The Best Restaurants in the Peak District – Our Gastronomic Greats
‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’ Virginia Woolf
In our last post we introduced you to some of the fabulous artisan makers and producers who make up the epicurean landscape of our area. In this post we present to you – our top 5 best restaurants in the Peak District! All of these gastronomic greats showcase top quality, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients with a strong emphasis on sustainability.
Each offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere, a stunning location and an exceptional dining experience and we highly recommend booking a special lunch or evening out at least one of them when you stay at Hall Cottage. So, all you culinary connoisseurs out there, grab a glass of your favourite tipple and let us take you on a whirlwind tour of some of the best restaurants in the Peak District!
Why not try a wine pairing with a tasting menu at one of the greats below?
Situated a mere 15 minute walk from Hall Cottage, Baslow Hall sits within 5 acres of landscaped grounds. Built in 1907, the restaurant in this Grade 2 listed, stone-built manor house holds 3 AA Rosettes and boasts its own kitchen garden. Fischer’s offers fine dining with the option of a tasting menu and wine pairing, and during the summer months lunch is available alfresco on the terrace. For an extra frisson of excitement why not book a seat at the coveted Kitchen Bench? This offers a front row seat for up to 4 diners, right in the heart of their award-winning kitchen, where you can watch the talented team whip up a storm.
For slightly more relaxed evening’s fare, Piedaniel’s in Bakewell is a family-run restaurant that has been offering classic French cuisine for over 25 years. Eric and his wife Christiana have both been chefs at two of our other featured restaurants – Fischer’s and the Cavendish Hotel. They offer classic dishes beautifully executed and Eric’s Normandy roots are evident in the simple yet elegant dishes such as beef bourguignon pie or moules frites. They may not offer wine pairings like some of the others, but they do have a rather fabulous gin menu.
Relaxed French fare – similar to what you might expect from Piedaniel’s in Bakewell
If you’ve read our blog on Five Great Things To Do In The Peak District For Couples then you may already be familiar with the beauty of Haddon Hall. The Peacock at Rowsley also holds 3 AA Rosettes and is part of the Haddon Estate. They offer a ‘luxurious and indulgent fine dining experience’ with the opportunity of a tasting menu and wine pairing. If you’re feeling a little more laid-back, but still want to sample their seasonal approach to dishes, then why not book in for their relaxed lunch menu with classics such as sirloin steak and chips?
The Gallery Restaurant at The Cavendish
As one of the best restaurants in the Peak District, the Gallery ‘is an ode to the landscape’. This is especially fitting as it is situated on the glorious Chatsworth Estate. The hotel’s interiors have been inspired and intertwined with Chatsworth’s art, history and characters. Our third restaurant boasting 3 AA Rosettes, their 10-Mile Menu features produce sourced as locally and sustainably as possible. In fact their venison, pheasant, beef and lamb all come from the estate itself. Fruits, salad and vegetables come from their kitchen garden and their mushrooms from the estate’s Mushroom Emporium. You don’t get much more local or sustainable than that!
Chatsworth Estate Lambs
Lovage is a fragrant herb used in cooking that also, according to folklore, stirs feelings of romance. Suitable then for this ‘modern British restaurant with a casual country vibe’ set within the honey coloured stone buildings and cobbled streets of beautiful Bakewell. You may well have seen founder and head chef Lee Smith on the Great British Menu. He’s now based just 4 miles from Hall Cottage where he offers tasting menus as well as a la carte. There’s even the option of a ‘Market Menu’ which promises one course, for £23, which will have you in and out in 45 minutes.
So there you have it, 5 of our gastronomic greats which we (and clearly the food critics too) believe are some of the very best restaurants in the Peak District. So when you book your stay at Hall Cottage, why not book an indulgent treat and true taste of the area at the same time?