Regular readers of the blog all know what Sunday means, don’t you? Yep, another Flock Sunday Roast 😊! This time, The Man Bird had reserved a table at The Three Cottages in Hasland, Chesterfield – and, let me tell you, we were all chewing our knuckles in hunger after a good days’ graft in the garden.
The Three Cottages is a quirky gastro pub, comprised of the knocking-together of yes, you guessed it, a trio of cottages! Inside, there’s a mix of carpeted and tiled floor areas throughout the open-plan layout, and to give a bit of visual interest, some of the seating areas are raised up; one of which we found ourselves in. The lower half of the walls were wood panels, and the upper half was painted a pale green/grey tone that I thought was very calming. An old ordnance map of the area adorned the large wall behind our table, which was the only decoration I really took notice of, if I’m honest!
Although it was Sunday, there are other items on the menu for customers to choose from if they don’t fancy a traditional roast – no surprise that we all went for a slap-up Sunday lunch, though 😊. Usually, we don’t go for starters if we’re having a roast lunch/dinner but, as I mentioned earlier, we’d been working hard and had worked up a keen appetite; consequently, we all ordered a first course. Now, you can use the QR code on each table to order food and drink whilst you’re seated, but we still like the personal touch, so recited our order to an actual human 😊.
I fancied the sound of pan-fried Button Mushrooms in Stilton and Garlic Sauce with toasted Sourdough (£6.95), Mummy had Tomato and Basil Soup with Sourdough (£5.75), His Nibs went for 3 pieces of hand-coated Southern Fried Chicken Strips with Garlic Mayo (£6.75 for 3 strips, £8.25 for 5), and Fledge had Halloumi Sticks coated in Herb Panko with Sweet Chilli Sauce (£6.95).
All the starters arrived piping hot and nicely presented so, with the photos taken, we dug in. My mushrooms were sliced and smothered in a molten, thick sauce that certainly had both Garlic and Stilton in! I was glad of the slices of sourdough; they came in very handy at the end to polish off every last scrap of sauce 😊. The dish was very tasty, though I would’ve liked more for my money if I’m being picky.
Mummy Bird, on the other hand, said that her soup was great value for money as she dipped her spoon into the depths of the sizeable bowl. The flavour of the thickish soup was excellent; nice and sweet, bright and bouncy on the palate and you got the gorgeous taste of Basil at the periphery of the tongue, just balancing things perfectly 😊.
The Man Bird said that his Chicken was beautifully seasoned and very juicy in the mouth, and the Garlic Mayo’s creaminess complimented the meat wonderfully. Feeling generous, Fledge offered up some of her Sweet Chilli dip for her Daddy to dunk the chicken strips in, so he was a very happy chap 😊. My (not so) little Chickadee loves Mayonnaise so, returning the favour, His Nibs parted with some of his condiment for her to dip her chunky Halloumi sticks in; she’s not a massive fan of Sweet Chilli sauce - unless it’s with her Chinese takeaway order! – though I can’t say the combination of Cheese and Mayo particularly appeals to me; each to their own! The smooth Halloumi was partnered brilliantly by crispy, textural Panko crumbs and the contrast certainly kept the senses on high alert 😊.
Our server came to check we’d enjoyed our starters and took away clean plates, returning a short while later with our quartet of mains. His Nibs and I had both plumped for the roast duo option: Beef and Chicken for me, Beef and Pork for him (£15.95), Mummy Bird went for Belly Pork and Crackling (£14.95) and Fledge chose Roast Chicken with Sage and Onion Stuffing (also £14.95). We also added a portion of Cauliflower Cheese for an extra £3.95.
Without exception, all the meats e, His Nibs and Fledge had were gorgeously tender and moist in the mouth, bursting with flavour and accompanied by large Yorkshire Puddings, Herby Roasties, Seasonal Vegetables…and possibly the hugest jug of gravy in the universe! Mummy Birds’ Belly Pork was lovely and deep, the layers of meat and fat clearly visible. Now, I know a lot of folks don’t like fat, but it does have its place: not only does it keep flesh moist during cooking, it also imparts a silky, soft texture when chewed. In complete opposition to the soft Belly Pork was the super-crispy Crackling, which went down brilliantly with Mummy Bird and I – we both love the crunchy skin treat 😊.
Cabbage, Green Beans and Garden Peas all tasted as good as they looked, and were still just-firm. Carrot batons and crisply roasted Parsnips were the other vegetables on offer and they were wonderfully sweet in taste. Creamy, seasoned Mash completed the standard line-up on the plate, with the generous bowl of Cauliflower Cheese being served separately. Our flock are rather partial to Cauli Cheese and the one served here had a delicious sauce surrounding the florets of Cauliflower, so we were all contented.
Although it wasn’t particularly needed (thanks to the meat all being juicy), we all slathered the rich, meaty gravy over our dishes and it was definitely a liquid that added to, rather than detracted from, the meal. It took us a while, but we all cleared our plates; needless to say, we didn’t have pud on this occasion!
We hadn’t been to The Three Cottages since before the pandemic, so it was lovely to revisit a fairly local venue, and we’d certainly come back to try some more of the dishes on offer. Children are welcome, as are well behaved dogs; children are welcome throughout the venue, dogs are permitted in roughly half the pub, so if you don’t like them (or have allergies) then you can still have space from them. Hot Wings awarded here 😊.
To book a table ring 01246 769857 or visit the website www.threecottageshasland.co.uk for menu details. The Three Cottages is open Monday-Saturday Noon-10pm and Sunday Noon-8pm, and serves food Monday-Saturday Noon-9pm and Sunday Noon-6pm.
