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Dining In Derbyshire – Darley’s

Dining In Derbyshire – Darley’s
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Darley Abbey is a mill village just over a mile from the centre of Derby, on the bank of the river Derwent. On the other bank sits an area of historic, industrial heritage now part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site.

Approached from Alfreton Road, you turn along Haslams Lane and pass the Derby Rugby ground on your left before entering the heart of the mills area. The well-preserved buildings have changed little since the 1800s and so the sense of history here is palpable. Today many of the buildings have been re-purposed to focus on retail and relaxation.

It was a beautiful summer evening and we were here to enjoy the pleasures of dining at Darleys Fine Dining Restaurant. With a great reputation, Darleys are in the 2022 Michelin Guide, have AA Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence 2022 and Tripadvisor Traveller’s choice Award 2022.

The restaurant has views over the river and weir, and most of the tables enjoy this aspect. Taking advantage of its position, a decked area is perfectly situated to make the most of cocktails on a warm evening. The decor is modern but tasteful giving diners plenty of room.

We received a friendly greeting and were quickly seated so that with chilled, crisp Chardonnay in hand we could take our time over the menu.

My husband and I have very different tastes and yet I could easily predict his order, and knowing my love of fish, he could predict mine. Thankfully the menu isn’t extensive so you can have confidence that everything is freshly prepared, and ingredients are genuinely seasonal. They also care well for vegetarians.

Chef’s amuse-bouche was served with butter and freshly baked sourdough and I detected a hint of caraway from the mix of seeds, this accompanied a tartlet filled with Ox tongue , peas and horseradish, a nice appetiser.

The chalk stream trout, my choice for starter, was cubes of cured pink trout, delicately flavoured in a rich crab bisque with portions of melon and caviar. The hit of tangy lemon came through the fresh, clean flavours. My husband chose the Isle of Wight Tomatoes, in a ricotta sauce with slices of young courgette, baby basil leaves and crunchy smoked almond which added texture. Perfect for a warm evening.

Pan-fried Cornish cod followed for me. It’s ages since I enjoyed such a beautiful piece of fish. White, fresh and perfectly cooked. The crisp samphire added a saltiness to the small potatoes and kohlrabi, and the mussel velouté had me reaching for my spoon to savour every drop. My husband preferring beef, ordered the short rib of beef. Although the waitress said this would be slightly rare, it was tender and moist without being pink. Served with layers of potato, a healthy portion of kimchi ketchup, kale and in its own juice, the beef really stood out as hero.

Desserts were easy to choose from, and to be honest I could have had any… or even all of them! But the honey panna cotta won out, with a hint of lemon and spoonful of caramel buried within, it was picture perfect, a clean not overly sweet end to our meal. With a hot cup of fresh coffee, we drifted our way to the end of the evening.

Darleys describe themselves as a fine dining restaurant, serving modern and European dishes. The chef and his team clearly have a set vision for the food on offer here which would sit equally well amongst some of London’s best restaurants. The setting is lovely and adds to the ambiance. The service is both friendly, efficient and courteous. The wine list is reasonably priced, with a good choice of cocktails… and the food, well it speaks for itself, beautifully presented using interesting seasonal ingredients, but not so unusual that it takes you out of your comfort zone.

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening and look forward to returning soon.

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