Scalford Hall wedding ruined 'when chefs walked out'

Rebecca Veli said her brother Ben stepped in to help when they realised the chefs had left

A couple say their wedding reception was ruined when chefs walked out during the meal, leaving the bride's brother to take over feeding guests.

Rebecca Veli said her £7,000 reception at Scalford Hall Hotel was a "disaster" and her day was "ruined" by a number of failures.

She also said the toilets were "filthy" and there were flies in the glasses.

The Leicestershire venue has since announced it is set to close due to "difficult market conditions".

Last week the hotel contacted another couple who were due to get married there in September to say it was closing.

Mrs Veli and her husband Adem said their wedding on 4 August went from being "a perfect day to a disaster within 40 minutes of arriving" at Scalford Hall near Melton Mowbray.

They sat down for their wedding breakfast with their 60 guests but realised the three-star hotel's chefs "had walked off" when the starters did not arrive.

The bride's brother Ben, a trained chef, stepped in and plated up the food, which had already been cooked, served the guests and helped three staff members hand out drinks for the toasts.

Rebecca and Adem Veli were having the "perfect day" until they arrived at Scalford Hall

Mrs Veli said staff managed to put on a barbecue for a further 60 guests in the evening, but then ran out of food.

There was only one member of bar staff and again her brother stepped in to help, she added.

Mrs Veli said: "There was a lack of care across the board.

"The couples who can't get married there had a lucky escape, they'll have a much better day elsewhere.

"The whole day was ruined and no-one is taking responsibility."

The bride also said lipstick marks had not been cleaned off the glasses.

Scalford Hall is set to close due to "difficult market conditions"

Mrs Veli said the wedding planner, who they had met the previous day, had not shown up and there was no manager to talk to at the hotel.

She said guests who stayed overnight had no running water the next day and their cooked breakfasts were lukewarm, with milk and orange juice in short supply.

The couple are looking into getting compensation, but say they have yet to get answers from the hotel to their complaints.

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The BBC has put Mrs Veli's criticisms to Scalford Hotel but it has yet to respond.

In a previous statement, hotel director Colin Warburg said the 81-bedroom hotel was "likely to close in the very near future" and that its focus was to "support both our existing customers and our wonderful team of staff through this challenging time".

The hall, a former hunting lodge with connections to former King Edward VIII, previously went into administration on 2 January but reopened a week later.