It is a brilliant hall for a wedding, large spacious and very clean the staff are very attentive…read moreand lots of parking on the side streetd

The best kept secret in Essex? A simply great venue that is perfect for any wedding!read more

We had the Great Eastern Room for my daughters wedding reception on 30th October. It's a lovely…read morespace and the staff were great. We had the buffet which was also really nice. The only downside was we were recommended to only cater for 75% of the guests, I said I was quite happy to pay for all the guests, to which I was told even at 75% we would be throwing food away. I took the recommendation and paid for 75% of the guests (and children under 12 are catered at 2 for 1) and the food is only allowed to be left out for 2 hours (health and safety) The buffet was laid out and completely gone within the hour. We then had some guests going out to local take aways and the Sainsburys local across the road to get something to eat, which was incredibly embarrassing. I wrote this to the Freight House on the 3rd November - as of today (10th December) I have had no reply. 'The only downfall was the catering. The food itself was delicious, however when we arranged the catering we were advised that catering for 75% of the guests would be ample, and that there would probably be food thrown away, so not wishing to have food wasted I opted to pay for 75%. Now whether it was because it was an early (2pm) ceremony, or our guests had heartier appetites than the average guest, we found that there was insufficient food. Embarrassingly, some guests went out to get food from a local takeaway within an hour or two of the food being laid out. Fortunately we had provided individual cakes and my daughter wanted a sweet table (as it was close to Halloween) which seemed to satisfy the rest. All in all we were very happy however I felt that it was worth providing feedback.' I was not expecting any form of compensation, but an acknowledgment that we had been mislead regarding the volume of food would've been nice. If you are booking a reception/party here make sure you over cater rather than under cater.

Rave rave rave. Obviously I'm going to be biased, I got married here but take into account this won…read moreWedding Venue of the Year people. I adore this place and all the staff. Fell in love with it straight away. I'll even tell you a little secret...I knew instantly I had to marry here because of two, slightly embarrassing reasons. Here goes. One, there is a fairy lit bandstand/gazebo in the gardens...which is VERY Twilight (Bella and Edward) prom scene. Secondly. Ahem. They had the chairs I liked/wanted...which are the chairs the characters in tv show O.C. always used to use when they had their formal parties. Fact. I'm not ashamed. Lol. The venue is just perfect. They add to it all the time with cool new ideas and findings. Its set in Epping, complete with London Skyline views (they now even have a lookout for wedding photos!!) There's the orangery for ceremonies, which can be set up so you have a garden 'aisle'!! I did that and it is honestly the happiest, most beautiful memory of my life (so far). The walled gardens are well loved, beautiful and just floral picture perfectness. There's the Apple Loft where the couple can stay/bride can get ready which is too cute. I wanted to pick it up and plonk back in Rickmansworth. So well thought out. All mod cons too. Swoon. You can also marry in the Gather barns too, we used here for group shots as was such a bright, low-sun day. Winner. And then the Barns themselves. So lovely. With mezzanine floor, full bar, separate dance area. Win win win. Rumours have it they are renovating the 'stables' to provide guest accommodation. Form an orderly queue and book your weddings now ladies/gents. Don't get me started on the food. I could boast about our wedding food all day long. EVERYONE has mentioned it. It is soooo delicious. Everything we ordered was fab.Canapes were lush. Everything we tried at the tasting evening (where you meet other couples getting wed there!!) was great. How do they mass produce the same meal all to such a high standard? Gob smackingly good. The staff our lovely. I was thrilled with everything Jayne and Natalie did leading up to and on our day. Can I please relive my wedding here? Please?!

Quite a few of my friends have got married recently (and we have four more weddings to attend this…read moreyear) so I'm sort of getting used to wedding weekends! We attended a ceremony and reception at Gaynes Park, and it was lovely...I have no idea how much it costs (I assume it'll be scarily pricey) but it is a really pleasant place to visit as a guest! Location: - It is sooo pretty! The blossoms were all in bloom and the gardens are simply lovely. - If you'd like a long aisle to parade down in your dress...the lead in to the orangery is epic! The bride walked down the whole way through the gardens while everyone whispered about how gorgeous she looked. - It was really easy to get to for guests (a few minutes drive from Epping tube station...) Food: - Om nom nom... The food was gorgeous! I was really impressed that they managed to keep it consistently delicious when cooking for sooo many people. I heard a couple of grumbles from some male relatives that were still a bit hungry, but I thought the portions were good - I was stuffed!! - The only thing that was a bit rubbish was the pimms that they served right after the ceremony... I think they might have used tonic water rather than lemonade and it had sat around too long so all the ice melted to leave terrible watered down non-pimms! Ah well.

Epping Forest is a beautiful little gem of a place. It is the largest city forest in Europe and you…read morecan easily get lost in the wonder that is a mere 30 mins from central London. The Kings Oak is the main pub in the park situated as it is right by the visitors centre and the forest car park. It's a place that is certainly welcome after a long hike where lunch cravings take over and aching thighs scream for pity. The place itself is not only a pub but a full blown venue that can be used for weddings and as a hotel though I have to admit the decor in the brochure that proudly sits on each table does seem to less Notting Hill and more My Big Fat Greek Wedding, still it may be perfect for some. We had lunch in the 'gastropub', a place where if you look (not too) hard the theme of the brochures is very reflected. The massive cherubs, neon pink walls, over the top mirrors and plastic antlers are all there if you look hard enough. We didn't come here for the cherubs though, we came here for the food and embibement; that is something they did well. The whole place had a great atmosphere. We had a couple of pasta dishes, some huge grilled cheeses and a fish and chips. The food itself wasn't bad but not at 'gastropub' levels in either presentation or complexity. The satisfying fish was crisp and well cooked but a little greasy and the chips tasty, chunky but hardly crispy. The other food was tasty and offered good value. Overall this isn't a bad pub if you like some cherub spotting and a decent meal after a long walk.

I had a couple of drinks with friends in the pub - I did not stay at the hotel. Amazing view from…read moreHigh Beach. Lovely place to spend some relaxed time.

Small club set in the centre of a housing estate. Usually quiet but all the family are welcome…read more Friendly staff and large hall that is available for hire. membership is needed here but very reasonable rates for the year and easy enough to join. Great place for a family outing where the kids can be happy and safe to.

Lovely intimate club where all the family are welcome. I think the rates are £20 per family each…read moreyear or £16 per individual. Its attached to a really large hall which is also really reasonable in the rates. Its about £30 per hour for childrens parties and £220 for weddings, on saturdays etc. The staff are always really friendly and the lady that runs it is lovely.

I had my wedding here in August and I honestly can't express how BAD the experience was. The…read moreplanning process was an absolute nightmare -- communication with the owner Velu, was practically non-existent. The SERVICE has been TERRIBLE, they rarely answer calls or reply to messages once they've TAKEN ALL YOUR PAYMENT and the professionalism disappears. We spent 7-8 months planning this wedding, but instead of being an enjoyable time, it turned into constant stress and aggravation because of the owner. It took a massive toll on me, my wife, and our families -- it was supposed to be the happiest time of our lives, but it ended up being one of the WORST. On the wedding day, they decided to use their own centrepieces because no one had responded to confirm the ones we'd chosen and agreed on. They didn't include the walkway we had agreed on as they noticed it wasn't evenly flat, and instead of fixing it, they just removed it altogether. Then the stage décor wasn't even close to the reference photo they'd sent us. My wife walked in to find that nothing looked as we'd planned -- and as anyone knows, the décor is a huge part of the wedding day. The whole planning process drained us both. They even CANCELLED two of the VENDORS we'd booked through them -- without our consent -- just two weeks before the wedding, saying they didn't want the responsibility if those vendors messed up. Parking arrangemen were poor and all our guests received a fine!!! They agreed on having 2 photographers and 2 videographers but later found out it's only 2 photographers and 1 videographer and therefore got our own. There's so much more I could say, but to anyone considering booking their wedding here, I'd strongly advise against it. Save yourself the stress and look elsewhere. We're not the only ones -- we've spoken to other couples who had similar issues with this venue. We'll see you in court.

Held my husband's surprise birthday party here recently and was really pleased with the service…read more The staff and DJ were super friendly and helpful. The whole planning of the event (pre-venue) had been such a mess that I expected this to be another source of stress, but it was great. The venue was clean and elegant looking (especially considering the location) and I was very impressed overall. The food was tasty and actually as spec :) We originally were planning to hold the party at Passage to India but due to extra guests they moved us into the suite... Cheers guys!

If you are looking for a standard hall to rent for a party or event then this could be your place,…read moreit's very cheap to rent out but that could be because it isn't top of the desirables list. It will be adequate enough to enjoy a family get-together though.