Hello everyone! I'm a local Derbyshire bird, and along with my family and friends, I love to spread my wings and get my beak sticky sampling food, wine and beer at restaurants, pubs, cafés and hotels. Along the way, we enjoy discovering hidden gems, meeting passionate people and sharing great experiences from across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and beyond.
I'm not particularly snobby about fancy food or luxurious surroundings; what matters to me is that a place is clean, welcoming, has a bit of atmosphere, and serves food and drink that's done well. After all, that's what people go out to enjoy.
What started as a way of sharing our local dining adventures has grown into an independent website dedicated to helping people discover great places to eat, drink, stay and explore. Alongside our restaurant reviews, you'll now find foodie news, accommodation reviews, travel features, event coverage and destination guides from across the UK and beyond.
Our aim has always been simple: to inspire people to discover somewhere new. Whether that's a village pub, an independent café, a fine dining restaurant, a boutique hotel or an exciting travel destination, we love showcasing places that deserve to be discovered. Supporting independent and local businesses is especially important to us because they help make our towns, villages and communities unique.
Every venue we review has been personally visited, and we only publish reviews of places we'd happily recommend to our own friends and family. If we don't feel we can recommend somewhere, we simply don't review it. We believe that's fair to both our readers and the businesses we visit, allowing us to celebrate great hospitality while remaining completely independent.
Of course, nobody gets everything right every time. Our reviews aren't about nitpicking or trying to catch businesses out. Hospitality is a demanding industry, and everyone has the occasional off day. However, if something genuinely affects the experience—such as exceptionally long waits without explanation or poor customer service—we believe it's only fair to mention it honestly and constructively.
Whether you're searching for somewhere to eat, drink, stay or explore, we hope The Sticky Beak Blog helps you discover your next favourite place. And if you know of a restaurant, pub, café, hotel, attraction or foodie event that you think deserves a visit, we'd love to hear from you.
Happy exploring, and thanks for stopping by!
