Beautiful old pub (dates back to 1600 as a house, and 1743 as a pub) in the middle of the beautiful Peak District - and very close to the ultra-charming little town of Bakewell. What a wonderful drive to get there on a warm, sunny Spring day. My pictures of the outside of the building don't do it justice since the sap is just starting to rise in the ivy covering the structure. In the summer the ivy will be bright green and in the autumn it will scream out all the fall colors from yellow to bright red!
The pub is clean and truly charming, with many interesting memorabilia and decorative pieces around. The bar is well stocked (actually there are 3 bars), not huge by any means, but it is a Free House (note to my US friends - that means not tied a particular brewery so they can stock and sell drinks from multiple sources.
All the staff we saw, including the owner and the chef, were very friendly and hospitable. Does not get much better than this!
There is a very nice beer garden for some al fresco dining or a beer out on a sunny day (like yesterday :) ). The garden is very nice, private with several tables and even a little decorative fountain.
In terms of food (why we drove all that way - 75 minutes for us) it was great and I will post the menu. The chef would walk around, take orders and make sure that everything was truly enjoyed and it was! We both chose pies (see pics), Mrs G had the venison pie (puff pastry) and I couldn't resist the rabbit pie (suet pastry) both locally sourced of course. Yes I succumbed to the special blackberry and apple crumble with custard while Mrs G took the lemon curd ice cream in a brandy snap cup. YES - everything was delicious. A wonderful day - we WILL be back and soon :)
Review #47 2018 read more