Mehmet Murat Ildan

During our recent stay in The Peacock at Rowsley for our anniversary treat we decided to sample their Tasting Menu accompanied by the Wine Flight. It was a sublime experience, the food and wine complimented each other perfectly. As mentioned previously the experience was enhanced by the waiter serving the wine ‘blind’ and challenging us to identify the grape variety we had just been served.

We exchanged anniversary cards before going to the breakfast room. There were interesting choices on the menu and after a bit of deliberation I settled on scrambled egg with smoked salmon. The croissant was lightly toasted, the eggs creamy and the salmon was thick rather than thinly sliced. It was delicious. Mr C, as usual, opted for the full English which was presented in a pleasing way.

We drove the short distance to Haddon Hall, arriving a few minutes before the Hall opened its sturdy door to the public. The weather was glorious despite the predicted rain. We enjoyed a couple of talks ; the history of Haddon Hall and the Manners family and an explanation of the chapel wall paintings and other features of the chapel. I found the later talk especially interesting.

After the talks, we enjoyed the hall at our leisure before entering the gardens. The gardens are always a delight but, for us on this occasion, they were enhanced by the roses being in full bloom. The sunshine made our garden walk even more enjoyable.

We had lunch in the Café at Haddon Hall where after my substantial breakfast I chose the light option of Cherry Bakewell Tart, a perfect choice for our next destination, Bakewell, where we enjoyed browsing the quaint shops. We would have liked to sample the wares of The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop but it was too soon after lunch. Maybe next time…

On our way back to The Peacock we stopped off at the nearby shopping village. I was able to purchase a lovely waterproof jacket that I had seen a few days before in a garden centre local to me but where it was not available in my size. I also succumbed to another cookbook at a bargain price, Easy Meals Every Day by Pip Payne.

It was now time to return to our hotel to chill out in our room before our anniversary treat; The Tasting Menu accompanied by the Wine Flight. The experience was wonderful with tasty dishes and perfect wine pairing. This was enhanced by the waiter serving the wine ‘blind’ and challenging us to identify the grape variety we had just been served. We were able to identify some but not all of them. On my part, I was surprised that I could; I have no sense of smell and rely on my tastebuds only.

Photo taken by Mr C

The waiter also told us that we were dining on an original Mouseman table by the English craftsman Robert Thompson whose trademark signature was a mouse carved onto his furniture pieces.

To complete the evening we took a nightcap up to our room. Happy Anniversary Mr C.

We set off a bit later than we had intended, stopping for lunch in Tansley Barn garden centre just a few miles short of our hotel.

Suitably refreshed, we drove to our hotel to suss out parking arrangements ahead of booking in later in the afternoon. We saw some adorable calves in the farmyard next to the hotel.

Reconnaissance completed, we drove to our afternoon destination, Eyam Plague Village, where we explored the excellent museum. As we browsed the museum, I could hear the intermittent sound of what I knew to be a Christmas Carol being sung. The special exhibition said that the carol, A Virgin Most Pure, was local to Derbyshire with each village having a slight variation on words. I am not from Derbyshire but I found that the carol was imbedded in my subconscious from my choir days and I had to resist the urge to burst out singing!

We walked to the nearby St Lawrence’s church which, in addition to its plague connections has other features of note including an ancient Saxon Cross.

Luck was with us; we made it back to the car before the heavens opened! As we drove the short distance through the Chatsworth estate to our hotel, we saw the adorable sight of sheep and lambs sheltering beneath the leafy branches of magnificent trees.

As far as I was concerned lamb was off the menu for that evening.

We booked into the hotel and were shown to our luxurious room which had a bedroom and a sitting room. Mr C collected the cases from the car after the rain had eased off.

During this time, I noticed a missed call and voicemail (about a hospital appointment) from the care home where mum is currently living. The Peak District has dodgy mobile reception and the hotels were so thick that I couldn’t call back. After the rain stopped, I went outside into the hotel garden to confirm the arrangements for mum’s hospital appointment.

I chose the opportunity to explore the garden before returning to our room to chill out and change before dinner. This left plenty of time to have an aperitif before dinner. It is unusual to find a dry sherry on offer but I was served with a wonderful dry Amontillado which had all sorts of flavours tickling my tongue.

We both chose guinea fowl as our main course. Mr C preceded this with a starter and followed with a dessert both of which I was allowed to taste. The food was all we hoped it would be.

There was a slight downside to the evening… One of our dinner companions was an annoying lady who liked the sound of her own voice. She talked loudly at her husband with a circular conversation that kept coming back to her telling her husband he wasn’t listening to her. From where I was sitting it was extremely hard not to listen to her, in fact her voice was impossible to tune out.

After dinner the guests retired to the lounge area where her relentless voice caused everyone to retreat, even me eventually. Picking up my drink I whispered in Mr C’s ear that I was going to retire to the bar area.

Peace at last!

It didn’t fit so Ted didn’t wear it

Marie Williams Johnstone

The room was warm and cosy leading to a lovely relaxing night’s sleep.

I packed my bags which I hadn’t been able to do the night before because of my clothes that were wet due to the Bolsover deluge. However, my fleece was still quite damp and not suitable for wearing or packing.

We checked out of the Premier Inn and drove to the Chatsworth Farm Shop Café at Pilsley for breakfast. The traditional breakfast options are big and hearty so I opted for a lighter breakfast, an almond croissant which was also enormous.

After our delicious breakfast we arrived at Chatsworth in plenty of time (despite the queue for the car park) for our 11.30 house time slot.

We reacquainted ourselves with the house and enjoyed the new exhibitions. Because of our late breakfast we decided to explore the grounds before having lunch. We enjoyed exploring the wider grounds which we have not been able to do before due to limited time available during a day trip.

We had a late lunch, sharing an egg roll, before browsing the shop where I couldn’t resist purchasing 111 Dark Places in England which Mr C had noticed in the smaller shop as we exited the house. Another lady had been captivated by the book and was chuckling with us about ‘a bucket list’ of things to do. Mr C & I had noticed that we had already visited a significant number of places on the list. I suppose that is what happens when you are interested in history.

We had a leisurely drive home, although our Satnav chose a less scenic route home than it had done for our journey to Bolsover Castle. Back home we unpacked before enjoying a lovely pork chop roast dinner.

We booked a last-minute overnighter so that we could spend a whole day at Chatsworth. Before setting off on our journey we visited mum who seemed in a better place than she had been in recent days.

As we left it was time for lunch (both mum’s and ours) so we stopped at Boscobel House for a sandwich before continuing our journey to our first port of call, Bolsover Castle.

For a long time, we had been intending to visit Bolsover and we weren’t disappointed. The property has a rich and interesting history. The first structure of the current castle dates back to 1612 to 1617 and was built by Sir Charles Cavendish. The castle was built on the earthworks and ruins of a 12^th century medieval castle built by the Peverel Family.

As we entered what is referred to as ‘The Little’ castle the heavens opened leaving us grateful that the property has a roof. The artworks painted on the walls and ceilings within are stunning. Each room has its own theme; The seasons, heaven and earth and other similar themes. We had hoped to enjoy the wall walk but when we had finished our tour of ‘The Little’ castle the rain had become even more torrential. The wall walk is Something, along with the gardens and fountain that we will have to pick up on a sunnier day.

Despite having an umbrella I got absolutely soaked walking back to the visitor centre. The rain was coming in sideways and the paths were rivers of water. My feet got soaked and one arm of my fleece was rather soggy.

Thankfully our hotel, the Premier Inn, wasn’t far away. I was soon able to shed my soggy garments and have a lovely soak in the bath and feel clean and refreshed.

Later we dined in The Divan Restaurant which serves delicious Turkish cuisine. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming and vibrant. Over the meal we realised it was a family team; mother, father and daughter. The daughter was serving us, the father was the cook and the mother checking up to see if everything was as it should be and that we were happy.

We retired to the nearby Wetherspoons Spa Lane Vaults for a nightcap. The wine I ordered, a Pinot Grigio Blush, arrived looking rather dark. Mr C queried what had been delivered and was told it was correct. One sweet saccharine sip later my taste buds were assaulted. The wine was returned, Mr C opting for a safe dry white wine rather than trying to educate the staff to serve the dry rose that Weatherspoon’s does offer.

Walking back to the hotel we enjoyed the view of St Mary’s twisted spire surrounded by mist.

Day six concluded my overnight mini adventure in chesterfield and beyond.