[AD] Fischer’s at Baslow Hall is a multi-award-winning fine dining restaurant and boutique hotel offering sublime levels of laidback luxury. Situated in the heart of the Peak District National Park, mere minutes from Chatsworth House, the 100 year old privately owned manor house is nestled amidst manicured gardens, where much of the produce for its exceptional menus is grown.
The quintessentially English country house hotel has eleven luxurious bedrooms and boasts four Red Stars, the AA’s supreme accolade for hotels, testament to outstanding levels of hospitality and service. Fischer’s has also just been awarded the AA’s 2023 – 2024 Inspectors Choice Award for the third consecutive year.
The restaurant, headed by Head Chef, Adam Thackeray, has also amassed an impressive array of awards and achievements. It is Michelin listed; holds 3 AA Rosettes; a Visit England ‘Taste of England’ award and has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2024 Tourism Awards in the restaurant category.
I was recently invited to lunch at Fischer’s by my very dear friend, Marketing & PR Consultant, Dawn-Elizabeth Rudd. What a lunch it proved to be!
Having rushed straight from a morning of content creation, I arrived a little late and consequently a little flustered, found that the car park was already full. Just as I was pondering what to do, a lovely member of the Fischer’s team ran out and could not have been more kind and helpful in directing me where to park. That pretty much set the tone – warm, welcoming staff who were genuinely pleased to assist.
Carefully curated menus showcase inventive modern British cuisine. Head Chef Adam Thackeray and his team craft dishes that celebrate the finest quality local produce, with a focus on homegrown, sustainably produced ingredients which are handpicked from the kitchen gardens, expertly foraged from the surrounding Peak District National Park or carefully selected from artisan local producers.
Fischer’s lunch menu offers their trademark exceptional quality, starting at £38.50 for two courses or £53.50 for three (with supplements on some dishes, as stated on the menu). Fine dining aficionados will appreciate what excellent value this is, particularly given that this includes chef’s snacks, freshly baked bread and butter and a pre-dessert. And that’s before we start on the setting.
From the cosy lounge with its roaring fires to the elegant dining room decorated in calming hues of duck egg blue, the interiors of this beautiful manor house never fail to delight.
The sommelier, the wonderful Otto, deserves a special mention. He listened carefully to our preferences and offered a range of options at different price points. We requested a “very dry white” and he delivered! Exceptionally charming, we could not have felt better looked after by him and the rest of the waiting team who were, without exception, incredibly professional and welcoming.
Lunch at Fischer’s at Baslow Hall
We began with two delightful amuse-bouche, an ox tongue and Caesar salad with salty notes of parmesan, and a refreshing Garibaldi with spiced carrot. The standard was set, and as we tucked in to generous hunks of freshly baked sourdough bread, I knew we were in for a treat.
My first choice was Cornish seabass, served on top of a delicious risotto with real depth of flavour, and barbecued aubergine and fennel. Like every morsel of food that passed my lips that day, it was incredible.
Dawn-Elizabeth opted for the hand dived Orkney scallop served with a Café de Paris sauce punctuated with citrus notes of pomelo.
We were treated to an extra vegetarian starter of King Blue mushroom with leek, sage and English autumn truffle. I generally avoid mushrooms on a menu, but this may well be the dish that has converted me into an appreciator.
The dish showcases produce from trusted local supplier The Mushroom Emporium, a family-run mushroom farm. The recipe for this particular dish has recently been featured in Reflections magazine.
My absolute favourite dish of the day was the main course of maple roasted Creedy Carver duck served with swede and beetroot. It was exquisite. The balance of flavours and textures came together in a perfect symphony of pleasure. I want to eat that again and again.
Dawn-Elizabeth opted for Cornish hake with guinea fowl, artichoke and lemon.
We were then served a delightful palate cleansing parsnip flavoured soft serve ice cream with spiced lime caramel and honeyed wafer. A tiny little mouthful, but such a pleasurable experience.
Difficult decisions had to be made when it was time for dessert because all the options sounded so delicious. Somehow, we resisted two glorious sounding chocolate creations. Eventually, I plumped for a (very fancy) spin of bread and butter pudding, featuring roasted garden pears, croissant and crème fraîche. Once again, the dish was utter perfection.
My dining companion decided on a beautiful pistachio sponge, with garden apple and blackberry.
There’s an optional cheeseboard course, and then coffee and petit fours – all of which are priced separately.
Overall, we had the most delightful time. Quite frankly, there is not much other option at Fischer’s – the food, wine, service and setting are all impeccably wonderful – all that is left to do is to relax and enjoy the unique experience. I can’t recommend Fischer’s at Baslow Hall highly enough.
Go for:
Incredible food in a very special setting. Exceptional service without a hint of stuffiness.
Details:
Fischer’s Baslow Hall, Calver Road, Baslow, Derbyshire, DE45 1RR
Book online or call 01246 583259
Private car parking for guests on site.
