William Withering, Wellington

goes on a mission to find the loos at a revamped hotel in Wellington.

I have never started a review by talking about a pub's toilets – but there's always a first time. Not the most appetising way to start an article about food, you may think, but necessary nonetheless. Well, on this occasion, anyway.

The latest addition to the Wetherspoons' chain in Wellington, known as the William Withering, is shiny enough. Indeed, the decor is faultlessly clean, as you would expect from any newly-built pub.

So why the focus on the toilets? Come with me on my journey.

The building itself is roughly 30 yards in length, meaning people sitting near the doors already have a lengthy walk to the rear. Once they have reached the toilets sign, they have to turn right, walk another ten (or so) yards down a corridor, turn left, walk another five yards, turn left again, walk up a flight of incredibly steep stairs. If you ever visit the William Withering, take a breath at this point – I certainly did – and consider how this flight of stairs will look on a busy Saturday evening.

Fortunately, there are disabled toilets downstairs. I should say at this point that the stairs, despite being totally enclosed, are covered by CCTV cameras. But I would forgive anyone for not feeling safe on them.

Anyway, back to my journey. Once people have reached the top of the stairs, they have a couple more yards until they reach the toilets. This may not seem like a long way to walk, but in total, I must have walked nearly 60 yards to get to the toilets, with a bewildering number of turns and heavy doors on the way.

I am relatively healthy and able to walk that distance, but to anyone who isn't, it would prove to be a major trek.

So, rant over. What about the food? I must point out that the staff who served our food were faultlessly efficient and polite. The people taking food orders, for example, were keen to get Louis involved in the ordering process and seemed happy to make our visit as enjoyable as possible.

It is just a shame I couldn't say the same about our food. I ordered the 10oz ribeye steak, while Claire had the roast beef dinner. Louis, meanwhile, had chicken nuggets. Again. Our food arrived quickly enough and although my steak was cooked just as I had asked, it wasn't exactly bursting with flavour. And there were streaks of fat running along all the edges.

Claire's roast beef was also a bit of a letdown. We counted three roast potatoes, one Yorkshire pudding, some cold broccoli and two pieces of grey, fatty meat. In fact, so small was Claire's roast dinner that Louis' chicken nuggets meal – a childsized portion – was actually the larger serving.

The roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding were lovely, while the meat, being grey and fatty, tells its own story. Bearing in mind this was a £5.99 meal, we both expected a bit more. The irony is that Louis's chicken nuggets meal looked the most appetising of all.

Like I said a few sentences ago, the decor and overall cleanliness at the William Withering cannot be faulted. One of the most noteworthy features is the large "portrait" on the right-hand wall near the doors. If you decide to visit, just wait a few moments and you may be in for a surprise. I'll say no more than that.

And the staff were delightful. The desserts were, perhaps, something of a saving grace. I decided to play safe and have the chocolate fudge cake with ice cream. The cake was moist, warm and very tasty.

The same could be said of Claire's vanilla cheesecake with strawberry and blueberry compote. The base was crunchy, but not too dry, while the topping was perfect.

Overall, our visit cost just under £35, which was about average in terms of value. But when you factor in the quality of our main meals, along with that mammoth trek to the toilets, I cannot see any further than two stars, however it really is bordering on three stars, bearing in mind it has just opened. Despite the faultless efforts of the staff.

ADDRESS

The William Withering, 43-45 New Street, Wellington TF1 1LU

Tel: 01952 642800

Web: www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-william-withering

MENU SAMPLE

Organic tomato and basil soup £2.99; Smoked haddock and mozzarella fishcake £2.49

MAINS

Hand-battered fish and chips £5.99; British beef and Abbots Ale pie £7.79; Bramley apple, pear and raspberry crumble £3.30; Belgian waffle and ice cream £2.30

ATMOSPHERE

Nice and jolly, with everyone feeling welcome, despite the wide mix of clientele

SERVICE

Cannot be faulted and certainly the high point. Staff very well trained.

DISABLED FACILITIES

There are disabled toilets on the ground floor