Sunday Lunch At The Recently Re-opened Batemans Mill In Old Tupton, Clay Cross
Published On Thursday 1 May 2025 by Sticky Beak
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I’d love to say that the reason we were out for a roast on Easter Sunday was because it’s a family tradition, but the harsh truth is that I was just disorganized and forgot to get meat for an at-home feast, so we had no choice but to go out! Don’t shoot me; I can’t be perfect all the time… hahahahahaha. Thankfully, The Man Bird is well used to my ineptitude and just got on with the task of booking us a table at The Batemans Mill in Old Tupton (near Clay Cross).
Originally built as a Corn and Flour Mill, Batemans Mill was operational up until the 1930s, but didn’t become a Hotel, Restaurant and Bar until 1991. His Nibs and I had enjoyed a meal here pre-Covid, so we were looking forward to seeing if it was still producing good food. There is a decent sized car park on-site and we grabbed a spot fairly close to the entrance before making our way down a few steps and stepping inside. Dogs are very welcome at The Batemans Mill, as are children, and both were very much in evidence on this particular day.
As you’d expect, there is plenty of character to this building; wood ceiling beams, red brick archways and solid stone walls have a certain relaxed charm to them that instantly puts you at ease. Dark brown tub chairs and low tables provide a comfy spot to perch if you’re enjoying a drink, or a more informal place to dine. However, we were seated at one of the more traditional wood tables, all of which have a nice privacy space between them. Boston Brewery ales are the brilliantly quirky-named, specialty tipple on offer, but there is also a good selection of draught lagers, wines and spirits available if they’re more your thing.
Our lovely server brought over our drinks and then left us to study the Sunday menu [served between Noon-5.30pm] for a few minutes before coming back to take our order. I chose the Roast Lamb (£17.50), Mummy Bird fancied the Roast Beef (£16.50), and His Nibs opted for the Honey Mustard Roasted Ham (£15.50). All the roasts come with Roast Potatoes, Honey Roasted Root Vegetables, Braised Red Cabbage, Seasonal Greens, a Yorkshire Pud, and Batemans signature Gravy, and we added a side order of Cauliflower Cheese (£4) to complete our meal.
We’d spied some other roasts going to adjacent tables, and the aromas drifting over were fair making our mouths water! It wasn’t long, though, before three of the serving team were winging their way to us and placing the array of plates and side dishes on the table. One of the young ladies asked if we wanted any sauces, and I requested some Mint Sauce to go with my Lamb. Mummy Bird struggles now to cut meat, pastry etc. so that falls to me, and the first thing that struck me was just how much meat you get on your plate at Batemans Mill! I’d cut the first slice up and thought that Mummy was going to be full up, but then I spotted a second slice underneath it; and it wasn’t only Mummy’s plate that was laden – my own had got a trio of Lamb slices on it, and The Man had also got three slices of Gammon Ham on.
All the meats were beautifully tender and juicy, their respective flavours clear and bold in the mouth. A medley of Broccoli, Peas and Savoy Cabbage were housed in a large bowl and had that superb hint of bite left to them. You can’t beat in-season veggies; the flavours are at their peak and bounce on the palate, and these were all glorious. I have never seen such dinky Parsnips as the ones I had here, but they looked magnificent, leaning up against the golden beauty of the Yorkshire Pud; bathed in Honey, alongside Chantenay Carrots, they had been roasted to a marvelously sweet intensity.
The [seasoned] Roast Potatoes were another triumph here; looking like miniature jacket spuds, they had impossibly soft, nutty-tasting inners and gently crisp skins. OK, they weren’t crisp enough to elicit a crunch when bitten into, but they more than made up for that with their taste. One of the cornerstones of a Sunday roast is the iconic Yorkie, and Chef does a proper ‘like Granny made’ one. Statuesque and gently brown, the batter tasted nicely eggy and was crisp at the sides and comfortingly soft at the bottom.
In another bowl was a huge portion of Cauliflower Cheese – finally, a venue that gets the concept of serving enough of a side dish for it to be a sharer!! For £4, you definitely get your money’s worth, portion-wise, and when it comes to quality, your four quid’s are punching above their weight – this was flipping delicious; moreish, actually. The Cauliflower florets were each a good size and still had a pleasant bite to them, and the Cheese sauce was plentiful and flavoursome; it was the whisper of gratination on the top that really sealed its superstar status, though. Absolutely exquisite!
No exaggeration when I say that this is possibly the best value for money Sunday roast in the ‘Shire; seriously! Obviously, you can have Wagyu Beef, rare breed Lamb or Truffle Mash if you want - and they are definitely worth their premium, I’m not dissing them – but they aren’t a necessity to elevate the meal when the meal is already this wonderful. When economic times are tough, and you need to be savvy and selective where you part with your dosh, this is a definite contender.
Needless to say, we were definitely in the market for dessert; after all, it was Easter Sunday, and if you can’t treat yourself to pud on that day, when can you?!
Mummy went for Cadbury Mini Egg Rocky Road with Ice Cream, I had Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding with Custard, and His Nibs chose White Chocolate and Orange Marmalade Cheesecake with Ice Cream; all desserts were £6.50. The Man had spotted the cheesecake going out to the table next to us and had called ‘dibs’ on it before anyone else could; as they say, if you snooze, you lose, so props to him for being quick off the mark.
Each dessert was nicely presented, and after having cut Mummy Birds’ Rocky Road into smaller pieces, she managed to utilise the lipped edge of the bowl to get each bit onto her spoon. This was a chocoholic’s dream, the cocoa treat binding the biscuit pieces, mallows and Mini Eggs all together, and the Vanilla Ice Cream was all the partner needed here.
My own Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter minx was beautifully spiced and the soft currants were marvellously sweet and fruity. The Buns had been sliced and then smothered in a rich egg-custard mix before being baked, and the golden tops were crisp and crunchy, in contrast to the soft, cocooning ‘body’ of the pudding. A nice, rich Custard provided a Vanilla roundedness that paired amazingly well with the fruity Hot Cross Buns, making this a perfectly balanced finish to my meal.
His Nibs was pretty smitten with his dessert, though he did say that the biscuit base of his cheesecake was a smidge firmer than the ideal; he had to apply a bit of pressure to cut into it. The topping, though, was tremendous! White Chocolate’s unmistakeable creamy sweetness was tempered by the bitter edge of a bona-fide Marmalade. I was a bit jealous when I’d tried a bit because, as a Marmalade lover, I appreciate one that isn’t overly sweetened and allows the sharper tones of the citrus peel to pop on the tongue. This really was a stunner. To add insult to injury, The Man got a scoop of Ice Cream AND a quenelle of Cream with his dessert – he gets all the luck, sometimes!
Throughout our meal, check-backs had been done to ensure we were happy with our meals and to see if we were ok for drinks, sauces etc. The service is friendly and the team members were all very polite. All our food had been piping hot where applicable, and extremely enjoyable, so Hot Wings unreservedly given to this fantastic Old Tupton venue. We are already counting down until their new restaurant (on the other side of the Mill) opens - hopefully- in July 2025. You can have lunch and evening meals in the current dining area between Noon-7.30pm 7-days-a-week, and as I said above, Sunday Roasts are served Noon-5.30pm.
To book a table ring 01246 862296, or search Google (‘The Batemans Mill, Old Tupton) and hit the opentable.co.uk tab to make an online reservation. The Facebook page, The Batemans Mill, has all the current events and competitions on it, as well as lots of photos for you to see what the fuss is about.
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