PARWICH.ORG

Following last year’s major refit of its dining room, The George has become one of our favourite local eating destinations. Under the guidance of new landlady Emily Hammond, this family-run inn has moved decisively into “gastropub” territory, as befits the sparse elegance of the almost unrecognisable new dining area. Although still only in his mid-twenties, head chef Wade Raithby has proved himself more than capable of delivering consistent excellence – a minor miracle, given the cramped kitchen space available.

Last Saturday night, four of us oohed and aahed our way through the full three course menu. For starters, two of us went for the duck and ham hock terrine, while the other two splurged on a wonderfully inventive combination of seared king scallops and tender morsels of new season lamb. If that sounds like an unlikely marriage of flavours, then the mintiness of the accompanying pea mash and the sweetness of the surrounding carrot beurre blanc formed the bridge between the two. (Pretentious, but true!)

While my three companions swooned over the oven roasted fish fillet with Devon crab risotto, poached egg and hollandaise sauce , I had a Major Gastronomic Moment of my own: roast loin of venison, sitting on a perfect circle of rich and unctuous carrot mash that had been wrapped in ribbons of rhubarb, accompanied by baby fondant potatoes and rich venison sauce. (Venison and rhubarb? Trust me, it worked!)

At this stage, none of us really needed pudding – but strictly in the name of research, I persuaded everyone to give it their best shot. Dave went for the mature Cheddar, served with biscuits and a glass of Viognier ; Sue and Kevin shared a slice of “fantastic” lemon tart with vanilla ice cream, and I regressed to the age of six with a colourful, gloopy layering of apple mousse and orange jelly, served with a sticky marshmallow topping in a tall latte glass.

Together with a bottle of Brouilly and our pre-dinner drinks (three pints of Marstons Bitter and a glass of Saint-Veran), our bill came to £118. At just under thirty quid a head for such top-notch (and beautifully presented) cuisine, we reckoned it was worth every penny.

Tables at The George can be booked by calling (01335) 310205. The pub’s offical website is here. Starters from £4 to £8, main courses from £9 to £14, desserts from £4 to £5.

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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

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I’ve been told that I need to expand my expertise from tea rooms into dining out. Now I have no problem with this, just in case you hadn’t realised I like my food and I’ll happily send my expenses in at the end of each month, but where to!

This evening we set off with my parents to The Bulls Head at Ashford in the Water. Now it is probably 6 years since we last ate there so I have to say I did ask around for various opinions before I set out. The pub is a proper pub, open fires in each room, locals at the bar & a fantastic looking menu. The choice is not large, which gives a good feeling that it’s freshly prepared and not “snip & ping”, (snip the bag & ping the microwave). On an adjecent table there was a group of 4 and their meal looked so good that the four of us ordered the same, Steak & Stockport Ale Pie with braised red cabbage & dripping roast potatoes, (blow the diet for another day). It was gorgeous, the meat melted and the portions were ample. Dessert, well how could we refuse. We ordered a selection just to check things out, the White Chocolate Baileys Cheesecake was a real melt in the mouth & the Italian chocolate & almond slice was nothing like the brownie the waitress suggested we ordered. Maybe it was a “posh brownie”, slices of delectable chocolate with a berry coulis – I loved it. I have it on good authority that the cheese was good, all I managed to pinch was some of the oat biscuits which were the tastiest I have tried.

Ashford in the Water is a lovely village and not much more than 20 minutes away. So with the lighter evenings, it is a delightful drive, via Monyash & Sheldon. Meals are served from 6.30pm and tables are not reserved. It is a Robinson’s house! Tel:01629 812 931

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Dimmingsdale

Last week a friend asked if I had been to Dimmingsdale & I had to say I’d never heard of it.  It’s situated between Oakamoor and Alton Towers in a delightful valley along the River Churnet.  So for the purposes of research three of us set out this afternoon to investigate.  The area is lovely and I would like to return to do some walking & cycling around this area, if you are into bird watching it comes recommended – if you click here and here you can get more information on the area. 

Do send in some comments if you have been here & can tell us about the walks & cycling.

Ramblers Retreat

This is a country restaurant & coffee house and when we arrived it was really busy with everyone tucking into a wide variety of Sunday lunches.  They have a small lounge restaurant which was slightly faded, a large conservatory & garden, which was well occupied, in the warmer sun it must be lovely out there.  We just indulged in some puddings, apple & blackberry crumble & a bread & butter pudding, both were home-made with lashings of custard.  The portions were very generous & both were equally delicious.  Open Wed – Sun.

So if you fancy exploring somewhere new, it’s within 25 minutes – a walk, a ride and some food go to Dimmingsdale.

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For the benefit of all our readers (more than 10,000 now) we decided to try a new venue for tea today.  It was an interesting experience at the Portrait Gallery Cafe at Harthill Hall.  It is just off the B5056, before you turn right towards Bakewell & left to Youlgreave.  The tea room is in a Victorian wooden ‘building’, with chandeliers, gold framed antique paintings & ‘thrones’.  Don chose the ‘throne’, (he wanted me make sure that you all know that it is really a large gold embossed chair and not a you-know -what).   As we pointed out to the very nice waitress the tea & apple cake was very nice but the coffee & Audrey’s scone left a lot to be desired.  When there are so many other good venues around we all felt that we wouldn’t rush back in hurry, but maybe we were just unlucky.

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Yesterday, I met friends for lunch in Byways Tearooms in Bakewell. Inspired by Jane B’s ‘Well and truly replete’ post, I thought I would report back on the experience. I have been before, otherwise Byways is easy to miss, off the main street in Water Lane, and then up what seems quite a steep stairway. All the staff are efficient and friendly, and the couple who own it are local; Mr Swindell was brought up in Friden and has a brother and sister living in Parwich. The tearooms at the front retain their original Georgian panelling and character, but, with their mixture of different chairs and tables, they have not been over prettified. There is a newer larger room at the back as well.

The menu is straightforward, but the food excellent. Main meals range from All day Breakfasts, which I had to jacket potatoes and salads. Then there are sandwiches, cream teas and a good range of cakes. When talking later to Jane B about it, she said “Yes that is the place with the great tea, don’t they get a special blend from somewhere.”

Well, I was hungry and enjoyed my good Derbyshire breakfast, and, though it is not haut cuisine nor would they claim such, it is excellent food in relaxing and pleasant surroundings.

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