I've been going once or twice a year for 25 years and have consistently rated this top in each category. Regretfully, not this year.
The pluses: a most beautiful place - arguably the best in the UK; good service in the restaurant; fabulous table in...the conservatory; skilfully cooked food, bread fabulous as ever.
The down-sides: - they were only offering a tasting menu (which we knew when booking) - some excuse to do with Covid apparently, though it's still a tasting menu only, so I'm not sure how that fits. I have a fundamental dislike and issue with tasting menu only restaurants - they are producer-led, not customer led; they are self-indulgent and arrogant - the chef knows best what I want to eat (i.e. he doesn't); it leads to tapas style eating, i.e. small plates and no feeling of having had a meal; choice comes through multiple courses, but doesn't give multiple choice for each course - never have four of us at a table ever picked exactly the same choices for any course, let alone the whole meal.
The mushroom risotto course was still fabulous (if small!); there was a butternut squash course which was surprisingly good - especially as butternut squash is usually boring; there was (a tiny piece of) beef fillet - but fillet is so hard to make spectacular, and it wasn't - (and actually the fact that it was so small detracted from its taste); I can't remember what the two desserts were - and dessert is usually memorable.
Also, when they confirm the booking they ask about allergies and preferences, so I'd said no seafood. The waiter taking the order in the lounge didn't know that and should have. He had several ready-made alternatives, but even so it was poor attention to detail and below their previous standards.More