Sunday Lunch At The Barrel Inn, Bretton
Published On Sunday 20 Jul 2025 by Sticky Beak
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I don’t care what anyone says, when the sun’s shining, there’s no place more beautiful in the world than Derbyshire. With it being forecast to be a glorious weekend, The Man had set-to and booked a venue for Sunday lunch that would take us up into the breath-taking ‘Shire hills: The Barrel Inn at Bretton, which is near the historic village of Eyam. There was another reason for going a little further afield from home; whilst there’s no doubting the beauty of ‘the peaks’, in winter, the journey up there can be ‘interesting, shall we say – especially on narrower roads!
As it was, the sun was out and fluffy cotton-wool clouds floated high up; you felt like you were on top of the world, with a view that stretched out for [literally] miles. The Barrel Inn is blessed with a multitude of walking routes nearby, so its outside area (and the viewing area over the road) were snided out with walkers and cyclists and furry friends. Inside was no less busy, either; so much so that our table wasn’t quite ready when we checked in – lovely to see a business doing so well. I should just say that dogs are more than welcome in any of the outdoor spaces, but not within the pub itself.
Inside, the pub has a proper old-world, traditional feel to it; there’s the quintessential low, beamed ceilings, horse brasses, copper and brass pots and paraphernalia; and best of all…a colourful Axminster carpet! Many years ago (in the 1980’s), Daddy Bird gave Mummy a choice: family holiday to America or new carpet for the lounge, hall, stairs and landing; she chose the damn carpet, an Axminster one, and I have remained scarred from childhood, ever since!! To drown my sorrows, I ordered a large glass of Malbec (£10.70), Mummy had a large Pinot Grigio (£9.30) in order to deal with her dramatic child, and His Nibs thought ‘bloody great, I’m in the middle of them both!’ and had a pint of Poretti (£6).
Alongside the Sunday roast menu, there was a fab selection of classic pub mains, including Fish and Chips, Steak and Ale Pie, and Gammon Steak. Other than the Lamb, which carries a £2.50 supplement, all the roasts at The Barrel Inn are £18.95, and come with Roasties, Mash, Seasonal Vegetables, Onion sauce, Yorkshire Pud, and pan roast Gravy. I went for a Lamb roast, The Man had the Steak and Ale Pie (with its hot water crust pastry), triple-cooked Chips and Seasonal Greens (£18.95), and Mummy fancied the Whitby Haddock with triple-cooked Chips, Mushy Peas, Tartare Sauce, Pickled Egg and Curry (£17.95).
Whilst we waited for our own meals, we looked longingly at the marvellous morsels that went past us, destined for other tables and eager tummies. Children were in evidence with their families, and were tucking in with as much gusto as the adults, which made me smile as I reminisced when Fledge used to be smaller, and just as gannet-sy! Soon enough, our server was placing our meals in front of us and went off to fetch some Mint Sauce for me; when he’d returned, we all began to tuck in and a multitude of mouth-watering aromas soon filled our space - as did sighs of contentment as those first mouthfuls hit our palates.
My Lamb was served pink and was divinely soft and juicy, with that irresistible sweetness that always gets me in the feels. There was plenty of it too, the pair of slices being huge. Beautifully seasoned, glass-smooth Mash was anchoring the two brilliantly crisped Roasties in a fashion that reminded me of the ‘butterfly’ cakes I used to make with my Mama; a great touch, visually. The whole roasted Carrot was still pleasantly firm, and gorgeously sweet, and the greens were bright and clean in their flavours.
I got a bit of a shock at [what I thought was] a soggy bottom of the Yorkie; with Chef Carl Riley (formerly of The Merchant’s Yard in Tideswell) at the helm in the kitchen, this really would’ve been a turn-up for the books! I clearly should’ve chilled my bones though: with The Barrel Inn holding an AA-Rosette, there was no way this rookie error was going to happen. Turns out that Chef had ladled the [white] Onion Sauce into the bottom of the Yorkshire Pudding to contain it, its paleness giving a ‘batter’ look. The sauce itself was absolutely marvellous – though I have to say that Chef Elmer de Villa still does the best one, in my opinion, but that’s not taking anything away from this treasure at all. Any great Sunday roast has an equally great Yorkie as one of its lynch-pins, and Chef here does a blooming stonking one: crisp outers and softer ‘body’, with a delicious, lip-smacking batter flavour to it. So good was this roast, I even scooped up every last bit of the gravy! Bravo, Carl.
I have said on many an occasion, that Mummy did a ruddy tremendous batter for her fried Fish – and it was memorable – but even she said how wonderful the ultra-crisp batter on her Haddock here was. Under the bubbly, crunchy batter was the firm, sweet flesh of the Haddock, and it made Mummy Bird smile at its taste. The Tartare sauce had a lovely bit of texture to it, in contrast to the superbly smooth Curry sauce that acted as a suction cup for the quarter of hard-boiled, pickled Egg. Although Mummy likes Curry, it still came as a bit of surprise to see alongside this particular dish, and even more so that she liked it so much! The Mushy Peas were housed in their own separate little pot, and still had a spot of texture, as well as that characteristic sweetness to them. Needless to say, the triple-cooked Chips were a culinary triumph, their crisp outers contrasting with their flavoursome, soft inners; both Mummy Bird and His Nibs had these as part of their meal and agreed that they were excellent.
Somewhere in the world, I reckon there is a challenge for Chefs, to see who can stuff the most meat into a pie. If there is, Chef Carl Riley is determined to win! Seriously, you couldn’t have got any more meat inside the dazzlingly good pastry case if you’d tried – it was chock-a-block full to the brim. Each chunk of Beef was tender and moist, with an impressive depth to its taste that was partnered brilliantly by the thick, ale-pimped gravy. His Nibs knew he was going to have his work cut out to finish this pie (small it ain’t!), and it did indeed prove to be extremely filling. I knew it was a stretch for his appetite as he left some of the Chips…and you all know what a spud lover he is! Like myself, The Man’s greens were some Tenderstem Broccoli and Green Cabbage, both deliciously bright and grassy on the palate with a nice amount of bite left to them.
Much as we wanted to and, trust me, we all desperately wanted to, none of us had got the appetite for pudding! Our tummies were simply too full. We did all vow, though, to return and have another meal at the Barrel Inn at Bretton, with a sweet treat definitely on the cards.
Throughout our afternoon, the service had been as good as the food; nothing had been too much trouble, and everything was done with a smile. Hot Wings very happily given to this little gem of a pub. If you want to stay at this historic pub (it dates back to the 1500’s), you can book one of the five rooms by either ringing 01433 630856 or visiting www.thebarrelinn.co.uk – the same applies to booking a table. Open all day for drinks, food service times are as follows: Mon-Sat Noon-2pm for lunch, then 6-8pm for dinner; Sundays Noon-5pm.
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