A Tasty Sunday Lunch at The Tavern at Tansley
Published On Thursday 2 Oct 2025 by Sticky Beak
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It had been a good while, i.e. several years, since we’d last visited The Tavern at Tansley but, with the weather being dodgy (to say the least!) a foray out into the wilds of the ‘Shire wasn’t very appealing, so we looked for somewhere closer to home: The Tavern at Tansley.
The car park isn’t the largest, but it’s adequate; we could’ve done with the third of the disabled spaces not being taken up with wooden seating benches though – especially since they were clearly out-of-commission ones! Thankfully, the walk over the [narrow] road to the pub isn’t a long one so Mummy managed it ok.
Walking through the door, the bar is the first thing you see in this traditional pub-with-restaurant. The person serving greeted us warmly and said to head just to the right where our reservation would be confirmed. Our table was close by and, having got us all seated, our lovely server took our drinks order: large Pinot (£6.75) for Mummy, large Rioja (£6.95) for me, and a pint of Neck Oil (£7) for The Man.
All of us skipped the starter course, deciding that our sweet-tooths needed indulging on this particular day! His Nibs liked the sound of the slow-roasted Lamb Rump (£18.95) but was told that they’d sold out of it, so opted for the Roast Beef instead (£17.95). Our server told us that the Pie of the Day was Steak and Stilton (£17), so Mummy and I both chose that. Other than the Stuffing and the Yorkshire Pudding, all our meals came with the same accompaniments: Roasties, Seasonal Vegetables and Gravy. We also fancied some Cauliflower Cheese (£4.50), but this had also been sold out – lady luck was clearly not on our side!
Whilst we waited for our food, I had a good gleg around; there is a definite nod to a more traditional feel, with dark ceiling beams, shades of green paint on the walls and a grand, blown-up map of the locale dominating one side. Lots of rural prints adorn the walls and lighting is sturdy modern (but no nonsense) metal types. Seating came in a variety of guises: mid-back benches, free standing chairs and a magnificent, Chesterfield-type sofa/banquette that ran pretty much under the windows down one side of the area.
Lots of dogs were coming through the door and taking their places under tables, so it’s safe to say that furry friends are very welcome at The Tavern at Tansley. Children of all ages are also warmly received, and there were several families in dining when we arrived.
To avoid any waiting, two lovely ladies bought our mains out to our table together, and asked if we needed sauces etc. – His Nibs asked for some Horseradish to go with his Beef and it was brought over very promptly. You get plenty of tender meat to tuck into if you have one of the roasts, that’s for sure, and The Man said that his Beef was really tasty. The Yorkshire Pudding was proudly holding the stuffing balls (don’t be crude you lot!), which were gorgeously herby, and the Pud itself was delicious. The trend for stupidly large Yorkies (which leave no room for other elements of the meal) seems to be diminishing, and this one was still sizeable whilst being manageable. A golden outer was nicely crisp and the middle was tasty and doughy, but not claggy or raw – just that sigh-inducing texture that reminds you of Nana’s Puddings.
A medley of sliced Leeks and White Cabbage proved to be bright and grassy in the mouth, with a nice hint of bite to them both. Whole Carrots had been peeled and roasted to render them comfortingly soft and enhance their natural sweetness, and large chunks of humble spuds had been transformed into nutty-tasting treasures with gently golden outers. The only thing we all felt a little disappointed by was the Broccoli: the stalks were just too hard to cut into; Mummy said that she didn’t mind them, but then she wasn’t the one cutting into the very firm stalks! This was a shame because the florets themselves were lovely, it was just their bottom-halves that let them down.
Mummy and I were both very impressed with our Steak and Stilton Pies. Each individual pie was a good size and stuffed to the rafters with cubes of super-flavoursome Steak and a wonderfully unctuous sauce that certainly had Stilton’s unmistakeable tang to it. This was quite marvellous by itself, but the pastry was beautifully rich and melted in our mouths instantly. As is customary before we tuck in, The Man took photos of the dishes and got a quizzical glance from The Tavern’s manager, Gareth. I will freely admit that I’m not the best with names, but faces I tend to remember; I knew I ‘knew’ Gareth from somewhere but couldn’t put my finger on it. Clearly, Gareth was having the same train of thought and came over later to ask if I was The Sticky Beak and, if so, we’d met at The Queen’s Head in Ockbrook and also at Eastwood Hall. Mystery solved!
Our servers took our mains plates away, returning to ask if we were in the market for dessert; you bet your bums we were! Pretty smartish, the mini blackboard of dessert options was brought over and we pored over it, discussing what we fancied. I ordered the Cheesecake of the Day: Cherry Bakewell (£7) without any Cream, Ice Cream, or Custard (yes, someone had actually opted for this), and His Nibs and Mummy Bird both fancied Sticky Toffee Pudding (£7.50): The Man had Ice cream with his, Mummy went for pouring Cream.
Nothing makes me smile more than when I get a proper wedge of Cheesecake, and this was certainly that. The base was buttery and pleasantly firm to cut into - no crumb disintegration here, thank you – and the body was possibly one of the prettiest I’ve seen. Predominantly pale Vanilla in tone, the top was attractively swirled with Cherry sauce and scattered with flaked Almonds, and within the centre there were pockets of whole Cherries and Coulis. Matching its exquisite appearance, this sweet delight was ruddy tremendous; seriously, this was one of these ‘if Carlsberg did…’ desserts.
Across the table, Mummy was wasting no time slapping the jug of cream all over her Sticky Toffee Pud – us Beaky Birds don’t waste energy on subtlety or restraint! Both Mummy and The Man said that the taste of the Toffee Pudding was excellent: rich and deep and very satisfying. The texture was great, too; not overly dense, but substantial. As with my dessert, the portion was generous, so everyone was happy. The biggest surprise of the day came when Gareth said that the Ice Cream was non-dairy – His Nibs didn’t notice, so the quality must’ve been good.
Throughout our time at The Tavern at Tansley, our servers had checked back at both courses that we were happy with our food and that we always had drinks. As far as service goes, you can’t beat a friendly, welcoming (and timely) team, and the one under Gareth’s gaze was spot-on. Settling our bill, we had a chat with Gareth, giving some feedback as we did so. One thing that came out was the fact that a friend of ours, Vicky, does the Pies for The Tavern! Under the professional name ‘The Creative Kitchen’, Vicky has produced multi award-winning Pies…but the best bit is that they are all suitable for Crohn’s/Coeliac sufferers, and are accredited by the Coeliac Society, no less!
Hot Wings awarded to this fab pub, we’ll certainly be returning – maybe to test our knowledge at the Quiz at 7pm on Sunday. To book a table call 01629 818916 and visit www.taverntansley.co.uk for all the latest information. Food service times are: Mon-Thurs Noon-3pm and then 5pm-7.45pm, Fri-Sat Noon-.45pm, and Sunday Noon-4.45pm.
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