Kettleshulme, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“In the beautiful foothills of the Peak District”, a “cosy pub with its open fire, good draft beers and, importantly, a kitchen that can cook fish”, whether you go for Josper-roasted catch or a slap-up fish ’n’ chips. Far from a neophyte, the venue has graced this village since way back in the mid-1700s, with less antique additions including a new beer cellar and three boutique bedrooms.

This “brilliant inn on the fringe of the Peak District” was praised this year for its “well above average and varied fresh fare”, from a menu that skips happily from Chinese-style bao buns to Thai fish dishes and Indian-spiced cauliflower. “Dan, the owner, ensures a great atmosphere – as does a surprisingly large crowd of regulars” (plus their furry friends, this being a venue that is “very dog-friendly, which we really appreciated for our puppy’s first meal out!”). Directly next door is the owners’ more casual sister pub, The Paper Mill Inn, for pizzas, pies and regular pop-ups.

2022 Review: Patrick Hannity's decade-old spin-off from his Manchester original is less well known than its progenitor but is “usually excellent”, too; the food is “light, balanced and filled with flavour”, incorporating produce from his Peak District farm.

Open in 2023 in the former premises of a pre-Victorian bank, this local two-year-old received a boost in July 2025 from The Times’s Giles Coren, who was strong-armed into a visit by former Tory minister Edwina Currie, now a colleague of his at Times Radio, to test her insistence that Derbyshire is “the fine dining capital of the civilised world”. The review detailed some “well-balanced and tasty” dishes all at “single digit price[s not seen] on a menu since before lockdown”. Our feedback is too thin for a rating but backs up Edwina’s enthusiasm.