Restaurant Reviews - Derbyshire
Restaurant Review – Shapla Spice
I’ve always thought of Ripley town centre as a comfortable place. A wide variety of shops; well connected by public transport, which runs through the centre of the town, and there’s plenty of car parking. Ripley isn’t overpowering; part of its charm is that it’s all on a human scale. That comfortable feeling doesn’t vanish […]
Restaurant Review – The Sanam Tandoori Restaurant
Cooking in a traditional way has always been the priority at the Sanam on King Street Alfreton, and for the past 25 years they have stuck to that premise. Over that period of time they have seen restaurants come and go, some change hands. Their philosophy of providing quality food at a fair price has […]
Restaurant Review – Shapla Spice
Shapla Spice is one of the longest established restaurants in Ripley, Derbyshire. I must admit I drive past Shapla Spice almost every day and always thought it was a take away, how wrong was I? It was on a pleasant Friday evening that my partner and I were booked in to dine, it was then […]
Restaurant Review – Lunch at The New Inn, Milford
Fresh, seasonal and cooked in a traditional way. The New Inn is situated conveniently on the main A6 just midway between Belper and Duffield. And true to its name it is experiencing a new lease of life under the careful direction of Kyle and Hollie. Make no mistake about it, this isn’t a fast food […]
Dining at The White Horse
Dining at The White Horse, Woolley Moor The White Horse conjures up the happiest of memories for us as it was here that we spent many sunny evenings with our children and friends enjoying the spectacular, beautiful Derbyshire countryside and a quiet drink. However, that was many years ago and happily, like our family, it has developed […]
Dining Out – Afternoon Tea on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
We’ve dined on some memorable trains; breakfast on the Lake Shore Limited as it skirted the edge of Lake Erie on its route from New York to Chicago. Lunch at 190 miles per hour on one of the Frecciarossa trains between Naples and Florence and dinner on board the California Zepher as it made its […]
Derbyshire Local Interests
Taste Derbyshire – Canine Delights
More and more restaurants and cafés are opening their doors to canine customers and Derby even has a fancy bakery exclusively for dogs. Taste Derbyshire’s Amanda Volley went along with her naughty pup Eddie to find out what would happen if you put a Jack Russell in a bakery. My Jack Russell, Eddie, is typical […]
Cruising Up The Rhine
When Brian Spencer went on a Rhine cruise, little did he realise that the high point of the trip was, for more than one reason, several thousand feet above the level of the river. A mere four hours after leaving Matlock, we emerged care of Eurostar into bright sunshine on the French side of the […]
Allestree – From Norman Doors to Arts & Crafts
Allestree’s ancient village – the only part of what is now a huge amorphous suburb really worth dawdling round – is remarkably compact, which makes a tour that much less complicated. It is also high enough above the city to the south, to ensure clear, breathable fresh air. Not to be sneezed at, as one […]
Taste Derbyshire – Buying Direct From The Farm
Taste Derbyshire’s Amanda Volley discovered, buying your groceries down on the farm makes for a deliciously different shopping experience and helps to boost the rural economy. There is something very appealing about buying direct from the farm. On top of the feel-good-factor of buying fresh from the fields, there’s a chance of getting up close […]
Cruising gently along the Rhone – Part Two Vienne to Lyon
Leaving Vienne and its Roman links, we sailed through the night, past Lyon where we would eventually return and, joining the River Saône, made our way into Beaujolais countryside, past villages well known to wine lovers. Hopefully we would be enjoying their produce later. Today’s visit was to be Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy. […]
Modern Collectibles – Trench Art
On my desk at home is a small brass receptacle in which I have always kept my paperclips. It is brass, of circular form and has a domed brass lid engraved, a little crudely, with the arms of Derby, and with the word Derby below it. The top fits the base with wonderful accuracy, and […]
Female Products - Tried & Tested
Tried & Tested – Dr. Hauschka
Natural Cosmetics with a difference. Our brand is much more than a chic logo – it denotes our cosmos. Our selected medicinal plants are certified organic and help the skin to help itself and to regenerate. We respect our inner beauty just as much as our outer beauty. We are obsessed with quality and have […]
Product Test – Skin Academy ZERO
Skin Academy has just launched the UK’s most eco-friendly beauty range, Skin Academy Zero. Skin Academy Zero is the first mass market, 100% natural, 100% recyclable / recycled packaging and sustainable skincare range that is set to shape the future of the beauty industry. The innovation sets a new environmental standard in the beauty industry, […]
Tried & Tested – Feed Your Skin with Superfood from Elemis
Nourish from the outside-in with these new additions to the vitamin-packed Pre-biotic SUPERFOOD SKINCARE RANGE New Superfood Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator £28 | 50ml This super gentle facial scrub is jam-packed with anti-oxidant rich fruit extracts, Black Tea Extract and Glycerin, leaving the complexion smoother, softer and hydrated. • Sustainably-sourced Blackcurrant Fruit Pulp exfoliates for a smoother, […]
Product Test – Soap Co.
The Soap Co. is an ethical luxury brand that creates sophisticated cruetly-free body care products to nuture and care for your skin. Wild Nettle & Sage Hand Lotion 300ml £18 13 natural oils including healing sage, uplifting rosemary and stress relieving thyme provide the delicate herbal notes for our Wild Nettle & Sage hand lotion. […]
Product Test – Weleda
Replenish with Weleda Sea Buckthorn Replenishing Body Lotion 200ml £18.95 Intensive body care for dry skin. Fresh, fruity fragrant and replenishing body lotion to help your skin back to its natural beauty balance. Sun-ripened riches in a bottle – organic sea buckthorn fruits and seeds yield the oil which makes this lotion rich and replenishing. […]
Tried & Tested – Monat
Restore & Renew Your Hair with Monat Hero Ingredients across the Monat Hydrating Collection Are: REJUVENIQE® A blend of 13+ Natural Plant and Essential Oils rich in omega fatty acids, antioxidants and nutrients highly compatible with skin and hair. CAPIXYL™ Effective emollient blend helps safeguard the scalp, strengthen hair and support natural growth for improved thickness […]
Lost Houses in Derbyshire
Lost Houses of Derbyshire – New Hall, Castleton
When Mick Stanley and I were researching the first edition of The Derbyshire Country House around 1980 our attention was drawn by a colleague of Mick’s at the Derbyshire Museum Service (of blessed memory) to an item in a north Derbyshire auction. Provenanced from a vendor in Buxton, this was a fine oak 17th century […]
The Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Norton House, Norton
For any reader who missed my description of Greenhill Hall, I ought to repeat that although Norton is today a fully integrated suburb of Sheffield, this has only been the case since 1936, when the Sheffield Council, greedy to boost rate income, managed to obtain a large chunk of NE Derbyshire during the local government […]
Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Measham Hall
Well informed readers might be tempted to say, on seeing the subject of this article, that Measham is not in Derbyshire at all, which seems all wrong in view of the fact that we try to present histories of lost Derbyshire houses. All it not quite as it seems, however, as Measham was until 1897 […]
The Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Glapwell Hall
Glapwell Hall was a rather rambling stone house of later seventeenth century date, made more rambling by Georgian and Victorian additions, producing, as one former owner put it, ‘a house of comfort rather than conformity’. The rooves were a right jumble from above. It was built of coursed rubble with Permian magnesian Limestone/coal measures sandstone […]
The Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Greenhill Hall, Norton
When I write about Derbyshire, I do tend to stick to the historic borders of the County, the land of which has been eroded (and less generously replenished) ever since County Councils were first formed in 1888. Although we have gained the Seals (Over and Nether) in the south and Fernilee to the north west, […]
The Lost Houses of Derbshire – West House, Chesterfield
About seven years ago I found myself sat next to Sir Nicholas Soames at lunch, which put me on my conversational mettle. What does one say to a grandson of Sir Winston Churchill and the son of a Tory Grandee (the last governor of Southern Rhodesia inter alia) and a man who himself is a […]
Around Your Garden
Hidden Gem of Food & Drink – The Boot, Repton
Turning the corner onto Boot Hill in Repton, the self-proclaimed capital of Mercia, I immediately thought “I should have arrived on a horse!” Everything seemed to be linked to the past and, in all honesty, I love that. The Boot, a 17th Century coaching Inn, is owned, managed and run by people with a fierce […]
Gardening – Spring
I wouldn’t say that the Winter has been particularly bad, looking back on my gardening diary we had 7ft snow drifts in 2014 in South Derbyshire but I do think it has been a long one. For the first time in 20 years we had snow early in December so after stop – start with […]
Gardening – Autumn
Over the past month the colours in the trees have really started to change, have you got space in your garden for a small growing tree? There are plenty of different varieties that are suitable for a modern small garden – they create a focal point that is evident all year especially if you choose […]
Gardening – Autumn
Wow October already! It truly has been one of the best years for growing. With last month’s ‘Indian’ summer along with the warm start to the autumn season this continues to be a kind year to gardeners and more importantly those of us able to be outside enjoying the garden. With the fantastic sunny weather […]
Gardening – Autumn
Last month I was asked to judge Ticknall Flower and Produce show for the third time. The standard was very high again and extremely difficult to judge. I was pleased to see a great effort from the children’s category and an interesting section “Gardening Disasters” which strangely enough made me smile than cry. I said […]
Gardening – Summer
Its always interesting looking back on my diary and what I wrote this time last year in Country Images Magazine. I wrote about how the rain just kept coming and it rotted the Rose blooms on the plants – it just shows that 2 years are never the same and you have to adjust your […]
Celebrity Interviews
Celebrity Interview – Susan Boyle
More than ten years on from her unforgettable rendition of I Dreamed A Dream from the musical Les Misérables, Susan is heading out on tour to do what she loves most of all: singing to an audience. When she stepped onto the Britain’s Got Talent stage, few people could have imagined the impact she would […]
Celebrity Interview – Tara Fitzgerald
‘Prism is at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 3rd – 12th October and at The Theatre Royal, Nottingham from 21 – 26 October’Tara admits she always gets nervous: “It’s always been the same as far back as I can remember. Excitement and the desire for something to be good are the drivers and inevitably make […]
Celebrity Interview – Aled Jones & Russell Watson
Take two of the world’s greatest classical voices, get them to sing a selection of their favourite hymns, arias and popular songs, and what do you have? One of the fastest-selling albums nowadays of any genre. Aled Jones and Russell Watson are continuing their partnership with their first tour together, stopping off in Nottingham where […]
Celebrity Interview – Julia Watson
Oozing confidence, charm and charisma, Julia Watson saunters around a church she’s known for many years, entertaining a rapt crowd with tales of her career and reciting some of literature’s greatest lines. It’s obvious that she was cut out to be on stage and it’s no surprise later when she tells me “I love acting”. […]
Celebrity Interview – Kate Humble
“There’s nothing better than walking into a mucky stable or a mucky barn with a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow and cleaning it out” The feeling of writer and TV presenter Kate Humble who’s known mainly for specialising in wildlife and science programmes for the BBC. She’s also appearing in theatres around the country and will […]
Celebrity Interview – Bill Bailey
What makes comedy funny? That’s not a question that’s part of a normal everyday conversation. But while speaking to comedian, musician and actor Bill Bailey, the man described as “the brainiest comic of his generation” almost unconsciously analyses how his act has changed to keep in step with comedic trends. His current show Larks In […]
Walking In Derbyshire
Walk Derbyshire – Walks from Stately Homes – Lyme Park
Walk Derbyshire – Walks from Stately Homes – Lyme Park
DISTANCE: 3½ miles (5.6km) of moderate forest track, open moorland, surfaced road, waymarked field path and rough access drive. 525 foot (160m) climb. RECOMMENDED MAP: Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure Sheet 1, Dark Peak. 1:25,000 scale. PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Hourly TP service buses to Buxton, then bus or train to Disley where a short walk along a […]
Walk Derbyshire – Lathkill Dale & Over Haddon
Walk Derbyshire – Lathkill Dale & Over Haddon
Lathkill Dale is one of my favourite walking areas of the Peak. I don’t know how many times I have walked beside what Izaac Walton called ‘the purest of streams’. I have walked there and enjoyed it in all weathers and in every season of the year. There are almost unlimited variations of footpath routes […]
Walk Derbyshire – Tegg’s Nose and the Upper Bollin Valley
Walk Derbyshire – Tegg’s Nose and the Upper Bollin Valley
5 miles (8km) of moderate to strenuous walking on well-defined footpaths and by-roads. 492-foot (150m) descent and ascent. Recommended map: Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale, Outdoor Leisure Map Sheet 2, The White Peak. Bus Services: High Peak number 58, hourly on weekdays and two-hourly on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. Car Parking: Pay and Display Tegg’s […]
Walk Derbyshire – Carsington Pasture & The High Peak Trail
Walk Derbyshire – Carsington Pasture & The High Peak Trail
5 miles (8km) of minor road and field path walking with one steady 252 foot climb (77m). Moderate. RECOMMENDED MAP: Ordnance Survey Explorer Map Sheet OL24. 1:25000 scale; the Peak District, White Peak Area. PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Your Bus service between Ashbourne and Matlock calls at Carsington Water Visitor Centre and Carsington village every […]
Walk Derbyshire – Chelmorton and Deepdale
Walk Derbyshire – Chelmorton and Deepdale
4¼miles (6.8km) of moderate walking on field paths and cart tracks; rocky in DeepdaleRECOMMENDED MAP: Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale Outdoor Leisure map Sheet 2; The White PeakBUS SERVICES: Transpeak TP service from Derby stops at the Monyash road-end. Hulleys 177 Bakewell to Buxton via Monyash service stops at Chelmorton Post Office. High Peak 193 Tideswell to […]
Walk Derbyshire – Around Matlock Moor
Walk Derbyshire – Around Matlock Moor
A short 4 mile (6.4km) easy walk along clear paths and a quiet upland road. One steady climb of 220ft (67m). Muddy sections near both farms and woodland passed along the way. Recommended Map: Outdoor Leisure Map Sheet 24 The Peak District – White Peak Area. Transport: The X17 Chesterfield service leaves Matlock bus station […]