One of the things we love about our blog is following the journeys of the Chefs and food producers we come across. We had heard of Hogbroast a while ago and were invited by the two brothers behind it, Matt and Jordan, to sample their dishes when they were renting a kitchen in Derby. Fast forward to November 2025 and this pair of go-getters had taken the jump into getting their own pub and kitchen!
The Shakespeare Inn at Shardlow had a quick [Hogbroast] makeover prior to Christmas but, with the kitchen needing a deeper level of attention, Matt and Jordan decided to hold off offering food until the madness of Christmas and New Year had passed. When they were happy at how the work had gone, they sent an invite to us, asking if we’d like to join them on the ‘Food Launch Night’? You betcha, we would!
As far as locations go, The Shakespeare Inn enjoys a prime spot, right next to the main road in Shardlow, so it is a doddle to find. Even better, despite it being Friday night rush-hour, it only took The Man 35 minutes to drive down the M1 and off into Shardlow village – safe to say that it would be even quicker on other days and at other times. There’s a good-sized car park on-site, so we found a spot close to the entrance and wandered in.
The lady behind the bar gave us a lovely warm welcome and, after taking our drinks order, said she was just going to double-check where Matt and Jordan had seated us; you can dine in the bar area as well as in the restaurant, which is located to the rear of the pub. Upon her return, Matt had joined her to say “Hi” and it was he who took us through to the restaurant. Doubling up as a function room to hire out, the restaurant has its own bar in the corner, though this doesn’t detract in any way from the room layout or décor.
Wooden floors, exposed red brick walls and wood ceiling beams create a naturally inviting feel to the restaurant, and this is sympathetically picked up in the other fixtures and fittings. The solid wood tables are paired with sturdy mid-back chairs that are upholstered in sea-blue or tonal checks of cream, grey and muddy green, and the windows are dressed with swags and blinds in a pale blue colour. Faux foliage is hung from the ceiling in baskets and metal cages, providing a nice touch of visual interest. To prevent the space feeling ‘shmaltzy’, there are a couple of modern, matte black spider light pendants that provide a good amount of illumination, arty shapes on one wall, and plain framed prints of herbs dotted on the other walls.
Lexy was our server for the evening and she soon took our food order, carefully reading it back to us to check that it was correct. To start, I chose the Breaded Flat Mushrooms with Peppercorn Sauce and Crumbled Stilton (£7), an obvious choice, as you all know I’m a sucker for Mushrooms and Blue Cheese! I have to say, though, that I was sorely tempted by the Smoked Salmon Pate and Toasted Ciabatta (£8, and a Gluten-Free Choice). His Nibs was feeling a smidge delicate after having had some dental work done, so he opted for the scrummy-sounding Cheesy Potato Croquettes with Tomato Relish (£6) to kick his meal off with.
When our starters arrived, the first thing I did - purely for the purposes of accurate reviewing, you understand - was to pilfer a bit of one Croquette and some of the colourful relish. Oh, my days, it was magnificent; something so simple and uncomplicated was elevated into the food of dreams and was utterly beguiling! The super-smooth mashed Potato and tangy Cheese had melted together to be magical comfort food, and the beyond crunchy outer provided a great contrast. There were three of these morsels to chomp away at, a task that His Nibs was more than happily up to. Where the croquettes were warm and comforting, the Red Onion and Tomato Relish was cool and bright on the tongue, bouncing around like Keith Flint (God bless him) in his hey-day. Packed with colour, taste and texture, this is a starter that you pass up at your peril, I’m telling ya!
My pair of large, flat Mushrooms were nicely breaded to provide a subtly crisp, textural outer that contrasted with their firm, meaty ‘bodies’. I loved how the earthy flavour of the Funghi was paired brilliantly with the unmistakeable pungency of crumbled Stilton that had melted with the warmth of the breaded Mushrooms surface. Another thing to be appreciative of was the nicely warming effect of the Peppercorn sauce that, along with the fresh Rocket leaf garnish, gave a nice ping on the palate. Chef had popped just enough of the sauce on to give some extra moistness to the dish without absolutely drowning everything. I was a very happy camper as I polished off the last mouthful of this tasty starter.
For our mains, we’d chosen two of the ‘Chefs Specials’ dishes: Slow-braised Beef for His Nibs (£18, gluten free) and Hogbroast Pork Belly for me (£17.50, also a gluten free dish). We also ordered a side portion of Seasonal Veggies (£3). By this point in the evening, the restaurant had really livened up and the staff were up against it, but Chef Matt did what all decent leaders do and came out serving the food as well. Nicely done, sir, nicely done; you can’t beat an employer/owner that dabs in with his team when needed.
All the food is cooked fresh-to-order at The Shakespeare Inn, so do be patient at peak service times – no-one likes a Neggy Norm or Debbie Downer. As it was, we weren’t waiting overly long at all for our food, and let’s just say that you need to go with your appetite!!
My Pork Belly was glorious, and came complete with a slice of crisp crackling that had been perched atop the square of meat like a [chic] gastro beret. Needless to say, that morsel got demolished first – call me common all you like, I love me a bit of crackling, and this was superb stuff. Ignoring the judgy looks from across the table as I snaffled the crisped skin, I then got to work on the actual Belly Pork, which had the most exquisite silky texture and creamy flavour. The creamy Mustard sauce was spot on; you got a beautiful hint of punchy Mustard, but one that was very respectful of the other elements in the dish. Braised Red Cabbage was velvety soft and had a marvellous, sticky sweetness to it that ramped up the comfort factor of this hearty dish.
Chef had chosen to present the Dauphinoise Potato in its own, separate dish and, given that there was already the Mustard sauce on my plate, I was grateful for this. I don’t get hung up especially on my foodstuffs touching in general (there are a couple of exceptions), but on this occasion I felt it appropriate that the Potato had been kept apart from its companions. Thinly sliced, skin-on Potatoes had been bathed in the luxuriance of Cream and washed with Garlic to produce a marvellously flavoursome ‘accompaniment’ – I put quotation marks, as I feel this dish deserves a much more salubrious title than accompaniment. This had been a seriously tasty meal, and one I’d happily have over and over again.
His Nibs’ selection of Slow-braised Beef wasn’t shabby at all, either! The Beef came apart in luscious shreds with no pressure at all from his knife and the depth of flavour was incredible, he said. Every bit as fabulous was the bone marrow-zhuzhed gravy that contained Pancetta and Baby Onions for an injection of salty, meaty, sweet notes. You can certainly tell that Matt and Jordan know what they’re doing when it comes to meat; this was excellent. Having been poked and prodded by the dentist, I don’t think I’ve seen The Man ever look so lovingly at glass-smooth, buttery Mash as he did on this evening…and there was a generous amount to tuck into.
The Man Birds’ meal had come with seasonal vegetables (Cauliflower, Carrots and Green Beans), which was the same selection as in the side portion. Without exception, all were cooked to retain a hint of crunch that was discernible when bitten into, but not chewy or hard at all. Both of us commented that the trio of veggies looked lovely together: milky white, orange and green – a burst of colour that lifts the spirits on those late winter days before the promise of spring reveals itself.
Lexy came to collect our empty plates and asked if we wanted dessert. Now, I just want to say that we desperately did, but neither of us had got room at that moment, so we asked if she would come back in about 10 minutes and ask us again; which she said she would, bless her. As it happened, it was actually Matt who came to our table, having presented an adjacent party with a mighty fine-looking Lasagne and Fish (read: whale, it was that big!) and Chips.
It doesn’t happen often that both of us are defeated in the face of sweet treats, but it was the case here, much to our shame. I had so set my heart on the Chocolate Fondant (£8.50), too; The Man was torn between the Bread-and-Butter Pudding (£6.50) or the Sticky Toffee Pudding (7.50). Oh well, maybe we’ll get to try them another time?
So, in summary: The Shakespeare Inn at Shardlow is a fab pub-with-kitchen that is not only somewhere worth travelling to, but also a great ‘locals’ venue. I wish Matt, Jordan and their team the very best of luck going forward, though something tells me these chaps are going to be absolutely fine! Hot Wings happily awarded for the ambience and the no-nonsense, honest food served here.
As a side note; I cannot wait for summer: Matt and Jordan have got serious plans for the outside area. Live music? Tick. Mini craft and food markets? Tick. Good times and Vibes? Tick. Tick. Tick! Despite being whatsits-deep in this venture, they are also already busy with bookings for their original incarnation – Hogbroast.
For more details visit the Facebook Page
The Shakespeare Inn is closed on Monday, but opens at the bar Tues-Thurs Noon-11pm, Fri&Sat Noon-Midnight, and Sunday Noon-9pm at the bar. Food service times are slightly different: Weds-Sat Noon-8pm, Sunday Noon-5pm. To book a table for dining, call 01332 792728.
