Our first visit to the Axe and Compass at Ringstead. Lovely village pub. Great customer service. Saw a live band that was excellent. Thoroughly enjoyable evening. Will definitely return
Called in for dinner. The menu can be described as honest pub fayre. Nothing pretentious or unnecessary. There is a decent choice of starters, mains and desserts. Definitely worth a short detour if you're travelling on the A14. The food is outstandingly good value. Portions are decent and filling.
Where to start. We were booked in at the end of March to go for Sunday lunch. A 70th birthday celebration. Off the bat our table wasn't available despite the booking being made several weeks in advance. We had a 30 minute wait. Then we had to wait over an hour for our dinner to arrive. In a restaurant that has no children's menu and only does Sunday dinner on a Sunday... not very good to be honest. The food... what a meal to forget. From the mustard coloured peas that are clearly tinned, to the over boiled carrots, mash that you could use to cement a brick wall with and beef, well I assume it was beef, I was told it was beef. Beef dryer than Ghandi's flip flops and about as enjoyable to chew on. On a plus note the Yorkshire pudding was almost decent, it was just ruined by a very soggy, doughy bottom. The entire meal was lacking in seasoning, it was all just overcooked bland mush. Sat with 3 hungry children we ordered desert for them (3 servings of ice cream). After 30 minutes of waiting, presumably waiting for the staff to freeze some ice cream, go to Asda to buy some ice cream or being confused that it doesn't come in a can, we cancelled the order. With no apology from the staff, the bill was promptly slapped on the table. After complaining we were greeted by the chef/owner. The owner/chef justified this culinary performance by saying "Even Gordan has an off day". I am pretty sure Gordon Ramsey doesn't over cook everything and remembers the seasoning though. I am honestly baffled how people are awarding this place more than one star. Service was poor throughout from the waiting staff. We were never asked if we wished to order drinks, how the food was or anything. Generally a very poor show. I honestly don't think I have seen food served in a pub this bad since the 90s.
Went for Sunday lunch today and I've got to say I wasn't disappointed. Fantastic roast dinner. Service was great and nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Will definitely be returning. Highly recommended
Lovely menu. Much more of a selection than I was expecting. The steak was cooked to perfection!! I'd highly recommend it
Visited today for Sunday lunch. Had the most delicious roast, very generous portion, piping hot and served by very friendly staff. Congratulations to the chef. We will certainly be visiting again.
Tasty food and great price. Very friendly and helpful chef. Would definitely recommend
Excellent location with lovely atmosphere to spend a relaxing lunch with my Father for my birthday. Staff were very friendly and courteous and the food was absolutely glorious, thank you.
Good drinks, food and service - and since July 2020 new fantastic management! Marco and the team are doing a great job. Well worth a visit.
The Axe and Compass is located at Axe & Compass, 14 Carlow Rd, Ringstead, Kettering NN14 4DW, UK
You can contact The Axe and Compass at +44 1933 557871
You can find directions to The Axe and Compass by following this map link