The Palfrey Derbyshire restaurant's incredible cocktails and top Sunday lunch blew me away

The clocks going back herald the start of the festive season, when I feel zero guilt for enjoying platefuls of hearty food and warm tumblers of brandy to keep those chills at bay. 

The Palfrey is a Derbyshire restaurant I visited for Sunday lunch. 

Nestled on Hopping Hill, affording views across the rooftops of Belper, the striking restaurant is just as impressive inside as it is out. 

Rustic yet elegant, with notes of burnished copper and wood instantly imbues one’s soul with warmth. 

It’s a place I have visited several times and it has always been cool.

However my latest visit took my breath away.

I hadn’t intended to fall in love with a restaurant, but then again the calibre of The Palfrey is sky-high. 

We started with a few drinks and I ordered my go-to of Old Fashioned. 

It was served smoky and in its own glass cloche, so it already scored high on looks.

The flavour was something else, with the perfect blend of bourbon, bitters, sugar and the smoke giving rise to an incredible, full-bodied drink. 

There are various menus throughout the week.

A dedicated Sunday menu features bar snacks such as confit garlic Camembert, starters of whipped goats cheese on sourdough, mains of black treacle cured beef, and desserts including tiramisu brownie. 

Prices are £20 for one course, £26 and £32 for two- and three-courses respectively.

Historically I’ve never had success with nut roast, so I felt I was playing Russian roulette when I chose this as a main.

The Palfrey take on the vegan classic is nothing like a regular nut roast. 

It was delicate, lightly fragranced and I finished it off, forgetting it was vegan, such was the delicious nature of the dish. 

Everything on the plate worked well together, from the perfectly cooked roasties to the honey glazed carrots and parsnips. 

I’m going through a Yorkshire pudding fixation and The Palfrey did not disappoint.

Giant Yorkies, light as air but that remained crisp throughout lunch service were a revelation. 

My second course was dessert of purple sweet potato Basque cheesecake served with croissant brittle. 

The Derbyshire take on the viral sensation of ube cheesecake (made from purple yams) looked striking but tasted amazing too. 

Dense, fudgy textured cheesecake topped with croissant brittle crumb and tart gel was beautiful, the sour notes elevating the dish from great to memorable. 

Dining partner started off with mussels which came in a shallot and white wine cream sauce with sourdough. 

Succulent morsels in piquant sauce with a light tang were delicious, while sourdough did a good job of soaking up all those precious juices. 

His main of black treacle cured Derbyshire beef involved tender meat slices with the usual Sunday lunch accompaniments of beef dripping roasties, root vegetables, braised red cabbage, seasonal greens, sage and onion stuffing bon bon and Yorkshire pudding. 

He said the meal was “faultless”.

Another diner at the table had vegetarian leek and potato pie that was served with mash and minted peas. 

Short pastry with a tender crumb and a pie that was well filled was also appreciated by the diner. 

Sorry to go all Halloween on you, but there is some sort of magic happening at The Palfrey.

From stunning cocktails made by expert mixologists - Joshua I’m looking at you - to chefs who show accomplished cooking, The Palfrey is the place to be in Derbyshire. Go for Sunday lunch, stay for cocktails, be wowed by fabulous customer service and pencil in a return visit stat. 

What we ate at The Palfrey at New Inn Derbyshire

• 2x 2 course Sunday lunch (mussels and beef), (nut roast and cheesecake) £52 
• Leek and potato vegetarian pie £18
• Purple sweet potato Basque cheesecake, croissant brittle £9
• Smoky Old Fashioned £9
• Pint Atlantis £5.90

Total (not including service charge) £93.90

Location: The Palfrey at New Inn, Hopping Hill, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RL

For more information about The Palfrey click here.