Having indulged in a wonderful Christmas and New Year filled with delicious food thanks mainly to Percy Dawes butchers and Loubys, both based in Alfreton, we have finally left the nest and ventured out for our first meal of the New Year. The Man Bird and I were up bright and breezy for a brisk walk with the pooch, whilst The Chick did the time-honoured teenage thing of languishing in bed for as long as respectably possible.
We decided to go and have an early lunch at The Gate Inn at Tansley so we rang ahead to reserve a table, and I think it was a wise decision as it was already hustling and bustling with folk when we got there. Several dogs were in the bar lounge area which was lovely to see, but obviously they are not permitted in the main restaurant dining area. The car park is a very generous size so getting a space, even on such a busy day, was no problem at all.
Inside, The Gate Inn is a fairly traditional pub, with plenty of stone walls and wooden ceiling beams to admire. The restaurant area overlooks the car park and is a very light, airy space in which to enjoy your meal. With it being the middle of the day (and feeling a little bit guilty about the amount of food we’d eaten over the festive period) we all decided just to have a main course. I had the warm Mackerel Salad, His Nibs had the Mexican beef burger and Chickadee had a jacket Potato with Prawn Marie Rose filling.
The lunchtime menu is served up until 6pm, and comprises smaller portions of some of the main menu meals as well as Jacket spuds and Sandwiches. Chickadees jacket potato came with a lovely dressed side salad and coleslaw, and the amount of juicy prawns filling it was very generous indeed. Priced at £5.75 I think it is incredibly good value for money; Tuna Mayo, Cheese, Baked Beans, Beef or Vegetable Chilli, or Coleslaw are the other fillings available.
Both the Man Bird and I had our meals from the main menu section and they were both equally as delicious and satisfying as our Chicks choice. His Nibs beef patty was topped with a generous amount of beef Chilli, cheese slices, nachos, lettuce, guacamole and a salsa sauce, as well as a portion of chips included in the price of £9.25.
My Mackerel salad was absolutely marvellous; the fish fillets were a fantastic size and the salad bowl was about the size of the I-Pro stadium I reckon! There was a lovely mixed leaf selection to munch on, alongside slices of Beetroot and Cherry Tomato halves, and plenty of warm new potatoes as well. Again, my choice was priced at £9.25. All the meals were cooked fresh to order, good quality and had lots of flavour to them.
Our little bellies were more than a bit full, and actually we were pleased we hadn’t had a starter as well. Unusually we couldn’t be tempted by the pudding menu either! I saw one of the braised Lamb Shanks making its way to another table; what a whopper that was and wowsers did it smell good.
As we were leaving The Gate Inn I noticed that they have a climbing frame and play area for the children to enjoy too, which was enthusiastically being climbed all over by several kids. I can imagine that in summer it would a fantastic family venue; you could bring the pooch with you, the kids can razz around before and after eating, and the parents could savour a leisurely drink too.
If you haven’t been before, it is well worth going along and checking it out for yourselves dear reader. In fact, we went along as a result of one of our blog readers suggesting it to me at the gym of all places! Hot Wings definitely awarded to this lovely venue and its equally lovely staff.
