Home cooked food and hospitality
The Duncombe Arms
duncombearms.co.uk
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hello@duncombearms.co.uk
Ellastone, Ashbourne, Derby
Derbyshire
The Devonshire Arms at Pilsley
devonshirehotels.co.uk/devonshire-arms-pilsley
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res@devonshirehotels.co.uk
High St, Pilsley, Bakewell, Derbyshire Dales
North East Derbyshire
The French have their cafés, Americans their fast food diners and the British their pubs.
In his 17th-century diary, Samuel Pepys described the pub as “the heart of England”. A meeting place, somewhere to relax, where people can eat, drink, talk and play games like cards or darts or billiards.
A village local like the Woodmancote Pub where one is confronted unapologetically by an array home baked cakes amongst bottles of wine and pork scratchings.
As well as a menu offering traditional pub food such as a Farmers Country Platter sitting comfortably alongside the ubiquitous burger. An unfortunate feature found on most menus in the day and age.
cntraveller.com/gallery/best-country-pubs-uk
Jenni Halpin is the landlady at the Unicorn, a free house pub and restaurant, brimming with rural charm and located in the beautiful unspoilt village of Heyshott.
Offering weary walkers an opportunity of taking a pint with the locals, if not sitting down to a wholesome hearty country pub lunch or simply relaxing in the garden which offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside.
The first licence was granted to Henry Smith in 1839 and despite having built up a reputation for some of the best pub food to be found in the area, there was no menu to speak until the 1950s.
It all started when the Chadwick’s took over the running of the Unicorn and introduced ‘Mrs Chad’s Pie’ as well as bar snacks at lunch times on a Sunday.
It only became a Free House in the 1960s when the partition between the public and private bar was removed. Extensive refurbishments were carried out by Maria Simpson after purchasing the pub in the 1990’s retaining the quintessential English charm of one of the most charming village pubs in the South Downs.
