With reference to Charles D's review of The Horse with the Red Umbrella. It would appear from your review that you are convinced that I have written my review as an interested party; that is, as an owner? I would like to make it clear that I have only ever been a customer over the many years that I have eaten there. I have never worked in the catering industry in ANY capacity. I do not even know the name/s of the owner/s of THWTRU. Therefore your reference to my 'gushing' is presumptive-I simply wrote my review according to how I experienced it. I do not even live in Dorchester (as plainly stated in my review) and in fact live totally on the other side of Dorset. Please feel free to read my other reviews and from them you will clearly see that I-as a born and bred Dorset resident-do not enjoy 'pretension' in any form. As it would appear that you are in London, it is more than likely that you will not appreciate the more rural, less pretentious establishment. The fact that you state Cafe Nero or Starbucks as serious alternatives in Dorchester really say it all. It is, of course, your prerogative to dislike any place, as indeed it is mine to enjoy it. But you are wrong to believe that I am in some way financially connected to THWTRU. And yes I WILL still continue to visit THWTRU every time I visit Dorchester and I have no doubt that I will continue to enjoy good food and a charming service from them, as always.

This is the best chippy in the area. It's always freshly cooked and the ingredients are good quality. A hidden gem tucked away, just waiting to give you the best fish and chips you'll have ever had. Just excellent.

We always visit 'The Horse with The Red Umbrella' every time we visit Dorchester. Serving quality and delicious home-cooked food, it's always a pleasure to eat there. Their cakes are amazing! The premises are clean and interestingly decorated...an eclectic mix of items inside the cafe means you're never bored while you're waiting for your food to arrive! The atmosphere is incredibly friendly..you get a real sense that the boss is nice to work for because the banter amongst him and the staff makes it feel very welcoming. Great position too...right in the middle of High West Street makes it perfect for people-watching! Love it there and it never fails to please.

We went into Jacqueline's one lunchtime where our first impression was the over-powering stench of chip fat hanging in the atmosphere. It's an interesting, historical premises but the decor is shabby. Our young waitress seemed sweet and eager to please but during our meal we witnessed her being given a dressing down by the boss-a VERY dirty looking chef. How unprofessional to tell staff off in front of customers. With filthy whites and a generally unkempt appearance, he really put us off our food. Throughout our meal, all we heard was him in the kitchen roaring and slamming dishes around. We received no thanks for our custom when we paid Chef at the till, he was surly and uncommunicative. A sales rep then made the mistake of coming in to see him which prompted Chef to then launch into HIM. Again in front of customers. A polite 'no thank you' would have been more civilised, surely? Chef was so intent on bellowing at the rep, we actually had great difficulty in leaving as the passage to the exit was blocked by Chef almost literally bullying and herding the rep off the premises. As for the food? One word-unforgettable. Never again. We will stick with our usual choice in Warminster....Rosies.

We had a meal in Cafe Spice a few days ago. The Turkish owner was very friendly and welcoming. But the most striking thing we noticed on sitting down was how dirty it was under all of the tables. When was the floor last swept or washed? Each table had faux leather placemats which looked really grubby-the ones on our table still had ring marks from other people's drinks on them. The cafe wasn't busy when we went in so a wipe of the table would have been nice. Furthermore, the tables were a tongue-and-groove style and as a result had months of crumbs stuck in the grooves-yuk! The meal we ordered was, however, exceptionally good. We chose macaroni cheese and it was excellent. As was the turkish delight that we took away with us. We would happily go in there again because the food was good. But the owners do need to look carefully at the hygiene aspects because it IS off-putting. And that's a shame when they clearly serve excellent food, have a friendly atmosphere and are in a terrific position right in the middle of Sturminster Newton.

If you are a wealthy incomer, this pretentious cafe/deli will suit you to a tee. If you are a true Dorset local, their over-priced and affected menu in the cafe will turn you off. As for the deli, they claim to want local producers to supply them but when a relative gave them TWO free samples (on two separate occasions) of her LOCALLY-PRODUCED products to try, they did not even have the good manners to get back to her...how short sighted of them-she now supplies Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall instead, which has led to far greater contacts and business for her! If you are looking for French or Italian produce, Turnbulls has got it. If you are a true Dorset supplier without London connections, try Hugh F-W.

We eat here once a week and have never been disappointed. The food is always beautifully cooked and the staff are helpful and friendly. Their Sunday night buffet is good quality at a brilliant price. We love this restaurant.

I was expecting great things with this pub as we had heard it had a great reputation. We went there for our anniversary meal in August 2008 but it was one of the worst meals we have ever had. The condiments set on the table was greasy, the woman at the next table was having a fight with her overcooked fish and after seeing a delivery of ready made meals, we realised that their claim of 'home cooked meals' was a lie-it's microwaves all the way. Overpriced and not worth the bother.

Full of chavs and hard core drinkers, this was an awful place to eat. Bad attitude landlady. Awful.