Sunday Carvery At The Orangery At St Elphin's Park, Darley Dale
Published On Sunday 16 Feb 2025 by Sticky Beak
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It’s always a pleasure to be asked to return to a venue, especially when it’s one as lovely as The Orangery at St Elphin’s in Darley Dale. Sunday, as it should be, is clearly the day when St Elphin’s owners and their families get together over a traditional roast; the place was buzzing!.
As ever, the greeting we received at reception was wonderfully warm and we then made our way through to the restaurant and were escorted over to our table near one of the gorgeous full-length windows. Most of our previous visits have been in the evening, so it was lovely to be able to see the view of the grounds in [albeit grey] daylight; even in winter the shrubs and flower-beds are tended to, so that in spring the blooms will bloom and the leaves and buds green up nicely.
After we’d ordered drinks, we had a look at the Sunday Carvery menu. Although it says ‘carvery’ and the Striploin of Beef and Honey-glazed Gammon were on the hot-counter, you can also order Nut Roast, Chicken Breast and catch/fish of the day from the kitchen. We were informed that Hake with Hollandaise sauce was that particular catch of the day, and the soup was Creamed Vegetable. At The Orangery, you have the option to have a single course, a combination of two courses, or go all-out and have three; prices are £18.95, £23.95 and £28.95 respectively.
To start, I chose the Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail and His Nibs had the Soup. The Prawn Cocktail was presented on a plate with a slice of gorgeously soft, springy fresh white bread, and there was a generous number of plump Prawns bound in a marvellously tangy sauce to tuck into. Crunchy, crisp Gem Lettuce had been shredded and mixed with Cucumber slices, Cherry Tomato halves, and sliced Red Onion. The combination of tastes and textures was superb in this classic starter, and Chef at St Elphin’s does a cracking interpretation of it.
His Nibs commented that his soup was rich and creamy, with a texture like fine velvet. There was plenty of the gently sunny, unctuous soup to savour and The Man Bird took time to appreciate the tastes as they flooded over his tongue. A warmed, fresh Baguette was the sole accompaniment to the soup, other than a pat of butter to spread over the bread; but then, when something is as marvellous as this, you don’t need anything else, do you?
When we’d finished (and our server had taken the clean crockery away), I had a look around and saw that there was a wide variety of dishes being enjoyed. Often, there are certain dishes that prove to be overwhelmingly popular, but here there was a good spread of all three starters and carvery and kitchen mains. It was great to see that the vegetables were replenished regularly and, after one such filling up of the tureens, His Nibs and I made our way up to the carvery counter. I had chosen the Striploin, but the sight of the huge Gammon joint had me drooling, and I commented as such. Kindly, we were allowed to have a slice of each meat, and thick slices they were, too!
The Striploin of Beef had been cooked perfectly medium/rare so that, when it was sliced, you could see that mesmerising ombre from the darker outers to that glorious, rose-pink centre. For those that steer away from medium/rare as they think there will still be runny blood, I can assure you that this wasn’t the case at all at The Orangery; beautifully rested, relaxed meat fibres simply had that lovely sheen to them and a marvellous juiciness in the mouth – and this was the case with the Gammon, too. Accompanying the meats on the plate were large cubes of proper, sausagemeat stuffing (nicely chunked with Onion) and plumptious, homemade Yorkshire Puds that I couldn’t wait to chomp into.
There was no mash, but golden roasties and skin-on New Potatoes were flying the flag for spuds; I popped a couple of the roasties on my plate, The Man helped himself to both versions. Roasted Parsnips and Carrots were there in all their charred glory, so I obliged and gave them 15 minutes of fame on my plate (to be honest, that’s about the time they lasted before being gobbled up!). Garden Peas, shredded Savoy Cabbage and Sweetcorn kernels added a pop of colour to our plates, as well as their bright, clean notes. Without fail, each veg had been cooked wonderfully to preserve crunch where necessary, and intensify their sugar content when roasted. I smiled happily when I spied the Broccoli- and Cauliflower- Cheese, and we both grinned as our palates bathed in this absolute treasure.
Fans of Yorkshire Puddings will get exactly what I mean when I say that their sides were thin and crispy, evidence of the ‘wave’ effect created when the smoking hot fat/oil hits the cool batter mix. Chef had mixed a beautifully tasty batter and ensured that they were at peak condition, but they weren’t the best thing on our plates though. In my opinion, the stars were the Roast Potatoes; impossibly crisp outers, these elicited an audible crunch when cut and bitten into and the inners were pillow soft. Hands down, these were the best roasties I’ve had…and I don’t say that lightly. I was totally ‘Stan’ning over these minxes! Even the meat-juice gravy was brilliant, and you get a decent sized boat of it brought over to your table for you to help yourself to.
Having finished our mains, we were both pretty stuffed, but the Crumble and Custard was calling to me and the Cheesecake was beckoning His Maj. Well, woe-is-me, the earlier diners had snaffled all the Crumble – don’t I always say that the early bird gets the worm?! However, our server informed us that the Crumble was replaced by Chocolate Brownie and Ice cream so we did a bit of a shuffle around: I ordered the Cheesecake, and His Nibs opted for the Brownie. Crisis averted!
The Chocolate Brownie was marvellously cocoa-laden and nicely gooey in the centre; even more so, thanks to it being served warm. This warm, sticky texture ensured that the brownie clung to the insides of the cheeks for maximum flavour effect, and The Man certainly fell under its spell. Any chocolate dessert benefits from the addition of a good quality Vanilla Ice Cream, and this particular one was no different; the coolness of the Ice Cream contrasted nicely with the warm Brownie and the rounded Vanilla notes partnered the Cocoa superbly.
It may not have been my first choice, but the Cheesecake certainly didn’t disappoint. A nicely buttery base was topped with a silky-texture, Vanilla body and crowned with curls of creamy White Chocolate. As you can imagine, this was a really indulgent morsel and one that I took the time to savour properly. Where the Cheesecake was sublimely creamy, the jewel-toned Raspberry Coulis was vibrant, bold and punchy; its fruity sharpness had me scrunching my face up in that state of pleasurable shock. Sometimes, the universe gifts you exactly what you need and, on this occasion, it was clearly Cheesecake!
Throughout our time at The Orangery, we had wanted for nothing; the service was top-notch, the food delightful and the setting superb. Hot Wings happily given to this Darley Dale venue again.
To book a table, ring 01629 258055 or visit www.audleyrestaurants.co.uk, scroll down to ‘The Orangery’ and hit the ‘book’ button. The Orangery at St Elphin’s Park is open Mon-Weds Noon-5pm, Thurs-Sat Noon-8pm and Sunday Noon-4pm.
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