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The Fisherman’s Rest

fishermans-outside-aug-13In its time the Fishermans Rest in Broadholme, Belper has, as many other pubs, seen a few landlords come and go. The days of the 30 year stint landlord seem to have gone. People move on quickly for one reason or another. The Fishermans Rest was always known as a pub to get a good pint of Pedigree and that hasn’t changed. Mind you I had a pint of their EPA which is a little lighter than Pedi… Situated just a few yards off the A6 it is a very convenient place to stop. Outside the pub the old stone front wall was known as ‘Fishermans Wall’. Pretty obvious why, but I will continue. The fishermen, after their stint of fishing in the River Derwent, would come and sit on it and have a beer. How civilised is that? The sign hanging above the door depicts a sleeping fisherman(!). When we arrived to meet new landlord David, ‘the wall’ was warm with the evening sun and was starting to fill up. When we left at 7.30 it was full of drinkers chatting and enjoying the last vestiges of a sunny day. David is from London and it is his first venture as a landlord. He has been joined by Betty (his mum who hails from the northeast). foishermand-main-jpBetty has experience of the pub trade which makes this venture more interesting with new ideas being fused with old ones. Stepdad Bob sat and chatted with us after toiling all day getting the garden tidied and doing some decorating. It’s a family concern – all joining in to help put the Fishermans on the map again. Wet sales have soared since they opened the doors for the first time in June and the sunny weather has added to the attraction. They are seeing the growth in local customers as people realise it has changed in the clientele that they wish to attract. They are a friendly down to earth family who see a pub as a place where local people can meet for a good drink and chat. They aren’t pretentious and want to attract customers both local and far away who wish to enjoy a traditional pub atmosphere. These things take time to build but they are really encouraged by the progress made in a few short weeks. Their food is traditional pub grub which is a massive change from the previous ‘a la carte’ fayre. David said “We just want to serve good pub food, nothing fancy, we source our food from established local suppliers.” While we were chatting a neighbour called in to ask if they wanted a few fresh herbs. The lettuce was from next door too. fishermans-main-gpNo air miles there. If you visit you will find starters such as soup and a roll, mushrooms in batter with salad, pâté with salad. Mains include traditional steak and kidney pie and home made chips. The specials board included T-bone steak (£10.95), Sirloin (£8.95) and Gammon (£6.95). New chef Ash has included ‘Ash’s specials’. I tried his chilli chicken and chips, quickly served and piping hot. Large pieces of chicken with mushrooms and onion in a tomato sauce. I enjoyed this and look forward to seeing Ash develop his menu in the months that lie ahead. My wife had two small pieces of cheese and onion quiche with salad and home made chips. All very straightforward food served pleasantly without breaking the bank. As David said, “Traditional pub food served from 12 until 8 and if you come on a Monday you get fish and chips for only £4”. The bar is quite large and in the process of being renovated which they are working on daily, almost 24/7. In this industry it’s all hands on deck. The large car park to the side along with an outside seating and garden area all makes this a very large pub indeed. The play area for the kids seemed good too. As David and Betty get to know the area and the people better I am sure that you will see more changes in the menu and presentation of food however they won’t veer away from their goal of creating a village pub serving good ale and pub food.

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