What we ate
Weatewellandalot!Theseasonal
menu at The Cow is devised for
sharing; our helpful waiter
suggested five plates between two.
My sister and I oohed over tempura
cauliflower cheese, a ham hock
savoury egg (pictured), and a
spinach and mushroom ‘cow pat’
flatbread. Aahs followed for clootie
dumplingsouffléandtreacletart–
both excellent. On our second night,
we ventured to The Viceroy in
Duffield for a good old-fashioned
curry; the busy décor, personalised
carpet and fountains in the car park
were as joyously kitsch as the
chicken shashlik was delicious.
Derby, with a good choice of
restaurants and pubs, would be a
betteroptionifyouwantedtomake
a night of it. We, however, were
keen to head back to The Cow and
further research the gin menu...What we did
Ashbourneisagreatplacetomooch;
its choice of gift shops and cafés
impresses, with stationers Little
Paperieandethicalclothingstore
Texturaamongitshighlights.A
windowful of pheasants was framed
by swimming-pool tiles at
traditional butchery A L Hulme.
Lamplitpastries,cakesandbreads
made the Cheddar Gorge bakery
and Ashbourne Bakehouse look all
too tempting. And a run of antiquesThe best thing
Travelling to The Cow, we were
withoutanatlas,atthesatnav’s
mercy, and simply could not find
our destination. Staff coaxed us
Cow-wards by phone and that very
same day remedied the problem
with a quick call to Google (you’re
welcome). Not that the best bit was
getting lost. It was the loveliness
of every member of staff; how
genuinely they seemed to care and
how quickly they established
rapport with guests, remembering
plans and showing an interest,
goingtheextramiletomake
recommendations or have a quick
chat. Once you’ve got there (ahem),
you’ll definitely be in safe hands.We also liked
The country estate potential around
The Cow invites you to play lady of
themanor,nosearoundstately
grounds and soak up a tearoom or
two. You can cycle the Tissington
TrailfromAshbourneto
Tissington, where the hall is
privately owned but the village itself
still worth a visit. Ilam Park and
KedlestonHallarethenearest
National Trust properties – the
former great for walking (you can
gettoDovedalefromhere);the
latter an impressive 18th century
palace and pleasure grounds. You’ll
want to plan a yomp or two, if only
to justify another highlight of our
stay, the breakfasts! The menu
of cooked-to-order hot dishes is
hard to pass up; the scrambled eggs
were remarkable.Doubles from £140 b&b;
cowdalbury.com.shops, plus St John Street Gallery, are
idealforrainy-daybrowsing.Wehada
lovely quiche and salad at Bramhalls
Deli & Café. Day two was set aside for
exploring Dovedale. The river Dove
wasasfullastheNationalTrustcar
park, overflowing with Sunday
amblers, families and dog walkers. I
got a soggy sock traversing the river
Dove by stepping stones, and a
head-clearing blast of fresh air
climbing Thorpe Cloud. This strangely
isolated limestone outcrop is a
relatively short climb, worth it for the
mood-boosting views from the top.PHOTOGRAPHY: VISIT PEAK DISTRICT & DERBYSHIRE; ALISON DEAN
ESCAPE (^) | A PLACE TO STAY