Apley Arms

Great value, good food, comfortable seating. This is not an intimate local pub or fine dining experience. It is a formula chain which offers consistently good range of meats and sides. The beer selection was acceptable. The waitstaff was attentive but not over bearing. The price can’t be beat.

we went in february on a week day afternoon, was very quiet, but the service was good and loved the idea of being able to go large on the carvery, especially as i love meat, food all cooked well, so keep it up, we had been previously tho when it was busy and took us half hour just to get a drink and buy our carvery ticket, but food was excellent on both occasions, we shall return but dont know when, its a perfect stop of for us as we often travel to essex from north wales,

found this place by accident whilst visiting family nearby.
Food was fantastic and at such a low price too. Was that good returned the next morning for breakfast.
Staff were very friendly and helpful, and at 10am on a sunday morning the place was packed out.
Would definitely recommend the Apley Arms to anyone. Wish we had one near us.

not to shabby on the price i mean 3.50 for a meal good stuf but the staff are rude the managers who were on duty were appauling the only bright side to my visit (bar the kitchen staff who were amazing) was when i left i wont be going back but if you do go id recomend mon-​fri between 3 and 4 so quiet and the service is much better

I preferred the Apley Arms back in the days when it was a Harvester, I know it changed to something else before it became the carvery restaurant it is now. I have only visited on a Sunday and when we go we like to get there early because it gets full very quickly. I do find the place is a bit scruffy, and it seems to attract quite a few scruffy people too, and I do find it funny to see all the people piling their plates sky high out of greed and then leaving half of it! There is a choice of different meats then you can help yourself to the vegetables and gravy etc.
The last time we went we had to wait ages to get served at the bar, we had to clear our own table, children were screaming and running around, a woman nearly tipped her dinner over me, and a guy was getting stroppy with the barman because he was trying to pay with an expired credit card (as if that was the barman’s fault). It was not very pleasant I don’t think that we will be visiting again for a while, it is not a very pleasant environment for having a meal in.

The Apley Arms used to be part of the chain that owned the Travelodge next door and was a Harvester. Then Harvester got sold to Bass, who then became 6 Continents, who then became M&B.
Then they refreshed the Harvester brand but the Apley Arms didn’t make the cut and it became an unbranded ‘Great Pub Food — which is basically a cut down Toby Carvery. Now the differences between this place and a Toby Carvery is the selection of vegetables, how they are cooked, and the choice of meats.
However when you take into account the price then the Apley Arms is amazing value for money. Choice of meat, with Yorkshire pudding, stuffing ball, and then swede, peas, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, roast potatoes, and boiled potatoes for under 4 quid !
Do yourself a favour, don’t eat for the day, then head out there and enjoy a really good meal in decent surroundings.