The Lock Wilkins Tea Room - Maldon

My Ploughmans Lunch consisted of 1, oblong piece of compressed turkey breast. 1, piece of compressed ham. 1, piece of unripe brie (4cm X 2cm. 1, piece of cheddar cheese, 4, cocktail onions. 1, Roll. ..... Salad, 2 slabs of 2 cm thick cheap tasteless tomato. A few chunks of cucumber. Lettuce. Tiptree Onion Relish (which was the best part of the effort . Cost £12.95. They even charged me an extra 50p for French Dressing (on a tiny dish, in case I took too much from the bottle ?? Usually its free with condiments from any restaurant that I frequent. Everything was edible, but the quality of this lunch, for a company that holds The Royal Warrant, was appalling. I accept that its a nice venue and so they don`t have to try too hard and its well frequented, but come on Tiptree, cherry tomatoes and mixed leaf salad are as cheap as chips at Tesco`s, as is Turkey and Ham off the bone, as I said all was edible (just I just expected better, I don`t eat like this at home, I should not have to eat like this if I am a paying customer. Also the waiting staff seemed to talk so condescendingly to the diners, as if they are either deaf or geriatrics, I half expected to be asked if my incontinence pad needed changing ! ! Come on Tiptree, you have a reputation for quality food, which is enjoyed by those who demand and accept only the best, this place is letting you down, I assume its down to restaurant management, turning a fast buck.

Firstly, it took us at least 10 minutes to be acknowledged by a member of staff to be sat down. At least two tables were available but had dirty plates that had not been cleared. We had to ask for our order to be taken (which was a further 20 minutes), and we were not informed until this point that food orders were now to take an hour! We’d already invested approx 30 minutes so agreed to all stay. We should have left then. Our drinks took a further 20 minutes to arrive and arrived on a filthy dirty tray with jam smeared and coffee spilt. Unhygienic to say the least! Other tables around us were complaining for waiting too long for food, waiting too long to pay the bill and waiting too long for orders to be taken. Plenty of people were walking away for the bad experience. Management was no where to be seen and was clearly struggling with the workload, we clearly were not the only ones to have an awful experience. Disappointed with the Tiptree Jam brand and I hope staff/management gets evaluated.

This is a beautiful spot to enjoy a cup of tea after a stroll along the Blackwater estuary, whether it's raining or sunny. The staff here are friendly and provide quick service. While it may not be the most budget-friendly option, the prices are reasonable and the stunning views make it worth it.

I visited this seafront cafe today with my family after a nice walk around the bay. We had a superb lunch and I can't fault it. The food was excellent, the service was great, and the location was lovely. I highly recommend this place.

Today, I visited Heybridge and parked in the free car park before walking along the towpath for about 5 minutes to reach the restaurant. There was a short wait for an outdoor table, but once seated, the waitress quickly took our order and our drinks arrived within 5 minutes. Our lunch followed shortly after - my wife had the quiche salad and I had the sausage baguette, both of which were delicious. However, the only downside was that it was a hot day at 28 degrees and only 2 big umbrellas were covering 3 tables, leaving the rest of the tables exposed to the sun. Despite this, the meal and drinks were reasonably priced.