The Windhover

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,218 reviews

#2 of 2 Restaurants in Chapel Brampton$$ - $$$, British, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options

+44 1604 847859+ Add website

Hours

Sun

11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Mon

11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Tue

11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Wed

11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Thu

11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Fri

11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Sat

11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

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Ratings and reviews

3.5

1,218 reviews

#2 of 2 Restaurants in Chapel Brampton

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

British

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours, Drinks

features

Location and contact

Brampton Lane, Chapel Brampton, Northampton NN6 8AA England

+44 1604 847859

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"Mini chorizo sausages"

"Mixed olives"

"Stone-baked garlic flatbread"

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About

The Windhover in Chapel Brampton is a country pub & restaurant oozing rural charm and rustic character. Our picturesque surroundings provide the perfect backdrop for savouring the hearty, seasonal pub-food on our menu, and the carefully nurtured cask ales and fine wines gracing our bar. Open in Chapel Brampton, stunning rural location. If you fancy a quick bite to eat whilst on your walk through to Northampton, we serve a great lunch time menu. If you want that special occasion, then book with us and we'll help you do that in style. Open 7 days a week, serving meals until 10pm Monday to Saturday and a home cooked roast every Sunday 12pm until 9:30pm.

CUISINES

British

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours, Drinks

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Buffet, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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3.5

1,218 reviews

Excellent

382

Very good

271

Average

203

Poor

207

Terrible

155

Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

ShazmeisterP

Rothwell1227 contributions

Great buffet

Mar 2020 • business

It's been a few years since I've been to The Windhover as no longer live in the Northampton area. I recently came here with a few colleagues as part of an organised catch-up with our senior boss who had travelled up from Wiltshire. We had a buffet-style lunch. The group of c.10 consisted of a vegetarian, as well as two vegans, and all palates were catered for. Food was fresh, hot and tasty and it was an overwhelming thumbs up from everyone - I even tried the vegan jackfruit wrap and was pleasantly surprised (and that's coming from a massive carnivore!). No idea how much it cost, as didn't see the bill, but certainly can't fault the food. Staff, especially at the bar, were very friendly too. Based on this lunch time experience, I'll be back!

Written March 5, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GeneralManagerAA

Thank you so much for this lovely review, glad you liked the wrap (I also enjoy the jackfruit wrap (also a carnivore)) Hope to see you again soon.

Written March 7, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

gavin

Market Harborough104 contributions

Very long wait

Jul 2022 • none

Only about six tables taken when we arrived for an early lunch so felt that there would not be a long wait for food as happened on our previous visit. We ordered bread and olive oil for starters in order to give them time to cook the mains but it took twenty minutes for this to arrive. It was another 40 minutes before the main courses arrived, and most annoyingly at no point did anyone approach us to explain the delay or better still apologise for it. Presumably this is the new normal at the Windhover and they have lost my custom entirely due to their lack of empathy for their customers.

Written July 22, 2022

Nigel W

Long Buckby27 contributions

Lunch Treat

Sep 2020 • family

Visited the Windhover with my wife and grandchildren. It was a treat for the granddaughter before her return to sixth form. First impression was it seemed to lack any atmosphere and a little drab. The menu was greatly reduced to previous visits, but enough to choose from. The food was served in reasonable time, but was disappointing. Covid practices were reasonable and service was fine. On receiving the bill, the first thing I noticed that a 330ml of IPA was £5, which seemed extortionate. We had received a 50% off voucher for mains and my granddaughter commented that the bill seemed steep. On checking only two of the meals had the 50% off applied. This was corrected when raised, but should have been noticed by staff. Not a lot to recommend a return visit in the near future.

Written September 5, 2020

GeneralManagerAA

Hi Nigel, Thank you for taking the time to leave your review, we appreciate all feedback. The pub was due a refurbishment just as the pandemic hit, this has of course been pushed back and will likely happen in the future as things become more stable. I'm glad you feel the menus still have plenty of choice, the reduced menus certainly help the team and mean we can focus on other Covid-19 measures as you mentioned. Of course I note your comments around the price of the IPA, I can pass your thoughts along to head office for you. I remember your voucher not working on the specials menu items you ordered, I apologise for not noticing myself, the wonders of technology sometimes mean we place too much trust in these automated processes! I hope the fact we sorted it straight away and logged a call with IT to help correct it for anyone else goes someway to making it up to you. As I said at the start, we value all feedback, If there is anything you feel you would like to discuss in more detail please contact us at windhovernorthampton@vintageinn.co.uk. Many thanks, Ed Nice General Manager

Written September 16, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

jennywren1986

London5 contributions

Basic and very overpriced

Jan 2020 • friends

I had a beautifully described salad. However, it was tasteless, dull and very overpriced. Lamb koftas I paid extra for on top of the salad were clearly pre bought mush with a crust and had a weird texture. Reminded me of my cat's treats. It was nearly £14 for my meal and was tiny. My friend's vegetables were rock hard and the sauce on her meal was very odd. I also came across a lump of kind of burnt cheese or burnt something in my salad clearly from another dish or the kitchen somewhere. Second time we gave this place a chance after a rubbish meal a year or so ago but nothing has changed. We were also told we had to go after we had finished as they needed our table.... Overpriced, underwhelming. Go somewhere else.

Written January 25, 2020

GeneralManagerAA

Hi JennyWren, I am so sorry to hear of this, the salad is one of my favorite dishes and on this occasion by the sounds of it, it was not served correctly and this is something I will take up with my chefs directly. Please accept my apologies and hope that you do decide in the future to come back again and give us another go.

Written January 28, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

cherryade13

206 contributions

Food not up to scratch or temperature.

Dec 2020 • none

The only thing that was hot was the chips. Plates were cold, fish was cold. Starters seemed very similar than before, the pate seemed a little small. Mushrooms were tasty just needs a little lift with presentation I think and to be as explained on the menu.. Wagu burger wasn't juicy-I guess this is not everyone's taste. Cheese board was missing from the menu, one of the parfait's were missing and no rump steak! They were ok, but a choice of sauces would be better. I love seasonal veg, but everything shouldn't come with only brussels. I don't think steak should come with brussels. Brussels didn't seem fresh anyhow, so that's just not nice as for the glaze which had been forgotten. The size of the Christmas pudding was for an elf, not worth £6.50 The best thing about our night that the tables we well placed for socially distancing. We wanted to support our local pubs during this time, but this nice looking pub doesn't serve nice food that is value for money-shame.

Written December 6, 2020

General Manager A

I'm very sorry your experience wasn't up to expectation. There's certainly some feedback there for us to work on. If you would like to discuss your experience further, please contact the pub at windhovernorthampton@vintageinn.co.uk Kind regards, Ed - General Manager

Written December 10, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

cdcdcd

43 contributions

Worst Xmas food ever

Dec 2020 • family

We visited the pub on Xmas day, knowing that Xmas day food is overpriced and average, but wanting to eat out after such a hard year and not have to shop in supermarkets. This was the WORST food I’ve ever tasted and the service was incredibly slow. None of the food was homemade, all frozen veg, roast potatoes and Yorkshire and the gravy was lumpy and powdery. The ‘Eton mess’ was shop bought meringue and random fruits which were under ripe and sour. There was no atmosphere in the pub and the whole experience was thoroughly depressing.

Written December 25, 2020

P8807AQlindam

4 contributions

Not worth the prices

Sep 2020 • none

I had the fish cakes which I enjoyed. Not so much the new potatoes and broccoli, which I did not eat. I asked if they had been through the microwave, as the potatoes were shrunk and wrinkled and the broccoli was slightly mushy and stone cold. The staff were non committal and did not come back with any answers, so we just paid the bill and left, never to return. My partner had hunters chicken and that only came with chips or potatoes, and no veg. A poor quality meal at £12.95 each plus drinks, and as someone who is retired from the trade, would not recommend to anyone. It was a Thursday lunchtime, and not particularly busy, so no excuses.

Written September 3, 2020

GeneralManagerAA

Hi there, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I am pleased to read you enjoyed the fishcakes however it is disappointing that not all aspects of your visit exceeded your expectations. I would like to discuss your visit further to ensure this does not happen again. If you wish, please email myself at windhovernorthampton@vintageinn.co.uk and we can arrange a time for a call. Kind regards Ed General Manager

Written September 5, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Arti

Northampton30 contributions

Everything was poor - I wouldn’t bother

Mar 2022 • couples

We’ve driven past this pub many times, so today we decided to go in. It looks lovely from the outside, it’s such a shame that the customer service is poor, they took ages to just serve drinks. When the meals arrived after we prompted them, my pork was over cooked and my boyfriends steak was mainly fat - it certainly wasn’t worth it for the price paid. As they failed in all three areas; food, customer service and price, we won’t be going there again.

Written March 19, 2022

General Manager A

We are really sorry to hear you had a bad experience, we would like to reassure you that all of your feedback will be pass to our team. We would like to apologize again and we hope you give us a chance to make this right.

Written April 7, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

MissMarple'sDog

Northampton9 contributions

Kitchen Disaster.

Dec 2021 • none

This was supposed to be a special event to celebrate a birthday. What happened was farcical. The food took a considerable time to arrive, could accept that if restaurant was full. But not in this case, only one or two tables in use. The starters came and none were up to expectations, bread that was so slightly toasted that it has no colour, soup that must have been microwaved in a nuclear reactor, and the other dishes were missing items. The main course was a further disaster. Two dishes turned up with less than half the trimmings, there then was a twenty minute wait for the next two dishes, one being a steak meal that deserves a page of comments on it's own - not seared, cold steak; cold hard triple cooked chips and the highlight of roasted garlic (which was the top cut off a whole bulb of garlic, dropped on the hotplate and served raw) We stopped eating at that point and complained. Staff were initially concerned and the manager summoned, apologies were offered. Then we waited another twenty minutes for some resolution. We were not charged for the food, ok expected, but this should not have happened. Food that is not cooked properly can cause diners to be ill. Sorry Windhover after 10 years of our custom we will not be back.

Written December 19, 2021

General Manager A

Dear Guest, I am truly sorry for your experience, we have had a challenging time over Christmas but I wont make excuses. Your experience should have been better. As a business we grow and learn from our mistakes. I hope you give us another chance in the future. Faithfully, Ed Nice General Manager

Written January 9, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

jnismith

Harpenden171 contributions

Pretty poor really

Aug 2022 • solo

I dropped in after a long cycle ride and sat outside. There was a chalkboard asking you to order by phone which I did , ordering a pint and fish and chips. After about ten minutes, my drink hadn’t arrived and I had seen loads of people coming out with drinks. So I went in and saw my drink on the counter and took it outside. My fish and chips took about 35 mins from ordering and was small, lukewarm and generally pretty horrible. I was in a hurry but didn’t complain but it was all pretty horrible. There was also an unpleasant sewage or fertiliser smell in the garden Staff were friendly though but I wouldn’t go back.

Written August 10, 2022

Marie P

Norton Canes41 contributions

Overpriced, hardly any food available and quality of food not good!

Apr 2022 • couples

Awful and over-priced. Arrived at 6:15pm to be told they had hardly anything available on the menu. Ordered a pork belly and burger. The carrots with the pork belly were far too hard, yorkshire pudding burnt & crackling you could literally bang off the plate, it was that hard. The onion rings which came with my burger was burnt, greasy and tiny! I asked for no bacon, pulled brisket nor cheese sauce on my burger but wanted cheese slice, which they charged £1.00 for!!!!! Ridiculous when i asked for 3items not to be on it!!!! Really would not recommend this pub.

Written April 25, 2022

General Manager A

We sincerely apologize that your visit was not to our standard, this matter will be discuss with the chefs and take actions on the situation. Again we apologize for the poor experience you had.

Written April 27, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Midlandsmum63

Northampton235 contributions

Expectations of refurbishment and new menu not met.

Jun 2022 • couples

We’ve visited The Windhover several times over the years with mixed results. After a couple of poor meals before the pandemic we haven’t been, so were keen to see the refurbishment and new menu. First thing: the ‘new’ menu online is not the same menu we were presented with? The waitress put it down to a computer glitch…and sadly the things we’d decided on weren’t on the new menu. Secondly: I chose the Korean bbq chicken skewer & the slaw & chips side. The chicken didn’t look cooked and was barely warm so I gave it back to the waitress. She was very good about changing it but by the time another skewer was served my husband had finished his meal, and this one didn’t have any bbq sauce! 🙄 The waitress took the meal off our bill. On a positive note the chips and slaw were lovely. Hopefully teething problems… The refurbishment is great.

Written June 4, 2022

General Manager A

Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts. We have had some issues with the chicken skewers and have been working hard on solutions for the way they are prepared. This has now been corrected and I'm confident that you will be pleased with the results. We have also notified our marketing team for the website issues and are hoping these will be corrected shortly. Thanks again for your feedback, I hope you decide to come back soon for the meal you deserve. Kind regards, Ed Nice General Manager

Written June 7, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Matron

7 contributions

Yummy breakfast

Oct 2022 • none

Meeting with a girl friend over a lovey breakfast in warm, comfortable surroundings is always special. Today we went to the Windhover for the first time in ages, it’s been refurbished beautifully, being the first in at 09.30 we got to choose the table next to the real fire 🔥 (crackling logs) the service from Nicola and her staff was polite, efficient and none intrusive (us girls like to chat!) . Then came the small breakfast…….. it was hot, perfectly cooked and great value, know they are trying to promote weekday morning opening but you only need to try it to realise what good value this represents. No lunch needed for me now!

Written October 19, 2022

General Manager A

Thank you for your lovely review - Nicole is a superstar! I will pass all your comments over to the team and we can't wait to welcome you back soon :)

Written October 24, 2022

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Laura R

4 contributions

Very disappointing

Jul 2022 • family

Food was absolutely dreadful. I had a chicken skewer with hummus and pitta - it was smaller than the kids meal my daughter had yet cost £15. My Mum had the lamb skewer and when I pointed out how small the meals were, the waitress said "yeah I know, it's just like 4 little meatballs on a plate". She explained that many people had complained about the new menu but there was nothing they could do about it as head office spec the dishes but they have passed all the comments along. My husbands curry was luke warm and my daughters lasagne had a large clump of burn on the bottom. Giving an extra star as I thought the waitress was very good, she clearly has had to deal with a lot of complaints recently, but she was very nice and professional dealing with us. Won't be going back.

Written July 5, 2022

Chris P

14 contributions

Disappointing

Feb 2022 • friends

We have eaten here many times in the past but were very disappointed with last night's meal. The ladies salads, supposedly main courses, were miniscule and more like starters. The prices have risen considerably but sadly the food quality and portion size have declined. Table service was poor with waitress only appearing when courses were delivered or plates removed. No checks for drink refills etc. This has been one of our "go to" places for eating with friends but sadly not any longer.

Written February 17, 2022

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