Sprouts, S'mores and Seasonal Cheer at The Old Smithy, Beeley
Published On Thursday 18 Dec 2025 by Sticky Beak
See Recent Dining Out Reviews | See All Recent Reviews
I’m a quirky old bird, I’ll freely admit it, and no time of year highlights this quite as much as the run-up to Christmas. I’m sure I’m not alone in enduring a roller-coaster of emotions; one day I’m all “yes, Christmas, let’s be having you”, the next I’m channelling my inner Grinch. In honesty, it leaves me a bit exhausted – can anyone relate?
The poor Man Bird never knows which version of Sticky Beak he’s going to get each morning, but has developed a pretty fool-proof strategy over the years to get us both through: thus, operation ‘Keep The Wife Fed and Entertained’ was well underway. Mummy Bird had been out with us for Sunday lunch (that turned into a festive treat), but it was just His Maj and I the following day as he had got a cheeky annual leave day from his day job – yay!
I had trundled off to the gym as usual and returned to the nest absolutely ravenous, but my trusty Man had sorted us a table for lunch at The Old Smithy in Beeley Village on the Chatsworth Estate. If memory serves me correct, the last time I was there was when we took Bestie Bird, The Bolton Wanderer and Ginger out for breakfast, which must have been over a year ago. Anyhow, we managed to grab a parking spot fairly easily and only had a short walk back to the charming stone-built venue.
As you would expect from a quaint café that serves delicious morsels and delivers superb customer care consistently, the place was packed out at lunchtime with groups of friends catching up, and walkers with their fur-babies. I love it when a venue I personally love is thriving; it makes my heart happy. As well as the usual offerings, the festive menu was there to be perused, and my beady eye immediately spied the S’mores Hot Chocolate (£5.50) – that was my drink choice sorted! His Nibs also had a Hot Choc, but the ‘ordinary’ one (just as was, no cream or marshmallows, £4).
Bizarrely, it wasn’t a festive dish that had drawn The Man Bird’s attention to The Old Smithy; it was a fantastic social media post of the Onion Bhaji and Spiced Chickpea Flatbread that had lured him to book us a table. Needless to say, that was what he ordered to eat (£13.50), though not before he was tempted by the Turkey, Brie and Bacon Melt on the festive menu. I stuck to the festive feel-good vibes that were currently residing in my head, and went for the Shredded Sprout and Chestnut Tart with Cranberry Wensleydale Cheese (£12.50). Having had no breakfast, I was chewing my knuckles in hunger, so I also ordered a side of Truffle and Padano Chips (£5.50). Keen not to be left behind, His Nibs ordered a portion of the Homemade Chips (£4).
Whilst waiting for our meals, I took in the delightful decorations that adorned the space. Mindful of the stone construction and wooden ceiling beams of their premises, the Old Smithy Team adorn the café with traditional decorations in a carefully curated palate of red, green, gold and silver. There were garlands of faux foliage and cute gingerbread men dangling below each of the wall-mounted light pendants, and a magnificent ornament-laden tree in one corner. The stone and brickwork fireplace that housed the log burner was hung with a multitude of stockings that spelled out ‘Old Smithy’, and each table had an arrangement of greenery and berries that encircled a small, circular wood slice that bore the message ‘Merry Christmas’. What I really liked was how the team had harmoniously married the festive decorations with the rural-themed soft furnishings that are permanent fixtures at The Old Smithy.
One of the lovely serving team was soon bringing over our dishes, and asked if we needed anything else, apart from the condiments and sauces that were already at our disposal. Satisfied that we had everything we wanted, she left us to tuck in – a task we were more than happy to get stuck into!
Before you all come for me, I am just going to acknowledge the fact that, yes, I know a lot of folks don’t like Brussels Sprouts. In their defence, though, I’m just coming back with the fact that they are very versatile, ably demonstrated on this occasion by being an element of the jolly tasty tart I was savouring. Chestnuts and Sprouts are a classic combination, and when you add in the Cranberry-zhuzhed Wensleydale Cheese, you have a dish that is a total triumph. Chestnuts aren’t firm when cooked, so their softness was a lovely contrast to the crunchier, brighter Sprouts and, because both have a nutty hint to them, they paired together brilliantly, taste-wise. The Wensleydale’s inherent fresh, clean, gently citrus character got a pop of sharp fruitiness via the jewel-toned Cranberries’ addition and, again, this gelled marvellously with the other ingredients. Bringing a gorgeous buttery indulgence to the table was the pastry case that housed all the yumminess that I was currently gobbling down.
Served with my tart was a cool, crisp salad of Cherry Tomatoes, tiny pieces of Cucumber and Mixed Leaves and the most wondrous, crunchy Coleslaw I’ve had for a long while. The creamy binding of the Coleslaw was superb and the perfect amount of luxury to coat my cheeks without drowning out the fresh, shredded vegetables. Sometimes, I make inspired decisions, and it turns out that the one to have the Truffle and Padano Chips was one of them! The earthy tones of Truffle and the unmistakeable pungency of Padano Cheese brought a real depth to my meal and also added even more layers of flavour for my palate to swoon over.
Seeing the look of joy on my face (and hearing the satisfied sigh!) His Nibs pilfered a couple of my Chips, and I couldn’t disguise a smug smile as he said “I wish I’d gone for those, too; they’re amazing”. Yes; yes, they are, buddy! Mind you, the ‘ordinary’ Chips at The Old Smithy in Beeley aren’t shabby by any means; these plumptious minxes have model-worthy golden outers that are gently crisp to the bite and a marvellous taste to them. Best of all, they come out of the kitchen already perfectly seasoned for you.
It isn’t often that a venue’s photo of food doesn’t do it justice, but on this occasion, neither of us were prepared for just how large the Onion Bhaji’s were!! Compared to their picture, they were massive; not that this was a problem in any way, shape or form as they were also utterly superb. As well as the usual Indian spices used in Bhaji’s, there was the instantly recognisable, sweet twang of Cinnamon – very apt, given the festive season, don’t you all think? Finely sliced Onion was cooked to crisp irresistibility, and there was no hint of oiliness at all. Spice-pimped Chickpeas were soft and creamy at their hearts, with a delightful warming edge to them on the palate that partnered jolly nicely with sweet, sticky Mango Chutney. Fresh, bouncy tones of Mint came through, mixed through the creamy Yoghurt that had been drizzled over the flatbread. Despite being piled higher than Everest with topping, the flatbread hadn’t gone wet and soggy at all, and its simple, wheaty taste was very pleasant, as was its ‘chew time’ in the mouth. Our original plan had been to have pie and vegetables for dinner that evening, but the reality was that we were still so stuffed that a dinner/supper of a single Bacon Butty sufficed.
Throughout our time at The Old Smithy, nothing had been too much trouble for the staff and they kept a close eye on our progress, clearing away clean plates and bringing more Hot Chocolates out when requested. I have no hesitation at all in awarding Hot Wings to this fantastic village venue! To book a table call 01629 380098 and visit www.theoldsmithyatbeeley.com to view the current, seasonally changing menu offerings. As well as light bites, drinks and lunchtime dishes, you can also pop in and treat yourself to one of the many scrummy cakes and cookies from the counter as you walk inside.
The Old Smithy at Beeley is open Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, and Sunday 9am-4pm, with food being served from the kitchen until 3pm.
| The Festive Menu That Stole Christmas at The Maynard, Grindleford Wow, wow, wow!! I don't think I'e ever come straight home after being out for a meal and felt compelled to write about it but, team Maynard at Grindleford Read The Article | |
| Sunday Roast Heaven at Hemisphere, West Bridgford I bloody love Sundays, and I love being British, because what two things go even better together than love and marriage or a horse and carriage: any guesses? Yep, that's right Read The Article | |
| Feasting Greek-Style in Stratford-Upon-Avon at El Greco Stratford-Upon-Avon is a beautiful town steeped in history (it's William Shakespeares birthplace) and character and it also happens to offer a fantastic choice of eateries, which Read The Article | |
| Thai Delights at the Giggling Squid, Stratford-Upon-Avon The Man Bird and I have eaten at Giggling Squid in Maidstone (and loved it), so when we were visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon with Mummy Bird recently and saw there was one in the town Read The Article | |
| Feasting at Napoleons Sheffield: A Delicious Tour Through Their Glam New Revamp Napoleons Casino in Sheffield's Hillsborough suburb has recently had a 'glow-up' and The Man Bird and I were kindly invited along to see the transformation. Read The Article | |
| A Hong Kong Feast with Flair: Our Latest Visit to The Seafood Guy by 1998 Cafe Some venues are synonymous with a certain dish and, for me, nothing says The Seafood Guy By 1998 Cafe more than their super-scrummy Read The Article | |
| Go Fish Seafood Bar & Grill, Buxton: A Fresh Catch and a Familiar Face Every so often we get a blast from the past, and this one was a really lovely one; a certain Mr Alan Hill got back in contact with us to ask if we'd like to see what Read The Article | |
| Our First Look at the Recently Opened Hide at Chatsworth On the evening that The Man and I flew to Jordan, there was something equally exciting unfolding in Eastmoor, Chesterfield; the preview event for The Hide. Lots of you Read The Article | |
| A Gem of a Breakfast Spot in Bakewell - River & Roast Cafe It's always lovely to be invited out for breakfast (well, any time of day, actually) but even more so when you've literally just come back from holiday! Numan - owner of River Read The Article | |