Having met up the previous day at Darwin Forest for our annual catch up (and sat up late drinking and yapping!), His Nibs, me, Bestie Bird, The Bolton Wanderer and Ginger Ninja all climbed in the jalopy and headed over to The Old Smithy in Beeley village for a hearty breakfast. The Man Bird and I had been here a few weeks previously for lunch and had been so impressed that we’d booked this table for breakfast!
The lovely Angela [who we knew from a former venue she’d worked at] showed us all to our table right at the bottom of the building, nicely private and tucked away. We ordered our drinks at the same time: pot of tea for me and BB to share, Gold Bar Hot Choc for The Man, a flat white for TBW, and a Hot Choc with Whipped Cream and Marshmallows for GN.
It didn’t take long for the chaps to declare that they were having the Smithy Senior breakfast (£13), and GN said she was going to have the pared down Smithy Junior one (£9.50). I will say, she has a good appetite bless her, though she is reticent in trying things she doesn’t know. BB opted for The Sweet Stack (£9.50), American-style Pancakes with Bacon and Maple Syrup, and I went for Avo-load of this: Smashed Avo with Poached Eggs and a Chilli Jam dressing on Sourdough – I also added Salmon for an extra satiating protein blast (an extra £2).
Everything is cooked fresh-to-order and with it being very busy, we knew we’d have a bit of a wait; not that we minded though, we just sipped our drinks and carried on catching up. Before long though, Angela and one of her co-workers were heading our way with all the scrummy grub we’d ordered.
His Nibs had gone for fried eggs, TBW had fancied them poached, but both had beautifully sunny yolks that were still runny and delightfully rich in taste. Any self-respecting brekkie has proper farmhouse Bacon and Sausage at its heart, and the ones served at The Old Smithy are bang-on; deep in flavour and with plenty of chew time, the Bacon is superb, and the Sausage is kept plain and simple – no repeat factor in sight! By the time they’d turned their attention to the toast, the butter pats had softened from being on their warmth and the lads spread it easily, without tearing the bread. His Nibs passed me his Mushrooms and GN handed over her slice of Black Pudding; honestly, I thought it was my birthday and Christmas come at once. BB got TBW’s Mushrooms – we’re such a pair of shameless beggars, aren’t we?! As well as the bloomer toast, the Smithy Senior brekkie comes with half a Derbyshire Oatcake and this was soon loaded up with Baked Beans and the Grilled Tomato. Everything had been piping hot and fab quality, so no surprise that the trio of Full English’s had been demolished completely.
Me and Bestie weren’t letting the side down either, both of us tucking eagerly into our respective morsels with gusto! The fluffy circles of American Pancakes had been piled high with crispy Bacon (the same good stuff used in the Senior and Junior breakfasts), zhuzhed up with sticky Maple Syrup and its curious mix of smoky, earthy tones and sweet Caramel/ Toffee hints that actually pair perfectly with meats like Bacon/Pork. I have a love/hate relationship with the crust that good Sourdough has: on the one hand I love chewing through it, but it’s a tricksy minx to cut with a knife sometimes and I wasn’t up for battling! Thankfully, it wasn’t too much of a task and my endeavours saw my palate rewarded with that tangy, lightly yoghurt taste of the bread. Avocado is a seriously versatile fruit/veg? and its creaminess allows lots of other ingredients to shine. In my breakfast it was a case of layering more and more indulgently creamy elements together to produce a gloriously satisfying morsel; rich poached eggs, sumptuous Salmon slices and, of course, the pastel green chunks of smushed Avocado.
Angela had checked back that we were all happy with our breakfasts (we most definitely were) and got BB and I sorted with more drinks; thirsty work, this gossiping malarkey! As we went to pay the bill at the counter, we were confronted by the stands of tempting cakes, bakes and cookies but, knowing we were out for a feast that night, we abstained…it took some mighty will-power, though. Our total bill came to £88.55 for the five of us, which we thought was more than fair, given the quality and quantity of the food and drink we’d consumed. Hot Wings awarded for the breakfast offering at The Old Smithy, Beeley.
Seating is limited, so I would advise to always book ahead for a table; ring 01629 380098 to do so. You can also visit the website www.theoldsmithyatbeeley.com for all the latest information and events. The Old Smithy is open Monday-Friday 9am-4.30pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, and Sunday 9am-4pm.
