A National Disgrace (Motorway Services)

Member Name: coffeeman

Product:	Motorway Services
Date:	08/07/02 (621 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none

Disadvantages: expensive , dirty, lousy quality

I drive around 45000 miles per year largely on Britains motorways and in common with most long suffering motorists find myself far too often visiting our ghastly motorway service areas.

Last year we took a motoring holiday to Italy, driving through france Germany and Switzerland on the way, and the experience brought into sharp focus just how wretched our services really are in the UK.

Having driven from our ferry for around an hour we had our first stop in France. we sat in an air conditioned self service retsurant, so clean you could have eaten off the floor! and we had a couple of brilliant entrecotes, cooked rare and washed down with a glass of wine and accompanied by a crisp fresh salad and followed by a bowl of fresh fruit. Cost; £11.00 €18.oo in todays money. Amazing! We were also travelling with a 6 month old baby and the facilities were clean and well equipped with sterilisers heaters micros.. basically everything you could need. We had several more stops in France and Germnany and also in Switzerland where we encountered the same high standards. In Italy we had a long drive to endure and as a result we made several stops from the Alps to Ancona |(around 300 miles) and without doubt the Italian services were the best I have ever encountered, (especially the auto grill chain). Not only were they clean and well staffed, but the sheer array of fresh meals on offer was incredible and the quality was better than you will find in any British restaurant, never mind motorway service station. Everything is cooked to order using excellent quality ingredients and the surroundings are clean and tidy. (not a burger wrapper or stinking dusbin of old fries in sight) The baby facilities were even better than in France.

On our return to the UK we stopped at the Reading service area on the M4 (now called MOTO) and the experience was horrendous, and in a srange way rather embarrasing. We purchased two teas two sandwiches and a couple of pas
trys which tasted like they had been made in 1922. the tea was served in a filthy pot with an ill fitting lid and the cups were stained and cracked. The tray actually stank presumably from being wiped with a dirty cloth. The sanwiches were inedible, the centre of one of them was frozen solid. The whole area was a mess the stench of frying was totally overpowering and there was litter from burger king and bits of old food everywhere. We looked at the sad little tray of pre packed garbage floating in a lake of foul tasting tea on a stained stinky tray and fished the receipt out from underneath. £18.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is it any wonder that the europeans fall about laughing when they talk about their experiences of British catering? Unfortunately my experience is the same up and down the country, overpriced filthy and in some cases insanitary. I dont think Egon Ronay would have much of a career if he were in continental Europe.

Summary: