The accommodation was generally clean and tidy, although the bathroom was over the corridor, but for our exclusive use. That was no problem. However, we found the shower to have hardly any pressure at all and to just 'drip' out. Also, the tv was not easy to operate as it had a set-top-box, but with NO instructions! We do not have or need a set-top box at home and so were not familiar with how to operate it. It took us AGES to get the tv on and when we did the volume kept cutting out, so the film we were watching just had 'clipped' speech. We decided to turn it off. The next morning, it was the same thing with the news! So, we gave up. At breakfast, we were greeted by the propietor, Maxine, but she did not invite us to help ourselves to cereal(which was on a side table). After a little while, we noticed it and realised we should just go and help ourselves. There was no butter, salt and pepper, sauces or jams/marmalades on the table or anywhere to help ourselves to. We had to ask. They were then brought out from the back. Other people also had to ask. One man didn't get his tea and had to go and knock at the kitchen door to ask for it. I had to go and knock and ask for salt and pepper, as did another child. When my husband asked for honey, Maxine just brought honey(from the back) but did not ask what I would like! Both my husband and I were given fried eggs that were burnt and blackened around the edges. However, our main complaint is about the attitude of both Maxine and her husband. After we had paid, we said we just wanted to point out a couple of things(after we had told Maxine that we were happy with the cleanliness of the room etc). We proceeded to tell Maxine that the tv did not work properly and the water pressure in the shower was poor. She immediately got on the defensive and took our observations personally. We were just trying to help them by informing them of these two things that were not 'right'. She had to interrupt us to go and take collection of some strawberries and left us standing waiting for her. She did not come back into the breakfast-room and so we went outside where she was standing talking to her husband and another man and woman. Maxine then informed her husband about the tv and shower and he, in a brusque and curt manner, just tried to dismiss it all. My husband, who is a plumber, persisted in explaining the problem and also told him that it wasn't for our benefit, as were we leaving, but for the benefit of future guests - he pointed out that the British are very bad at speaking up and that a lot of people probably wouldn't say anything but that they would tell other people and therefore reduce busniess for Maxine and her husband(?Tom?) Again, Tom, seemed to get on the defensive and my husband felt he most probably wouldn't do anything to recitfy the problem with the shower or tv! We went to collect our case from the room and then came back to look for someone to give the key to. There was NO-ONE to be found anywhere! The place had been vacated! No staff anywhere! We were extremely surprised as this was only a few seconds later! We also wanted to ask about the cream teas that were advertised - i.e. what time they were served that afternoon and how much they were! There was no-one to ask, so, rather disappointed, we loaded our car and left, leaving the key in the door of our room. As we were leaving the farm and going down the very narrow lane back to the road, we saw a car come from the main road and turn onto the lane. My husband was just about to back up to let the car proceed, when it shot backwards in a frenzied way to wait for us to go forward. When we got alongside it, we saw that it was Maxine - she neither looked at us nor acknowledged us with a wave, let alone a smile. In fact she looked harrassed and cross. Our conclusion was that Maxine and her husband were trying to do TOO much and did not have any time at all to give to us. They were running the B&B, open to the public for lunches/cream teas and they also had self-catering accommodation on site. They both seemed harrassed and stressed, unlike any of the other B&B proprietors we encountered on our wonderful trip to Cornwall. Because of our experience, we would never return to Pengelly Farm and would not recommend it to anyone else. Needless to say, we did not return for cream tea that afternoon, but discovered an Organic Farm, nearby where they served the most delicious cream tea and where we subsequently went back for Sunday lunch! Maxine and Tom missed out on some extra business from us, purely because they were TOO BUSY to speak to us properly. Their attitude was all wrong.
