Dinner At The Newly Opened Cookhouse & Pub, Ripley
Published On Friday 29 Dec 2017 by Sticky Beak
See Recent Dining Out Reviews | See All Recent Reviews
Don’t get me wrong dear reader, I absolutely love the run-up to Christmas but I seriously could do with about another 6 hours in the day to catch up with everyone and do everything I need to do. Do you know what I mean? Anyhow, after several months of meaning to go out with the Boyf Birds’ (BB) folks, we co-ordinated diaries and got a date pinned down (mainly thanks to the kind invitation from Cookhouse and Pub at Ripley spurring us on!).
A lot of you will remember Cookhouse and Pub in its previous Brewers Fayre guise, so you don’t need me to tell you about the more than ample parking. Inside it still has that fantastic open-plan layout to it, but it seems an awful lot cosier since its refurbishment - and that’s always a good thing :) The decor has been done in nice bright colours which really lift the large space, and the addition of feature fires looks lovely.
The main difference is when it comes to ordering food; before, it was a case of going up to the bar, remembering your table number, remembering what everyone wanted to eat and drink, and waiting for what seemed an eternity. The Cookhouse and Pub staff now come to your table to take your orders and bring them to you, so the rugger scrum at the bar is (thankfully) a distant memory.
With our drinks having been brought to the table it was time to give the menus our full attention; there is a Festive menu currently running alongside the usual one, and kids still have their own separate menu. I decided to have my starter and main from this festive menu, the rest of the group had the “ordinary” menu; BBs dad had the soup of the day (cream of Mushroom), his mum had Prawn Cocktail, His Nibs had Jerk Chicken and Lime Skewers (a grazer dish), and I had the Mushrooms and Chestnuts on toast.
There was a bit of a longer than usual wait from placing our orders to getting the starters brought out, but given the fact that it was exceptionally busy it was only to be expected; we were busy nattering so it didn’t bother us if I’m honest. All the hot food was just that; hot. One of my peeves is lukewarm food as you know.
The Prawn Cocktail was nicely presented, it hadn’t just been chucked together in the glass, and the sauce was plentiful enough to taste without drowning the Prawns and leaves. There was a decent sized bowl of the soup to tuck into and bread with it, so no complaints from BBs Dad. The Man Bird was more than happy with his zingy skewers, of which there were 3 good sized ones to munch at; I had no complaints about my starter either, there were Mushrooms and Chestnuts in abundance (nicely glistening with butter) which sat on good thick slices of toast.
Our mains consisted of the Men having the Mixed Grill (upgrading from the 6oz minute steak to an 8oz Sirloin, £1.99 extra), Smokey Paprika Chicken Breast, and Grilled Salmon with Crab and Prosecco sauce. At this point the “newness” of the team showed a little; our server came to ask if we’d had our mains as a bit of time had passed, and was about to go and check when someone else came out with them about 15 seconds later. “Peak time” had passed by this point so it wasn’t a hassle, but they perhaps need to hone their communication skills a bit more in readiness for what will be a hectic few weeks ahead over Christmas and New Year. It’s that kind of thing that comes with working regularly together though and having a new team is bound to highlight these teething troubles, but the staff are all so lovely and eager, I’m sure it won’t take them long to lick it :)
The size of the Mixed Grill is very generous and as well as the steak has Gammon steak, Chicken Breast fillet, two Pork Sausages, two fried Eggs, four Onion rings, Peas, Grilled Tomato and chips to keep an appetite satisfied. Both men said how lean their steaks were; not fatty at all, and BBs dad is very keen-eyed when it comes to that detail!
BBs Mum was happy with the size of her Paprika marinated Chicken breast fillet, and this comes with Chips, Coleslaw, and Salad. The Chicken was lovely she said, not shrivelled and dried up and great value for money. My Salmon was nice and moist and there was a nice amount of smashed New Potatoes to dip into the Crab and Prosecco sauce (yum!); for a “chain pub” I was impressed that all my veg (Broccoli, Green Beans and baby Sprouts) hadn’t been over-cooked and so they still had some bite to them :)
For desserts we all had choices from the main menu. I fancied the Black Forest Sundae, His Nibs wanted the Salted Caramel, Brownie, and Popcorn variety; BBs parents had Triple Choc Brownie, and the Baked Vanilla Cheesecake. The Triple Choc Brownie comes with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate sauce and its chunks of Belgian, White, and Milk chocolate will surely satisfy that most hardened chocoholic. It was deemed to be pleasingly gooey and most definitely chocolatey! Lovely jewel-hued winter berry compote is served with the baked Vanilla cheesecake and its tangy notes contrast well with the smooth Vanilla element.
Both Sundaes are served in classic tall sundae glasses and the layers of my Cherry and Chocolate number looked beautiful (they tasted fantastic too) and a generous swirl of cream decorated their tops. Crunchy Popcorn gave a fab textural element to The Boy Wonders’ dessert; he loved the lashings of Salted Caramel sauce that ran through the entire dish. Good sized chunks of Chocolate Brownie were in abundance in both Sundaes too, so the Cookhouse and Pub team don’t skimp on the sweet treats they offer :)
The usual round of coffees wrapped the evening up, and what a pleasant evening it had been. You have to remember that the Cookhouse and Pub is a “chain pub” venue, so don’t expect haute cuisine and silver service when you go. What the Cookhouse and Pub will give you though, if our experience is anything to go by, is great value for money , lovely food, friendly service, and welcoming surroundings that encourage family, sociable dining.
Thank you for inviting us to try your food and have a peek at the refurbishment - both elements were great.
| Bistro Night At The Cool River Cafe In Matlock Shockingly, it has been 9 years since The Man and I last visited Cool River Cafe and Patisserie in Matlock! 2016, apparently, was the date of our last visit; you could've knocked me down Read The Article | |
| Sunday Lunch At The Recently Re-opened Batemans Mill In Old Tupton, Clay Cross I'd love to say that the reason we were out for a roast on Easter Sunday was because it's a family tradition, but the harsh truth is that I was Read The Article | |
| Out For Breakfast At The Bottle Kiln In West Hallam Near Ilkeston I do love me a cheeky Bank Holiday brekkie, not gonna lie! The Man and I often say how blessed we are to live in an area that has so many brilliant venues to eat and drink at Read The Article | |
| Back Out At Wildes In Clowne To Try The Spring Menu On a recent foray out for Sunday lunch in Clowne with Mummy Bird, His Nibs and I were impressed by the a la carte menu at Wildes by Van Dykes and said that we would return Read The Article | |
| Dinner At The Three Rosette Peacock At Rowsley The Man Bird and I have long been fans of Rob Hattersley and his Longbow Venues sites, which include The George at Hathersage and The Maynard at Grindleford. Recently, he acquired Read The Article | |
| Out For Dinner At Britalia Italian Restaurant In Mansfield I'm a firm believer in things happening for a reason, even if it's something you think is crappy at the time. His Nibs and I were really looking forward to an evening out Read The Article | |
| The Signature Menu At The Three Rosette Gallery Restaurant In The Cavendish Hotel, Baslow Sometimes an invitation comes in that just makes your heart flutter with anticipation, and I could feel my little ticker quivering with excitement Read The Article | |
| Dinner And Stay At The Sprowston Manor Hotel In Norwich It's been a busy couple of months for His Nibs in his day job role, and we've literally travelled the length and breadth of the UK! This final week of our excursions sees us at Sprowston Manor Read The Article | |
| Back For The Charity Pie Night At The Bull Shed at Handley Farm Near Belper There are some places that you just feel at home in and, for me and His Nibs, The Bull Shed at Handley Farm in Shottle is one of them. Despite having Read The Article | |
| A Return Visit To The Cupola For A Bite Of Lunch For The Man Birds day job, he and I went over t' moors to Manchester to the Northern Restaurant and Bar exhibition, sampling drinks and nibbles as we went up-and-down the aisles. Read The Article | |