Many of you will be familiar with The Railway Inn at Shottle, but I wonder how many of you know that there is a sister site at Acresford near Swadlincote? The wonderful Gareth Griffiths is at the helm of both pubs and kindly invited myself, The Man, and Mummy Bird along for a Sunday Roast at The Cricketts Inn. Acresford is down at the bottom of the ‘Shire, and has, no doubt, been considered ‘over the border’ at some point in the past…but for now, we’re claiming it for Derbyshire.
The weather gods were smiling down on us as we drove nearly 40 miles from Beak H.Q., along some ‘interesting’ roads in the wilds and across a bridge over the river Trent that was maybe as wide as Kate Moss’s waist! I’m happy to say, though, that the trek was well worth it, just for the greeting we got as we stepped inside. The Cricketts Inn is one of those proper traditional sorts, and I love how the bar area is separate to the main restaurant, both of which are dog- and child- friendly (high chairs available for tinies). After checking our reservation at the desk, we were shown to our table and handed over to the lovely Izzy, our server for the afternoon. All I’m going to say is that she was a total treasure, and needs cloning – stat!
Mummy had a glass of Pinot Grigio, I had a Malbec, and His Nibs had a pint of Moretti. Izzy had asked if we wanted table water, too, and returned with all the refreshments on a tray. After giving us a few minutes to make our choices, Izzy came back (with THE hugest smile on her face), armed with her order pad, ready to jot down what we fancied.
I always love a bit of Roast Leg of Lamb, Mummy had spotted the Roast Gammon, so it was The Man that went off-piste and ordered the Steak and Ale Pie. All of The Cricketts Inn’s roasts are priced at £18 and come with Mash, Roast Potatoes, Spiced Red Cabbage, and homemade Yorkshire Pudding on the plate. Separate bowls of Roasted Roots, Buttered Greens, Cauliflowers Cheese, and extra Gravy in hammered metal, handled pans also got placed in the centre of our table. Safe to say that Chef’s a feeder!
We had been tempted to have starters, but the lure of dessert was too great (as always). In the meantime, there was the main course to be dealing with… As you know, Mummy struggles to cut her food now but, after I’d done a ‘rough cut’ she actually managed to do some finer cutting – we’ll take that for the win! Suitably soft to the cut, the Gammon (which I swear was basically half a pig, the portion was that generous) proved to be equally soft and moist in the mouth, with an incredibly delicious, meaty taste. My Lamb was more than plentiful and had hardly any fat through it; a lot of folks perceive this meat to be rich and fatty but, other than a ridge at the edge and a small central bit, the Lamb was lovely and lean. I was smitten with the depth of flavour my meat had, and it took no pressure at all to slice through it.
The Man had just been in the mood for a pie, and the homemade ones at The Cricketts Inn are well worth a punt if you like chunky, rich pieces of Beef Steak…there were more than you could shake a pair of sticks at, never mind a single one! Tender and meaty, the Steak was paired with an unctuous, ale-zhuzhed gravy/sauce that more than matched its ardency. Best of all, though (and fans of pies will appreciate this), was a proper, short pastry that melted instantly on the tongue. Next time we visit, I’ve not only got my eye on a starter, I’m also in the market for the Woodland Mushroom and Ale Pie.
Like any meal, it’s often the accompaniments that can make-or-break the enjoyment; at The Crickett’s Inn, the team ensure that they are every bit as superb as the central character. Before I detail the veggies, I’m also just going to say that our portions would easily have fed a quartet of diners; as it was, we all helped ourselves to seconds and there was still some left! The Red Cabbage had been sliced and cooked in spices and Wine, resulting in possibly the tastiest Cabbage you’ll ever eat. Our buttered Greens consisted of a pleasing medley of sliced Courgette rounds, finely shredded Green Cabbage and Mange Tout. Each vegetable was still gently crunchy and super-fresh in taste – no complaints from any of us. You all know that I’m not a massive fan of Potato, so when I say that I ate all my Mash you can deduce just how marvellous it was. Perfectly seasoned and smoother than glass, this was some sublime spuddage, matched by the tasty, golden Roasties. The ‘roots’ consisted of whole, trimmed Baby Carrots, and cubed Parsnip and Swede; sweet, comfortingly soft, and a great fusion of fragrant flavours.
The Cauliflower Cheese was to die for! A bounty of Cauli florets were still nice and biteable, their gentle resistance spot-on, bathing in proper white sauce that was pimped with plenty of punchy cheese. You can’t help but smile when you see a bubbling, golden crust on a bowl of Cauliflower Cheese, or at least we can’t, and it was prettily garnished with verdant, snipped Chives. I’m happy to say that the taste was every bit as magnificent as its looks, and there was, again, more than ample for the three of us. In the end, we didn’t need any of the extra gravy: a) there was already some on the plates, and b) the meal had enough moisture and tenderness to not warrant any help. However, if there’d been some freshly baked bread going, it would’ve been torn into chunks and dunked!!
What a Roast Dinner! It was going to be a hard act to follow, that was for sure…
Mummy Bird had gone all-out with her Gammon, but she’s a game old gal and said “there was no way she was missing out on pud”. At The Cricketts Inn, a range of Ice Creams, Sorbets (3 scoops of any for £6), and Sundaes (£7.45) are there to tempt you, and Mummy went for a scoop of Vanilla, a scoop of Mint Choc Chip, and a scoop of Raspberry Ripple Ice Creams to conclude her meal. I had seen the Treacle Tart and Crème Anglaise (£7.45) go past our table earlier, so called Dibs on that before The Man could! His Nibs decided to go for the Double Chocolate Brownie with Miso Caramel and Salted Caramel Ice Cream (also £7.45) for his dessert.
Soon enough, Izzy was carrying our desserts over, saying we’d made great choices. Mummy Bird was delighted with her choice of Ice Creams, especially the Raspberry Ripple; there was no artificial after-taste at all, just the subtle bounce of fresh Raspberry. The same moreishness was enjoyed with the Mint Choc Chip; this treat was gently Minty, rather than over-powering, and the dinky Choc Chips were silky and rich in contrast. Even the Vanilla was excellent: rounded and warm instead of harsh and artificial, this was the real McCoy.
Treacle Tart is a classic for a reason; when it’s done right, it can’t be beaten. Chef at The Cricketts Inn clearly has the knack for making this morsel - it was blinding! The pastry was beautifully buttery and rich in the mouth, paired with a gorgeously textural filling. What I liked most was the fact that it wasn’t ridiculously sweet in that off-putting, tooth-tingling way. The Golden Syrup and breadcrumb mixture had a lift from Lemon juice that brought a perfect balance to the tart. Not that the Treacle Tart needed it, but there was plenty of silky Crème Anglaise to add moisture to the dish…no complaints from me for the extra indulgence though.
The generosity of Chef has already been made crystal clear but, blimey, the size of the Double Chocolate brownie was bonkers. Compared with usual portions, this Brownie slice was easily twice their size (probably three times, actually); if Carlsberg did desserts! Subtlety has never been The Man Birds’ strong point, and his glee was written all over his choccy-covered mush as he tucked into the gooey Brownie. My astonishment at the fact he’d finished it all was evident, but he had needed a couple of ‘breathers’ to do it. The distinct umami tang of Miso stopped this dessert from being a one-trick-pony, ably assisted by an indulgent Salted Caramel Ice Cream.
Izzy had done check-backs at every course and offered condiments, extra napkins, and more water as needed. Her enthusiasm and customer care never wavered, and she really was a credit to The Cricketts Inn team (who were all superb, FYI). Having a friendly server makes the difference between a good visit and an excellent one, and this one was more than deserving of Hot Wings.
To book a table, call 01283 760359 or visit www.crickettsinnacresford.co.uk and hit the ‘book a table’ tab on the left-hand side of the header at the top of the page. The Cricketts Inn is open Mon-Sat 11am-10pm, and 11am-9pm on Sunday; kitchen times are slightly shorter: Mon-Sat Noon-8.30pm, and Noon-6pm Sunday.
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