We went to the Rye Hotel yesterday for lunch. Big mistake. Admittedly we wanted to go to the Herne but that was already booked up last Monday - as was The Palmerston - so The Rye it was. We'd been to TRH a few times before - about 12-18 months ago - and it was really good. Great pies, steaks, roast hams, lamb shanks, all that stuff. But none of that was available yesterday. The badness breakdown goes like this: 1. Brilliantly sunny Sunday. Garden closed. 2. Stuck in horrible tent out the back. 3. House wine "rough as a badger's tongue". 4. One roast on - chicken, the least adventurous roast imaginable - which actually meant one pre-cooked leg (thanks!), cold, pre-frozen "roast" potatoes, a half-burnt, half raw Yorkshire pudding and some greasy fried veg. 5. That'll be ?10.25 please... On the plus side - the three under threes all enjoyed their fish goujons and chips - so the deep-fryer's on form at least. Went to pay, four adults, a couple of pints, a bottle of cheap white, three little ones (no starters, no puds). Nearly a hundred quid. Escaped to Petitout immediately afterwards - which was, as ever, fantastic. But do yourself a favour and avoid The Rye Hotel on Sunday lunchtime.