Derbyshire’s Hottest Bites February 2024

Dishing up my monthly column of local hospitality news. From pop-up events and special collaborations to the most exhilarating new launches, here’s what Derbyshire foodies need to know this month.

ADs – PR invite to The Maynard and a PR gift from Bank House and mentions of my own Digital Marketing Consultancy business

New Restaurant Openings in Derby

In Derby city centre, there’s a brand new Korean street food restaurant, Omomo, also serving up bubble tea. On Valentine’s Day, The Pepperpot café, bar and bistro opens up in a revived historic building on London Road.

On Saturday 24th February, The Turmeric Sky return to the Artcore Café for another pop-up kitchen, this time focused on the flavours of South India. Described as an “ongoing culinary experiment” inspired by migration, finding a sense of belonging and a shared love of great food.

In Chesterfield, Ninety Four Coffee opened on Chatsworth Road (above Nonna’s) and seems to be the new place for coffee and brunch. At the time of writing this, somewhat frustratingly, I’ve still not been. There were plans afoot for a visit with Helen and Michelle to finalise the Comms plan for their women in business retreat day at the gorgeous Lorentes in Darley Abbey (pictured below); but sadly a leaky pipe threw a spanner in the works (quite literally, I imagine). The lovely Michelle assures me that “It’s the coffee shop we have all been desperate for”.

Ones to Watch

The Ashford Arms, the newest addition to the Longbow Group (a local, independent, family-owned chain of hotels/gastro pubs) is set to open in the next few weeks. I’m a huge fan of their other venues, The George in Hathersage (still sadly shut following the 2023 floods) and The Maynard in Grindleford, so can only imagine The Ashford Arms will be every bit as lovely. If you’d like to be the first to try, it’s possible to book online from the 9th March.

The best seasonal dining in Derbyshire

Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day falls on Tuesday 13th February. I’ve recently updated this blog with recommendations of the best places for pancakes in Derbyshire.

The best Valentine’s menus in 2024

If you’re planning on dining out with your loved one on Valentine’s Day and you’ve not yet booked, get your skates on! For inspiration, head to my guide to the most romantic restaurants in Derbyshire which I’ve recently updated.

Somewhere I recommend all the time, is the brilliant all-rounder, Bank House in Hathersage who are gifting a ‘Book of Promises’ with every Valentine’s booking. This inspired promotion contains offers on a year’s worth of seasonal date nights. Book a table here.

The best offers on Eating Out in Derbyshire

The Maynard has a huge 30% off their new spring menu, which I was invited to try recently (see below). As usual, they’ve smashed it out of the park with their offering. If you haven’t been yet, now is the time!

The beautiful Fischer’s at Baslow Hall have a tempting 10% off their lunch menu (excluding 14^th to the 18^th February – mention the offer on booking). Please head to the social media channels of each venue for the finer details.

My Derbyshire food diary

Some of the best eating out I’ve done this month has been at Sicily Restaurant in Chesterfield. I can only apologise for gatekeeping this hidden gem as long as I have, but I’ve finally written a full blog about why this gorgeous little family-run Sicilian restaurant has quickly won my favour.

I was delighted to be invited back to The Maynard to review their new spring menu. As I’ve come to expect from Executive Chef, Adrian Gagea and Head Chef, Greg Robinson, there was a happy balance of trusted classics and fresh new flavours. The stand out dish of the day was the twice-baked cheddar cheese soufflé served with Hartington stilton sauce. Absolutely incredible (and also vegetarian and gluten free!). Read the full review.

We had a reasonably good takeaway from Greek Gods’ Cuisine at The Batch House and it’s great to see them available for delivery. The menu at the new Indian outlet there also looks exciting and I’m looking forward to trying their samosa chaat at the earliest opportunity.

Otherwise, the most exciting trip out was actually a business meeting at Thornbridge Tap Room in Bakewell. This fabulous place appeared on the blog back in 2022 thanks to our brilliant guest writer, but I hadn’t actually stepped inside the venue myself. I can confirm it’s every bit as fabulous as Charlotte’s original review and the pizzas smelt like I will be going back soon!

I can’t say too much just yet, but that meeting at the tap room is hopefully going to be a big part of a beautiful new era for this blog. Hopefully I’ll be able to share more details next month…

See you next month,

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