Review:
The National Trust is one of the few remaining British institutions that values and invests in quality. Its publicity , its cleverly designed range of paints, its garden and house signage, its plant tags, and even its staff, all are of the highest quality. The National Trust is an essay in superb brand strategy, attention to detail, high quality , and customer targeting. Until you get to its restaurants. Take Nymans Garden in Sussex, former home of Lord Snowdon’s lot. It’s no different to other National Trust properties in that its restaurant is a complete let down. It is staffed not by polite oldies but by idle nose-pickers who look about as interested in customers as a pig is in philosophy. The food is expensive and it’s conveyor-belt style. When I went to the Pavilion restaurant at Nymans, the floor was covered in food debris and dirty napkins, while four staff leant against the counter chatting. The tables are plasticoid and everything has that throw-away feel. And it’s a case of get them in and out prontissimo. Incidentally, guess how far the National Trust’s racial equality policy goes. That’s right, the only black face I saw was in the kitchen. Now, I don’t know for sure but I would guess that some franchisee is operating the National Trust’s eateries. They are rotten – one place in Sussex has birds jumping and shitting on the tables (that’s the feathered variety , of course). Pull your finger out National Trust. REJECTED. PERRY STALSIS 2002.