A Cracking Sunday Roast at Fairways, Chevin Golf Club, Duffield
Published On Thursday 30 Oct 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Miracles do happen! I can’t tell you the last time that diaries got co-ordinated enough that we could pin Fledge and The Beau down to eating out with us all, but it finally happened last week. As you know, His Nibs, Mummy Bird and I regularly go out for a slap-up Sunday Roast so it wasn’t a hassle for us to book this venue a few weeks ahead to ensure ‘the kids’ could dine with us. The venue in question is one we’ve visited fairly often: Fairways at Chevin Golf Club.
When we last visited in summer, we missed Hollie (Fairways Manager) as it was her birthday, but this time she was in and it was so good to see her lovely smile again. We had a large table near the window, with fantastic views over the manicured green, and our server quickly sorted out table water for us and took our drinks order on her return. Mummy and I decided to share a bottle of Pinot Grigio, The Beau had Coke, Fledge had Lemonade, and The Man had a pint of Camden Pale Ale.
It was lovely to see the restaurant so busy; there were family groups in with children, and adult-only groups – even the outside terrace was bustling! Dogs are welcome outside and a couple of them were with their humans, eagerly hoping for a little tit-bit from the Hot Roast Cobs (£8.95) to come their way. I have to say, those roast cobs did look blooming fabulous, accompanied by plenty of roasties and Red Wine Gravy.
Chef Tom had been in contact with us over socials prior to our visit, so we cheekily pre-ordered a pair of the ‘Butchers Block’ offerings. Priced at £55, these are designed to be shared between 2-3 people and literally have everything but the gastro equivalent of the kitchen sink on them! Even better, Tom knows how much we love the Minted Derbyshire Lamb Shank he does - it is lush to say the least - so he popped one on the board for The Man and I.
As well as the Lamb Shank (which was wonderfully rich in flavour and falling off the bone it was that tender, btw), there were thick slices of [served pink] Beef Sirloin, Pork Loin, Gammon, and a superb Confit Chicken Leg that was gorgeously crisp on its skin. Needless to say, when the team popped the sizeable wooden blocks down, we all acted as if we’d been stranded on a desert island for years with no food! A flurry of activity saw everyone get their share of all the meats, as well as a divvying up of the plump, luscious Honey-glazed Pigs-in-Blankets, crisp Garlic and Rosemary-zhuzhed Roasties, Buttery Mash, Maple and Thyme-glazed Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Tenderstem Broccoli, Creamy Parmesan Leeks, and lavish Cauliflower Cheese. Even the Greens are extra; Mange Tout and Fine Green Beans come with a flaked Almond topping – yum.
A large white jug held more of Tom’s delicious, rich Gravy and this nearly caused a family rift as His Nibs and The Beau reached for it; youth and its quicker reflexes won the contest, The Beau larruping plenty of the roasting-juice rich liquid over the slices of meat. You’re probably salivating at all the scrummy elements already, and I haven’t even mentioned what we think is the star of the Sunday Roast Show! There are Yorkshire Puddings…and then there are Tom’s Yorkies. The puds themselves are beautifully tasty and comprised of perfectly crisp, golden outers and silky soft inners, but at Fairways they are bringing main character energy and fire. In the middle there are plentiful shreds of tender, juicy Beef Brisket, a ball of Caramelised Onion Stuffing and more of that divine gravy – honestly, foodies will think they’ve died and gone to gastro heaven.
You can always gauge the quality of a meal by the level of small talk around our table when we’re eating; the quieter we are, the better the meal. Let me just say that we were so silent, you could hear a pin drop. Replacing the chat were huge grins of joy and reverential nods of respect at Chef’s skill. Obviously, we had to reply to our server when she asked if we enjoying the food but, other than that, the conversation only resumed when we had all eaten at least half of our plates’ contents. The quality of the meal was so high that it was impossible to pick out a favourite bit, though everyone raved about the Brisket Yorkie, so I guess that that was pretty memorable. Every cut of meat was chockful of taste and not at all tough or gristly, and the veggies all had a hint of crunch left to them – no soggy veggies here, ta muchly.
Having cleared our table of all the plates, boards and accoutrements, our server returned with the dessert menu. Priced at £6.95 each, there was plenty of choice to pick from and Mummy Bird, The Man, and myself were soon mulling over what we fancied. I went for Raspberry Pavlova (Tom’s interpretation of it), The Man was won over by the Salted Caramel Mousse, and Mummy opted for the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Neither The Beau or Fledge wanted pudding, so they said their goodbyes and went home.
Those of you who have had Afternoon Tea at Fairways will know just how talented Tom is when it comes to producing sweet temptations, so when I tell you that all three desserts were excellent, you won’t be surprised. The base of my choice was a piped Italian Meringue and this was topped with a dense concoction of Raspberry Ice Cream and Fruit pieces that had the most attractive marbled appearance to it. Immediately, intense fruit flavours burst in my mouth, flooding my palate with a berry brightness that balanced the sweet Meringue perfectly. More crunchy Meringue crowned this treasure, with jewel toned Raspberry Purée and a precise sphere of Vanilla Cream adding the final flourishes.
Mummy was savouring her mid-dense, rich pudding, revelling in the moistness of its Caramel sauce-soaked body. More sauce had been drizzled over the large square of pudding, and a luxurious touch came via the Vanilla Bean Ice cream that had softened with the heat of the Sticky Toffee Temptress. Was Mummy Bird happy? Not half!
His Nibs had reminisced about the Chocolate Mousse he’d had in summer, and this had influenced his decision to forego his beloved STP and try the Salted Caramel Mousse on this occasion. Turns out that this was one of those ‘universe calling’ moments, and he was an utterly smitten-kitten with the airy mousse and its rich, cocooning Vanilla taste. The velvet luxury was accompanied by an addictive Salted Caramel sauce that did indeed have an ozonic tang at its edge, and shards of Milk Chocolate decorated the top. If you think that this was a smooth, one-trick-pony dessert, think again; the base was fashioned from crushed, crunchy biscuit, providing a welcome textural element to this gem.
I can’t heap enough praise on the Fairways at Chevin Golf Club team; the setting is beautiful, the standard of customer service was superb (the food even more so!), and Chef managed to come out and say hello, which was the proverbial cherry on the top. Hot Wings are more than deserved here! If you haven’t had a Sunday Roast here, I really do urge you to come and do so, asap.
To book a table call 01332 841864, and to view all the menu’s (including Breakfast and Afternoon Tea) head to www.chevingolf.co.uk. Fairways is open 7-days-a-week: Monday 10.30am-6pm, Tues-Fri 10am-8pm, Saturday 8am-8pm, and Sunday 8am-6pm.
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