Name: The Knife And Cleaver
Address: The Grove Houghton Conquest, Bedford, MK45 3LA, GB

8/10

Excellent

11 Jul 2026

Patricia

Lovely building and very comfortable rooms.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jul 2026

Steve

Sue and the staff made both myself and my partner very welcome. This really is a gem and will definitely return

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2026

Kevin

Great value and superb facilities. Food was excellent

Business

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jun 2026

Rebecca

Staff great. Room clean.
Food great.
One slight thing, room decor was lovely except for an unnecessary large TV on wall that half obscured a picture and bathroom window did not close properly.
Nice place to stay though.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2026

Phil

Lovely pub pub with excellent food, very friendly and helpful staff and nice rooms to stay over

Business

2/10

Poor

25 May 2026

Richard

Disappointing.

On arrival to the room, there was a distinct musty smell. Not pleasant and still present after opening the windows.

No WiFi in the room.

Breakfast was almost non existent. For a pub/hotel that promotes its food service and quality, a couple of boxes of cereal and a few miniature pastries was not what was expected or advised. A cooked choice would be expected (and was advertised)

Self

10/10

Exceptional

13 May 2026

Ian

Rooms well equipped and tidy, breakfast choices good

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 May 2026

Colm

Very comfortable stay

8/10

Excellent

04 Apr 2026

Phil

Nice pub with good food and rooms on site for a convenient place to stay over

Business

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2026

Phil

Great pub with good food and with the very convenient accommodation - well worth a stop-over visit

Business

6/10

Pleasant

12 Feb 2026

Amanda

Bathroom was very dirty, room dusty and needed some tlc. Bed linen was clean. In guest information book it says kitchen open 12-9 however when I asked for a snack at 3pm it was closed until 5pm.
On a plus the dinner was excellent.

Self

4/10

Poor

16 Jan 2026

Helen

Food was good and homemade. But rooms need much investment. Mattress you could feel the springs. Pillows lumpy. Kettle lid broken. Shelf in bathroom broken. Blind broken. Tv had electrical fault and kept coming on during the night.

Business

8/10

Excellent

22 Dec 2025

Laura

Staff were lovely and the food was great only down side was the room our bed seemed broken and dipped on one side so I woke up with a sore back.
but other than that it was a lovely stay and I would stay again but I would go to a different room.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Dec 2025

mike

Had a great stay! Superb room down the garden, staff, food, drink and god parking!

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

14 Dec 2025

Jason

Lovely staff and room was good!

8/10

Excellent

16 Nov 2025

Elizabeth

Staff welcoming. Breakfast excellent.
Great ambience. Handy location with parking.

Twin room was on the small side, shower room needs tlc., i.e. tiles on floor need regrouting and securing. Surround of shower doors could do with some attention.

Overall a pleasant three nights.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Oct 2025

Susan

I would stay there again

10/10

Exceptional

15 Oct 2025

Martin

Greeted by very friendly staff who then showed me to my room, drink selection good but I didn't eat there so can't judge that, I will say there is a broken window in the room but it doesn't affect noise or sleep and there was two pieces of broken glass on the table, but it's a lovely place 100% would stay there again

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Oct 2025

Joanne

Quiet room, food for both dinner and breakfast top notch. Service great.

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

24 Sep 2025

Ian

Could be improved

The bedroom was ok, but the room needed redecoration. The shower was low in pressure and just a shower curtain.
The water was very very hot and would be dangerous for young children. Broken glass was found in the night under the bed and hurt my foot.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2025

Dave

Fantastic host
Great food
Great location
Friendly, quiet and safe

Business

6/10

Pleasant

01 Sep 2025

Beverley

Food was very good,staff that were there did very well they need a good housekeeper and cleaners. Seemed to be very popular

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Aug 2025

Verified traveler

Overnight Stay

Outstanding hotel. Staff very welcoming and room was excellent. Breakfast was wonderful.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Aug 2025

Alan

The shower had some remedial work to the tiles and had mastic smeared along the joints, black mould had started to accumulate
The staff especially Acer and Gavin were exceptional, nothing was too much, they are a credit to your team

4/10

Poor

11 Jul 2025

Douglas

Not a happy tummy after eating not gluten free foo

The pub itself was nice and the rooms were adequate for our needs.
Unfortunately it seemed that the kitchen staff don’t know the difference between gluten free food and non gluten free food, the item in question was a roll for breakfast. It looked a lot like a brioche roll and tasted too nice for GF lol.
I did email the place to explain my wife’s discomfort with the food and have not had a reply hence this not so good review.
I will repeat myself from my email and hope the people in the kitchen get to hear how they basically poisoned my wife, causing her great discomfort and vomiting on our journey home. This was one week ago and she is still suffering

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jul 2025

STEVEN

Lovely property and location, staff were excellent.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jul 2025

Phil

Great country pub with good food and in a lovely rural location

Business

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jun 2025

Phil

Lovely pub in a great location, especially in the summer as they have an excellent outside seating area

Business

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jun 2025

Phil

Lovely pub in a great location, especially in the summer as they have an excellent outside seating area

Business

10/10

Exceptional

22 May 2025

Phil

Fantastic pub in a lovely village location with great food and friendly staff

Business

10/10

Exceptional

22 May 2025

Phil

Fantastic pub in a great location with excellent food and friendly staff

Business

10/10

Exceptional

18 May 2025

Phil

Excellent to stay with great food and a friendly service

Business

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2025

Phil

always a friendly welcome and nothing is ever too much trouble - it's a great place to stay

Business

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2025

Phil

always a friendly welcome and nothing is ever too much trouble - it's a great place to stay

Business

6/10

Pleasant

17 Apr 2025

Orla

Not great, wouldn't stay again. The bed was extremely uncomfortable, church bells rang all evening into the night which was not advertised. The room had a really strong smell of washing detergent which was off putting and somehow made the room feel unclean.

Business

8/10

Excellent

06 Apr 2025

K

Lovely but noisy

The room was great, but the church bell rang every 25 minutes all through the night. I barely slept. It was every annoying.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2025

Phil

Excellent hotel in a great village location and with a very good menu

Business

4/10

Poor

06 Mar 2025

Bruce

Really disappointing

Room a little tired with a rather uncomfortable bed. Lots of strange knick-knacks eg a ceramic horse’s head, 2 old trunks acting as a table and several bird ornaments. Shower good though. What was more disappointing was the evening meal. Caesar salad and chips(!) off, then hummus off after we ordered it. Cauliflower steak was 2 large pieces of cauliflower raw in the middle served with stone cold fries. Inedible. The mini pudding of cheesecake was tiny. In fairness to the waitress, who was very attentive and a bit embarrassed, we weren’t charged for the cauliflower and given a further discount, but this was definitely NOT the gastropub experience we were expecting. When we left the pub just after 9, there were only 2 customers left. Said it all really.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Feb 2025

Ruth

Great place to stay

A lovely pub, great food, really great staff who couldn’t have been more helpful or friendly - and a good nights sleep in a well equipped room. Lots of quirky decorative touches.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

29 Dec 2024

Gareth

Unfortunately

Food and service excellent, unfortunately the room smelt of damp really badly, the chimes from the church every 30 minutes kept me awake most of the night until I stuffed tissue in my ears, loud noise from cars passing on road, springy bed.
Probably the worst nights sleep ever!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Dec 2024

Sandra

Welcome was excellent, room was nice but en suite requires some attention. The cistern ran all night wasting water and disturbing our sleep. Restaurant and food was great. Breakfast was ok. Lovely church across the road chimes on the hour and tinkles every quarter so not great if you're already awake because of the cistern.

Partner

4/10

Poor

27 Nov 2024

Paul

Needs attention

Stayed here a lot on business and it’s got worse over the year, shower was impossible to use with no pressure, no mattress or pillow protectors, stains on both..
Grubby, bathroom desperate for a refurb, not enough light outside rooms, no blind on bathroom window
The list goes on.
But staff in pub were very nice and polite.
I wouldn’t stay again nor recommend

Business

10/10

Exceptional

22 Nov 2024

Kenneth

V Good

It’s a pub and a very good one.
Food is very good.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

21 Nov 2024

Stephen

Don’t stay there

The pub is nice with lovely food ( a bit overpriced but they have the monopoly). The room was awful. The carpets were wet and the room smelled strongly of damp, which I complained about twice, with no resolution. Shower was broken. Had to hide my clothes in the ottoman and spray with deodorant. My clothes stunk of damp if I didn’t do this. Made me extremely uncomfortable. Wouldn’t go again

Business

8/10

Excellent

11 Sep 2024

Cat

The room was nice, good layout, and the sofa area in the conservatory and outdoor space was a bonus. And it was quiet too, which I was worried about as it's a pub. The room wasn't super clean, there were dead bugs and stuff. And some of the room felt tired and tatty. But that wouldn't stop me staying again. However, the biggest issue was there is no wifi in the rooms, and the phone signal isn't great. As I was there to work it was a problem.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2024

Alan

Lovely all round experience especially the food

8/10

Excellent

30 Jul 2024

Mark

Very pleasant stay.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jul 2024

Peter

Fantastic little gem of a property

6/10

Pleasant

02 Jun 2024

Julie

Great food but accommodation let it down

The first room we were given was filthy so moved to another, again this was poorly cleaned, tissues under chair, hairs in the shower, an old razor left in the shower and walls stained. We cancelled a second night there.
The bar was nice and food was delicious.
The rooms need updating and thorough cleaning. Shame because it could be so much more

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 May 2024

Ralph

Desmo

Breakfast could be full English every day not just weekends
Restaurant is very good but expensive

Partner

8/10

Excellent

30 Mar 2024

Ralph

Welsh Friends

We have stayed hear several times and always had fantastic service and excellent food , this time was the first time that we required breakfast on a Friday and was disappointed that the choice was only continental,

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

10 Mar 2024

Roger

Disappointing

This is marketed as a 4 star hotel however I was very disappointed.
The food was lovely however the service very poor.
A brief summary:
- not cheap
- couldn't check me in due to 'computer problem', needed me to show my email booking receipt
- I had pork skewers (lovely) but I had to ask for cutlery.
- I had fillet steak (excellent) for dinner but wasn't offered any condiments. The server even left my dirty skewer plate on the table when delivering the steak. I had finished the skewers late afternoon.
- The toilets for the bar area were tired, lots of broken tiles and a bit smelly.
- Room 3 was nice however very warm, it was difficult to access the heater controls due to a shelf directly above the heater.
- Toilet seat was broken.
- Couldn't lock the front door from the inside.
I wouldn't recommend staying here

Self

4/10

Poor

05 Mar 2024

Steven

Not bad, not great

The location was ideal and the room was good. Bathroom need an update and maybe a desk in the room.
However, no cooked breakfast in the morning. Just 2 bread loaves, ham, cheese and cereal plus some tired looking pastries. This was not mentioned at check-in

Business

8/10

Excellent

25 Feb 2024

Rebecca

Lovely place to stay overnight.

The arrival at The Knife and Cleaver was wonderful. Staff helped me with the luggage and room 9 was both clean and impressive. Nice seperate seating area and outside patio was a bonus in the room.
Well equipped and warm. WiFi was not so good but free inside the pub.
We ate at the restaurant for the two nights. Food was okay first night. Second night not so good. No atmosphere either and staff consistently just giggling or calling you guys!
All in all, the hotel side of the pub was well worth the money. Would definitely stay again.
Would have another hit at the restaurant but maybe in the daytime instead.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jan 2024

Jo

Hidden Gem

Hidden gem close to lots of places. The good was fantastic and definitely gastro and reasonably priced. Everything you need and very friendly staff

Business

10/10

Exceptional

25 Nov 2023

Kenneth

Motel like rooms very pleasant.
Staff were really good and friendly.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Nov 2023

Rebecca

Very good- nice staff, comfy room, good restaurant

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Oct 2023

CM

You really must visit this one!!

This is a real find, staff are fabulous food amazing and room private and cosy, with lovely fresh cotton sheets. All for a really fair price

Business

4/10

Poor

27 Sep 2023

Mark

Lack of Customer Service

Check in took 15 minutes due to Manager standing 3 metres away training new waiting staff. Waited for 5 minutes to be seated although both new waiting team were standing 5 metres away and did not even bother to engage with me. I left and went back to my room. The bedroom was very nice until i got into bed, the most uncomfortable mattress i have ever slept in.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

09 Aug 2023

M D

Highly recommended

A great pub and rooms with a friendly welcome and atmosphere

Business

6/10

Pleasant

15 Jul 2023

Ian

No WIFI in the rooms

Decent room and food. Terrible WIFI in the room. Connection kept dropping out. For me this is important. So will not be visiting again.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jul 2023

M D

The knife and Cleaver

The staff where welcoming and the breakfast was great

Business Self

4/10

Poor

10 Jul 2023

Laura

Utter rubbish!!

We got there after a 3 1/2hr drive to a cramped cabin that was not as clean as we would have liked, grubby bathroom & cigarette burns in the throw on the bed. What made it worst was the shower cutout after one of us briefly used it after a long trip.
This was not fixed though a plumber was called due to not having the right part. We ended up washing in the tea-cup of a sink we had. Nothing has been done to date despite reporting it on check out. I would not be going back anytime soon.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jun 2023

Graham

Very nice and clean with easy access to rooms when returning later

8/10

Excellent

19 Jun 2023

ASHLEIGH

Property was lovely, restaurant and bar were clean and bright. Rooms were clean and well decorated. Freebies were also really nice. With the warm wether a fan would have been nice in our room, our friends next door had one but when asked at reception no one knew where to get one. Bed was a little hard but for 1 nights stay was okay. Would stay again just as overnight but wouldn't recommend for long stays! The room was also right opposite a function which luckily ended early but trying to nap through the day with the windows open because of hot weather was slightly difficult. Overall would rate 7.5/10

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

21 Mar 2023

Sean

Great pub, bad management

Great location, good staff who make you feel very welcome. My stay, was tainted by the manager. Never heard anyone talk to their team like he did. Completely shocking and I would be shocked if they dont have a staff retention issue.

Business

4/10

Poor

19 Mar 2023

Verified traveler

Disappointing

One night stay, the room was clean but dusty plastic plants. The bath seal leaked so the floor floods when using over bath shower, despite closing the shower curtain as instructed. Glass shelf above sink not secured so collapsed as soon as a toothbrush was placed on it, fortunately didn’t smash.
We went to the bar to eat at 7pm, ordered a pint of cider- no problem but ordering a pint of beer took three attempts to find one they had in stock.
We got dinner menus and enquired about the pie advertised on blackboards outside and inside the bar but they had sold out- at 7pm.
There is an extensive menu, we sat in cosy alcove with our drinks while we chose - chicken wings and pork steak… neither were available. We tried to order three more main courses, each time the lady had to come back to say they were unavailable, so we had mushrooms on toast from the starter menu with a side order of fries which amazingly they seemed to have. Both average.
Breakfast equally disappointing there were 4 options but 2 were unavailable, we ordered bacon egg and tomatoes but there had no tomatoes despite them being offered as part of the full English. The cleaning staff were hoovering the room around us while we ate and the toilets were out of action. The staff we met were friendly but we felt were embarrassed and frustrated, creating a tense atmosphere and we overheard many angry sounding conversations. Overall disappointing -the pictures online look so inviting, we wont be back.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Feb 2023

Rod

So Relaxing

Amazing Comfy accommadation, great fresh food ,a bit on high side price wise ,great freindly manager Will, very informative and knowledgable, Waiting on team great ,Amy was so passionate and sincere you want to eat the whole menu, through her enthusiasm

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2020

PAUL

we arrived very late but was greeted very well and had drinks an food within minutes. Escorted to our rooms and give take away breakfast.
This is in spite of the covid restrictions
Excellent service

Business

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2020

Mr cd

Very nice room good food and the staff were very helpful
Would highly recommend

Business

10/10

Exceptional

18 Sep 2020

Neil

Relaxing stay

The accomodation was separate from the main building which made it very quiet. Over the road was a church so you had the bells of the clock to wake you up, if your windows were open. The room was relaxing with a good en suite and a good heater if you were feeling cold. The pub part had a comfortable lounge bar area, with a large new addition for the restaurant part. The village was small with a few shops.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

13 Aug 2020

chris

Lack of clean room was a worry

This review is a Covid era review so bare this in mind. On arrival a young had the job of showing me my room and that’s literally all he did...
The room was a good size with a good bathroom. It was disappointing that the sink taps and round the shower obviously hadn’t been cleaned from the previous guest and the table in the room was super sticky, again not been cleaned. Because of Covid I cleaned them myself.
Dinner was ok, service was very slow until I pointed this out then it got going. The food was ok...
The highlight of the stay was the breakfast, freshly cooked with excellent coffee.
Would I stay there again or recommend it, maybe.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

03 Aug 2020

Verified traveler

Basic

No reception, just a key in a lock box. Just a room in a bungalow, no special comfort, basic cleanness, some rust in the bathroom.

Business

8/10

Excellent

23 Jul 2020

Paul

Cozy British village Pub

Lovely cozy pub great food amazing Ribs

Business

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jul 2020

Graeme

Knife and Cleaver

The rooms at the Knife and cleaver are clean and well equipped. The colour of the décor does leave it feeling a bit closed in, but this is a minor problem. The bar next door is excellent and the food was very good. Unfortunately Food was not available no Monday and Tuesday due to Covid cut backs, but there are plenty of places only a short drive away.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2020

Kevin

Lovely old pub friendly welcoming staff great food clean comfortable room.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

13 Mar 2020

Wayne

nice place to stay for the night

Business

8/10

Excellent

09 Mar 2020

Verified traveler

Room spacious with good en-suite. Separate to main pub building. Quiet (early March).

Friends_and_family Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Mar 2020

Verified traveler

Room was so-so, blind did not lower and shower tray leaked

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

06 Mar 2020

Verified traveler

We liked the pub and restaurant, but unfortunately the decor in the rooms we found to be depressing and in need of an update. The mattress was really uncomfortable, the blind did not work properly and there was no curtain at the front door. The staff were accommodating and the above can be fixed, but travellers should be aware that the bells in the church opposite strike every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

27 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

The room had a musty smell and the toilet was not very clean.
Nice evening meal.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Feb 2020

Emma

Lovely food - shame about the room

Nice looking local pub serving fantastic food.
Rooms need a little bit more thought. Decor very dark, lighting needs addressing. Bed uncomfortable hard mattress no headboard. Kettle left with water in which had limescale floating around. Lots of limescale in shower area. Most staff friendly but not particularly attentive, at breakfast no plates for toast, empty orange juice jug wasn't refilled. All put right when asked but be better not to have yo ask! Had an evening meal and 2 breakfasts which were fantastic. 5 stars to the chef

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

25 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Useful things to know. Wi fi is only in the main pub building rooms are across a courtyard in separate building. TV reception is poor with only 3 or 4 channels available this may have been due to weather and improved when the weather does. Expected more from breakfast after eating in the restaurant in the evening.

Business

8/10

Excellent

19 Feb 2020

Marc

Wi-fi in the rooms would make me book again

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

18 Feb 2020

simon

Great place, love the rooms in the converted stables, food was awesome.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Feb 2020

Roger

Food was expensive, the £3.65 homemade bread option was rubbish, bit of warmed up cake. Pie was nice but 1 pint bread and a pie £24 bit expensive

Business

8/10

Excellent

10 Feb 2020

Maria

Staff were really friendly and aimed to help. Food was all freshly made on site. Good menu. Only negative and constructive thing i have to say, although the room we stayed overnight in was cosy and clean - it was extremely dark. The dark walls didnt reflect any light, therefore exceptionally dark. Could either do with light walls or extra lighting. But having said that, it was all good value for money

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

No WiFi in the Room, this should be provided. Not much speed in the pub area as well

Business_and_leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

31 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Food was good, staff pretty disinterested, didn't know when breakfast was served (turns out it starts at 7:30 so if you're an early starter beware).

8/10

Excellent

16 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

My relatives stayed here and received an upgraded room on arrival. They required quiet accommodation and this really fitted the bill. They mentioned specifically how friendly the staff were and the excellent vegan breakfasts prepared for them. We will certainly book in at The Knife & Cleaver again.

Friends_and_family Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Very friendly staff and a nice homely pubby feel. And a nice situation as well.

Friends_and_family Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Lovey people good service especially short girl on the till

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2019

Kerry

amazing and comfy

Staff were welcoming. The pub itself was cosy, and a stunning setting. Lovely view of a church.
Our room was great. Comfortable and cosy.
Breakfast was amazing.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2019

Matt

Fantastic B&B and great value too.

This is my 2nd stay at the Knife and Cleaver. It's a lovely venue with modern clean rooms. The bar and restaurant area are very good and staff welcoming. Will definitely be staying again the the future.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

03 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Excellent pub and inn. The pub itself is a beautiful old building that has been well looked after. The food is excellent, and the staff is great. Melissa, the general manager, greets you with a terrific smile and genuine friendliness. The room is quite comfortable, and very clean. Shower pressure in the modern, well decorated bathroom is good. The mattress was a bit firm for me, but I still slept well. If you forget your watch, you're in luck, as the old church across the road rings out the time every quarter hour (it's not really loud, and rather charming). The pub has a great patio to sit outside and enjoy a drink in this quiet small Bedfordshire town. A great find.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

05 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Adequate for our stay.
Evening meal was not up to expectation, but breakfast was excellent.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

31 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Lovely accommodation with friendly staff and a fantastic breakfast! Would stay here again!