Four of us visited the Railway Inn at Shottle three weeks ago. We were all very impressed by the decor. The tables were tastefully set and the service excellent.
There was an extensive choice in the carvery and it was difficult to decide which main dish to choose. I opted for the roast beef which was delicious , as were the great varieties of vegetables. The rest of our group chose different meats and everyone was pleased with their meal. It is possible to have a large or small meal, depending on appetites.
Whatever your choice though, you won't be disappointed.
I highly recommend The Railway at Shottle.
Just as a matter of interest, we were regular visitors there many years ago and it's reputation
was good then. I expect that there have been several owners since those days. Anne Smith

We have just had lunch at The Railway and were thoroughly unimpressed. The Sunday lunch is a carvery with a selection of pies as well as roasts. The pub is large and the place was very busy. The main draw seemed to me to be the size of the servings. We have two small children and the children's portions were as large as adult portions.

However the quality and cooking of the food was poor. The meat was all cooked well done. If you want some thinly sliced rare roast beef you are out of luck, only thick slabs of quite dry over-cooked meat. The roast potatoes were hard, the Yorkshire puddings were greasy and the veg over cooked and kept warm in pots of warm water.

If you like giant portions of old fashioned school lunches this might be for you, but I would have preferred less choice and higher quality food and cooking. Much seemed like it had been cooked well in advance and either reheated or kept warm.

The staff were terrible. The wine was served in dirty glasses. When I complained the waitress went through the wine glasses and rejected two or three before the wine was served in only slightly less filthy glasses. The rejected glasses went back on the shelf for the next, hopefully less fussy, customer rather than being sent for re-washing.

The waiting staff were haphazard and had no obvious system. We were seated by an television tuned to an awful radio station. When we turned it off a waiter turned it on again. When we objected we were told it was 'company policy' to have it on. My wife asked if it was company policy to annoy the customers, apparently it was.

They only do two sittings on Sunday. We opted for the early midday sitting but were not warned when booking that the table would be needed back at 2pm for the next sitting, which would have been polite and may have meant we booked elsewhere. Instead there were laminated notices on the tables telling us to vacate by 2pm. Charming. If you want a leisurely lunch you should look elsewhere.

We were also seated at a table that was far too large for our group meaning we ended up spread out along it.

All in all I got the impression the place was run for the benefit of the staff rather than the customer.

Josef Stalin said that quantity had a quality all of its own. If you agree with him and want huge platefuls of average, over-cooked food The Railway is for you. If you are slightly fussier and would prefer actual quality and service then I would give it a miss.

We won't return.

The quality of mains on the carvery is amazing, piping hot, taste, the veg are outstanding, the place is spotless, the ales and other drinks are very well priced and well kepted, the kids area is very good and its always busy, not many places like this around anymore, well done Carvery Heaven and keep it up........ Regards Jaime

We went on a Sunday. Very busy and 2 members of staff were less than pleasant.We felt we were putting them out,so didn't tip. Other than staff issues food was wonderful and plentiful. The carvery is amazing andworth waiting for. I had scampi and chips,portions were generous and food was lovely. Nice clean pub,shame staff members kept us from rating 5.

Ate here on a Friday lunchtime as a party of six. It was quiet but not empty. The carvery is served all day and I was impressed by the choice, not just the standard meat, veg and gravy, you could have cottage pie, a range of interesting stewed meat dishes, something for everyone. Four of us had the carvery and I can safely say it was the best carvery I've ever had. You are welcome to eat as much as you like but I was slightly disappointed not to be able to manage more than one giant plateful. Two of our party had vegetarian dishes and as promised the staff let us know when they would be ready so we could all eat together. There is a lot of competition in the area so you have to be good and this place certainly is. I imagine it gets very busy at the weekend so you would be wise to book. Nearly forgot, the icing on the cake... the carvery is only £6.45. Bargain at double the price.