Thyme Chef

We write this review with sadness and regret. We have tried to resolve a complaint with Folly Farm/Thyme Chef directly however we dont feel the responses alleviate our concerns that the experience will not be repeated. Folly Farm/Thyme Chef confirmed they are not able to provide any further response so this really is a last resort. The service provided wasnt consistent throughout the drinks reception; our guest had to serve when staff were nowhere to be seen. We have since been told that 4 members of staff were available however this was not our experience. We do have photos of the maid of honour serving drinks. Once we sat down for our meal, it took nearly 1 hour to get the drinks to our guests. We/they couldnt even go to the bar as it wasnt staffed. We asked repeatedly for this to be corrected & felt dismissed. After we raised our complaint, Folly Farm/Thyme Chef told us that 10 bottles of wine were provided with compliments (120). We were not drinking wine, nor were a lot of the effected guests. We were only issued the invoice for the catering on Thursday afternoon prior to our Saturday wedding. We did not make the time prior to paying the invoice to review the invoice thoroughly prior to paying. Having since taken the time to calculate the errors, we overpaid by 140.10. We highlighted this to Folly Farm/Thyme Chef and have not been offered a refund. The food served at our wedding wasnt the same as what we were served at our tasting and well below the standard had been led to expect. This was exacerbated by a spider being served in a meal brought to our table. This was highlighted to the staff immediately. The day after the wedding we saw the state of the area where food was prepared (leaves & spiders webs etc) and we darent think what other guests may have been served. We made it clear to Folly Farm/Thyme Chef when first looking at the venue & throughout the booking/planning process that a guest had an autoimmune disease (Coeliac, triggered by gluten). All the choices we made for food were aimed to keep her safe. The only food item that contained gluten on our entire menu was the vegan option for the evening. Folly Farm/Thyme Chef suggested these were served in separate boxes to avoid cross contamination, we confirmed this action was required in writing. This was not done, precautions were not taken and had cross contamination not been seen by guests, her immune system would be compromised. Had she have eaten the evening meal it would have short term consequences (vomiting, fatigue etc.) and could have grave long-term consequences (e.g. infertility & osteoporosis). We went to a lot of effort to ensure all of our guests dietary requirements were catered for. In the evening, many of our guests were incorrectly told their dietary requirements could not be met & were left without anything to eat. Far from ideal in such a remote location where alternative food could not be sourced. Additionally, some of the evening food we had ordered/paid for wasnt available or was not served. No labels were shown with the food & the person serving the food had little knowledge of what was being served. We had pies so guests could not make an informed guess as to what the contents were. After our complaint, we were told staff were not happy in their working environment on our wedding day. Weve apologised for this & would have welcomed the opportunity to address this on the day. Our frustration, exasperation & disappointment escalated as the day went from bad to worse. There was very little by recognition of the issues on the day. Thyme Chef offered 250 as a resolution. We found this insulting & insensitive as it does not come close to compensating for the errors, significant health & safety risks our guests were exposed to & the upset they caused on the most important day of our lives. Weve communicated this to Folly Farm/Thyme Chef however they have written to us that they are not able to provide any further response.
Feb 5th, 2021

Jan 5th, 2022

We all had such a fantastic evening, the food was so wonderful and the service was absolutely lovely. A real special addition to our hen do weekend! 100% recommend!!
Oct 5th, 2017

Amazing! Clare made us feel really relaxed and reassured about our wedding day right from the outset and the team over the weekend itself were so hard working, we couldn't believe the hours they put in. The service we received was personal and full of kind and thoughtful touches and everybody raved about the food. I would not hesitate to recommend Thyme Chef for any important event, you can definitely trust them to get it right. Clare, Andrea & Tony and Co., thank you so much for all that you did for us xx
Jun 11th, 2017