresh. And carveries are neither of those things.

He’ll do anything for me 😂😂😂 (in my dreams)

Why?

Love a Toby Carvery 😃

I wouldn't go to a steak restaurant with someone who dislikes steak, or an Indian restaurant with someone who hates curry, or a carvery with someone who despise carveries.

Me neither - but you’ve got to give the veggies something to stave off the hunger pangs I guess

Haha yes, bean burger or stuffed peppers normally 🤣

Fortunately, carvery restaurants always serve other food that isn’t ‘carvery’. I hate tea, but love Afternoon Tea!