Often when you have friends & family staying regularly you are looking for some different ideas of where to go & where to have a “nibble” out. Well this week I have been trying out some new places.
David Mellor – On the outskirts of Hathersage, a rather innovative design, a round building houses his cutlery making works. Opposite is a delightful shop where you can buy his various designs in cutlery, glass & kitchen ware, as well as other contempory products. Adjecent to here is his cafe & small museum open 7 days a week. Needless to say I did test the quality of his food. The menu is simple but excellent, we opted for home-made soup with major chunky sandwiches, with a salad garnish & pickles. Delicious. We passed on the cakes which I have to say looked slightly more forlorn, we had to leave space for our next stop.
Did you know that David Mellor designed the current traffic light system, which we still use today (but not the somewhat faulty ones on the B5056).
The National Trust Longshaw Estate again on the outskirts of Hathersage & Grindleford. Lots of open moorland walking – great for all (even partically disabled) & great for children to run around. The tea rooms were fine, with good views & nice cakes – ideal after a good walk.
It was only 40 – 45minutes drive so a pleasant afternoon out from Parwich
PARWICH.ORG 
If you are visiting the Longshaw Estate there are also some excellent walks around Carl Wark, an Iron Age hill fort, near by.
David Mellor’s kitchenware shop is a favourite place to buy presents from, and the new(ish) cafe/museum extension is a beautifully conceived piece of architecture, which really comes into its own on hot sunny afternoons as the glass frontage is opened out.
However… on the one occasion that we visited, the service was outrageously slow! The cafe hadn’t been open for long, so maybe it was “teething problems”, but it did put me off hurrying back…