I don’t know about you, but when I’m away for a short break, the last thing I want to do is cook – especially on Sunday! Our flock was enjoying a long weekend at Landal Darwin Forest with Bestie Bird and her family and, as part of our planning, we’d decided to go to The Fishpond in Matlock Bath to have their Sunday Carvery. Chef Elmer De Villa is the talent behind this very popular Carvery, ably assisted by his kitchen team, the bar staff and the serving crew.
We woke up on the Sunday morning to a blanket of snow; one that was throwing a spanner in the works for many folks travelling by car! Luckily, we managed to get ‘down dale and up hill’, and grabbed a spot in the car park opposite the venue. Very unusually, there were plenty of spaces along the main road free – as I said, the snow had scuppered a lot of people’s plans.
Stepping inside this lovely venue, we were greeted warmly and directed upstairs, where our table was. Downstairs was very busy with family groups, couples and groups of friends, and some tables had dogs with their well-behaved humans at them. As we walked up the stairs into what was originally the ballroom, our nostrils began to twitch as the smells of a classic Sunday roast hit them. You can’t fail to see the Carvery counter – it’s huge; it took all our will-power to walk past it to our table in the far corner, I can tell you! The Man Bird and TBW headed up to the bar to purchase drinks and carvery tokens for us all; adults pay £16.50, children cost £8.
Local butchers Owen Taylor & Sons and E.W. Coates provide the meat for The Fishpond, and Elmer literally spends hours ensuring they’re perfect for his customers; despite the snow, he was in the kitchen at 6am – now that’s truly a labour of love. On offer for meativores is a real feast: Beef Forerib, Beef Topside, Beef Silverside, Garlic-and-Rosemary Roasted Leg of Lamb, Plain Lamb, Turkey Breast, Pork Shoulder and Honey-glazed Gammon! Elmer offers the beef cuts in a range of states: rare, medium and well-done, so you can take your pick. For those that don’t eat meat, there is also a Vegan-suitable, Homemade Nut Roast.
All of our group were more than ready to get our bellies filled; on our previous experience, we’d advised everyone to skip brekkie and go all-in for Elmer’s delicious carvery, so we were a little bit Hank Marvin to say the least. At The Fishpond you can literally have a bit of each meat and, with the exception of Ginger Ninja (who doesn’t like her meat rare) we all requested the full monty. It isn’t just the meat choice that’s impressive, the choice of vegetables is extensive, too!
Elmer pops a Yorkshire Pud on your plate if you want one, then you saunter down the counters to help yourself from Sage, Onion and Cranberry Stuffing, Roasties and Mashed Potato, Cauliflower Cheese, Cheesy Leeks, roasted Swede cubes, roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Brussels Sprouts, Garden Peas, French Beans and spiced Red Cabbage…oh, and Elmer’s Onion Sauce (which is super-tasty). At the end of the counter is a huge pot of gravy and every sauce known to man! Needless to say, by the time we had made our way along all the meat and vegetables, and gone back to our seats, we looked like an episode of Man Vs Food!!
The trick is to pace yourself - and also not to stand up until you’ve finished eating! – so we all took it nice and steady and made a respectable effort. When we put our cutlery down, there wasn’t an awful lot left on any of the plates; maybe a bit of fat trimmed from the edge of the meat and the odd carrot or other veggie. I’m not sure whether that should be bragged about, really, given the amount we’d just scoffed!
Every single morsel that passed our lips was beyond magnificent; that’s not just mine and The Man’s opinion either, BB, GN and TBW all agreed it was superb. I stand by the statement that I made on my last visit: for the cost, the quality and quantity of the food on offer, this is the best Carvery in the ‘Shire. That’s not doing down the other places that we’ve visited at all, they’re great, but it really is the sheer choice and the fact that you can have everything for the price that puts The Fishpond’s/Elmer’s offering head-and-shoulders above the rest. The Fishpond is open 7-days-a-week, Sun-Thurs Noon-11pm, Friday and Saturday Noon-Midnight, and offers a great choice of classic meals and freshly made in-house Pizzas.
To book your table ring 01629 55006 or visit the website www.thefishpondmatlockbath.co.uk
Hot Wings very happily and unreservedly given to this amazing Matlock Bath gem again.
