Dining In Derbyshire – The Bulls Head, Holymoorside

Nestled in the centre of Holymoorside on the west side of Chesterfield. The Bulls Head, has over the past 9 years become the go to place for fine dining. Travelling there on a sunny Saturday evening we passed along country lanes Nestled in the centre of Holymoorside on the west side of Chesterfield. The Bulls Head, has over the past 9 years become the go to place for fine dining. Travelling there on a sunny Saturday evening we passed along country lanes with names such as, Cotton Mill Hill, Bage Hill, Loads Road and Chandler Hill Lane all hinting at the fact that we were arriving at a village with real history. Just around the corner from The Bulls Head, which first opened its doors in 1881, was the Manlove owned Cotton mill which made cotton thread spun onto its own bobbins. Sadly the sound of the mill wheel turning no longer exists as the village throbs to the new sounds of its residents.

And so we arrived at this lovely village that holds so many childhood memories for me. We were booked in at 6:00, knowing that to fully enjoy the experience we needed the whole evening. A 9 course tasting menu is very different from any other way of dining out I can think of. If you are put off by the thoughts of 9 courses being too much, then don’t be. The idea is to enjoy small plates of differing dishes, prepared and presented by an excellent chef, and to learn about the intriguing and sophisticated methods and ingredients that are used to prepare and present them.

We sat in the bar, a rustic area which still very much has the feel of the old Bulls Head, and scanned the menu for the evening. We realised at this point that to fully appreciate the experience we needed the input of the well informed staff. If you enjoy a good wine then the thirty nine page drinks menu will really delight you. I asked Mark and then Tom our waiter, to recommend a wine and their choice was superb. The choice of wines from a round the world is truly amazing, with descriptions of taste and provenance on each page. With a good glass of red in hand, in our case a very smooth 7 grape variety, we were served with 2 thin slices of Spanish style chorizo and 2 slices of bresaola, both made in house and hung for 3/4 months.

My favourite dish followed next; flaked Cornish crab with lemon, sweet and fresh with saffron wild rice and a pear and gooseberry dressing, Cavair and sprinkled with foraged petals.

Then came my husband’s favourite; a dish of ham and egg, the egg very runny with a toasted brioche to dip, and crunchy smoked bacon crumbs on top.

Sea trout followed; lightly barbecued with tomatoes serve in every way imaginable. The sea fingers added a salty crunch and the Nduja sauce brought the whole dish together. Nduja by the way is a south Italian sausage with fennel and chilli, this really was an education.

I noticed that like myself, many of the diners were unfamiliar with hoggot. Hoggot, is born as lamb then becomes mutton at 12 months, then becomes hoggot when it’s had itsfirst children, as it’s raised for breeding it has a far better quality of life and flavour. Cooked slowly on the barbecue this was a meat that melted in your mouth. The minted pea purée and pearl drop of burnt lemon gel enough accompaniment with a dark jus which had a hint of cardamom.

Moving to desserts and a refined take on rice pudding, cooked in coconut milk, Fig Leaf and orange this formed a base for the blackcurrant sorbet. Yogurt with pine infused sugar provided the final flourish executed by the chef at the table. Cooled to minus 200 degrees it immediately froze to be crushed into a yogurt crumble, leaving a great fresh and clean taste to the palate. And finally a chocoholics delight, decorated with edible gold and glazed hazelnuts, filled with white and dark chocolate.

A strong coffee finished the evening perfectly with Petit Fours.

Each course is served with an explanation of the dish which really does enhance your enjoyment and helps you to identify all the subtle nuances of flavours. The dishes vary according to both the season and what is available to be foraged and so the menu is varied.

In addition to the 9 course taster menu there is a reduced version of 5 courses as well which is great. For a full breakdown of the Signature tasting, A La carte and Sunday lunch menus please visit the web site. The Bulls Head is in the Michelin guide and has 3 AA rosettes. Mark Aisthorpe is patron chef who in 2022 appeared on BBC’s Great British Menu reaching the regional final. His enthusiasm is contagious and his passion inspirational. His staff are well trained , polite and very friendly which makes for a relaxed and pleasant experience. After our meal Mark invited us into the engine room of the business to see how things work backstage and show us how the recently installed gleaming new stainless steel kitchen, functioned. It always amazes us how so much can be produced for a room full of diners in such a short time. Having all the equipment obviously helps but you need the staff to pull it all together on time and it was great to see them all at the end of a busy evening, albeit looking a bit tired, but satisfied with a job well done.