Dinner At The Miners Arms In Dronfield Woodhouse
Published On Wednesday 26 Feb 2025 by Sticky Beak
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I’ve said before that one of the best things about the blog is the wide range of venues that we get asked to visit; one night we can be at an AA-Rosetted restaurant, the next, at a local pub that does food. Turns out, that that was pretty much how one week panned out; well not quite, it was more a case of city eats and town chowing (and no rosettes, yet!).
Anyway, the venue in question here is The Miners Arms in Dronfield Woodhouse, a curious town that lies equidistant between Sheffield and Chesterfield; nobody’s ever quite sure whether which one it should be considered a suburb of. It has a Sheffield postcode (S18) but is definitely within Derbyshire. I don’t suppose it really matters, unless it does to you!
Like many pubs of its genre, The Miners Arms had fallen into a bit of a rut and needed some serious TLC. Along came landlord Jon Church and, with cash from Heineken’s Star Pubs division, this local pub was given a makeover and a steer in a different direction; one that would see good food and beverage delivered, as well as sport, quiz nights and events that locals could get behind. There was plenty of on-site parking to be had, so His Nibs popped the jalopy into a space and we headed inside. Apparently, there is a beer garden, too, but we didn’t hang around to see where it was; it was colder than a witch’s t%t, as they say, so we scampered to find warmth.
The revamp has certainly lightened the venue up: modern, brushed gold lighting provides a good amount of illumination and the walls are painted in natural colours; green on the lower half, pale cream on the top. Gone is the clutter of old, replaced with prints of flowers, foliage and animals in gold frames that are mounted on the walls, and music is played at a sociable level. Flooring was a mix of wooden and carpeted areas and tables were either larger bench-styles, square or circular wooden types, paired with high-back seating or banquettes upholstered in sage green velvet. Dogs and Children are welcome in The Miners Arms, which I think should be the case in any decent ‘local’; if you’re aiming to be part of a community, then embrace all parts of it.
The large bar is the focal point of The Miners Arms and offers a wide range of draught lagers and craft ales, as well as soft drinks, wines and spirits. Cocktail drinkers are also catered for. I opted to have a glass of Shiraz and The Man had a pint of Moretti whilst we looked through the menu and its choice of pub classics, burgers, sharers and small plates.
Having stuffed ourselves the previous night [and Valentine’s being the next], we ordered Sticky Pork Belly Bites (£6.95) to share as a starter – good job, as the portion size was certainly plenty for two! For mains we chose Blade of Beef (£16.95) and Steak and Ale Pie (also £16.95) for me and The Man respectively. Whilst we waited for our food, His Nibs had a wander round and discovered that there were more areas to dine in on the other side of the bar, not just the area near the huge stone fireplace where we had been seated. Drinkers can retire to the snug or lounge, and there are a couple of large screens that show sports (via Sky and TNT sports channels).
After only a small wait, our lovely server was placing the large bowl of Pork Bites before us, and she asked if we wanted side plates; given the easily navigable size of each Pork cube, we declined, saying that we’d manage with just cutlery. These minxes were delicious! Mild, creamy-tasting Pork Belly melted in the mouth, and was beautifully tender; in total contrast, was the punchy Honey and Red Chilli Marmalade that clung to each piece of meat – this certainly gets the attention of your taste buds. A nice side salad of Mixed Leaves, Peppers, and Cucumber topped with Crispy Onion bits provided some cool crunch here, as well as looking pretty. As we occupied ourselves with munching, another member of the team came to check we were happy with our food, returning when we’d finished to clear the plate away.
His Nibs had gone for the pie having seen it wing its way to an adjacent table and, as he cut into it, was rewarded with an intoxicating whiff of ale-pimped gravy and earthy Steak. The shortcrust pastry had a good fat content, which melted in the mouth’s heat and the slow-braised meat had been crammed into its confines; honestly, there wasn’t a smidge of space left between pastry sides and top! Chef paired the steak with a brilliantly thick, ale-pimped gravy/sauce that had a beautiful taste to it. Mushy Peas were housed in their own separate pot, their sweetness contrasting with the deeper flavours in the dish. Chunky Chips were the perfect vessel to dunk into the extra meat-juice gravy that was in a little jug on the side of the plate; their golden outers were nicely crisped, and fluffy inners had a gentle nutty taste to them. This was what you’d call a proper, honest meal: plentiful, tasty, cooked well, and piping hot.
My rolled Blade of Beef was just ruddy gorgeous, it really was. Soft, super-flavoursome Beef had been condensed together and the result was ridiculously tender shreds that literally melted on my tongue; seriously heavenly. Paired with the glorious Red Wine gravy, my palate was twirling with joy, and even more so when it got hold of the Wholegrain Mustard-zhuzhed Mash! Sticky, Honey-roast Carrots and Parsnips were wonderfully soft and comforting, perfect on what was a pretty grim evening, weather-wise – I don’t think I’d seen any blue in the sky all week…and I’m not exaggerating, sadly. Peas, Leeks and Broccoli had all been cooked to retain some crunch, and their brighter, cleaner flavours popped superbly against the deeper ones in this great meal. As with our starter, check-backs had been done and enquiries made as to whether we wanted any more drinks.
Our tummies were more than full and we’d said that we were going to go steady and not have pudding; that worked out well, then, as we ordered Sticky Toffee pudding and Fruit Crumble! In mitigation, we only ordered them because they were homemade and we wanted to see if they were up to muster. Turns out that, yes, they were blooming fab.
My Fruit Crumble was Apple and Mixed Berry, and I’d opted to have Custard with it instead of Ice Cream. There was a perfect amount of fruit to crumble topping which, by the way, was absolutely stonking – just like my Nana used to make. You can always tell when a crumble topping is the real deal: its fat content goes a bit clumpy when it comes into contact with hot Custard or as it lingers on the tongue. It probably isn’t the lightest choice in terms of calories or fat content, but the individual dish-sized portion was well worth it!
His Nibs was just as thrilled with his Sticky Toffee Pudding. The texture of the sponge was lighter than some, but the flavour’s depth didn’t half pack a wallop. Using my Grandad’s eloquence, the unctuous Toffee Sauce was a real rib-sticker and had a delightfully deep, rich taste. Unusually, The Man had eschewed Custard in favour of Caramel Fudge Ice Cream and, as it melted in the puds’ warmth, pale rivulets drizzled down the sides, soon to be scooped up by His Nibs’ spoon. The key with any Ice Cream is to utilise a good quality one; you really can tell the difference, and here it certainly shone through as it released its mesmerising, fudgy wondrousness. I tried a bit and, crikey, I could eat a whole tub of this treat.
Throughout our evening, the service we’d had was faultless; if you’re not local, you might think that the team are a bit brusque. They’re not, not at all, they’re just straight-John Bull like most folks in this area are. We didn’t bat an eyelid, but if you’re from out of the area it might take you 5 minutes to get used to it. Questions are asked, such as “Are you enjoying your food?” and, once the answer has been given, they’ll leave you alone to crack on rather than linger around with small-talk. Perfectly fine by me and The Man.
We’d certainly return, so Hot Wings given, very happily. I hope that the residents in the town and nearby get behind Jon and his staff; a lot of time and effort has gone in to creating a local that the community can be proud of, so please support it. As I say, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it” and goodness knows, enough pubs have gone to the wall in recent years without another good one joining the sad statistic.
Sunday lunch is also served at The Miners Arms from Noon-6pm, until stocks last. Like I say, straight John Bull! To book a table call 0114 4576847 or hit the ‘book a table’ button at www.minersarmsdronfieldwoodhouse.co.uk
Opening hours are Mon-Thurs Noon-11pm, Fri Noon-Midnight, Sat Noon-1am and Sunday 10am-11pm. Food service times are Mon-Thurs Noon-8pm, Fri Noon-8.30pm, Sat 10am-8.30pm, and Sunday 10am-6pm.
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