Sunday Lunch At Rafters At Riverside House, Ashford In The Water
Published On Sunday 6 Mar 2022 by Sticky Beak
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It’s no secret that here in Derbyshire we have some of the finest (THE finest, in my opinion!) villages and countryside in the whole UK; after all, that’s why thousands upon thousands of folks visit our county year after year. One such beauty is the former shooting lodge, Riverside House, in Ashford-In-The-Water, which has undergone a complete transformation, becoming a boutique, 14-bedroomed Hotel complete with a two AA Rosette awarded restaurant, Rafters. Since taking over, the refurbishment of the premises has been a labour of love for owner Alistair Myers, but it has been well worth the effort, let me tell you!
As well as serving a la carte dishes and the tasting menu, Chef John Whelan offers diners a Sunday Roast, which he has such faith in that this is the only menu item available at Rafters on Sundays, served from Noon until 6.30pm. It was this increasingly popular morsel that Alistair kindly invited The Man and me along to try, so off we set in the trusty jalopy to see what the fuss was about.
In keeping with many old buildings in small Derbyshire villages, parking space wasn’t a priority consideration when Riverside House was originally built, so it was a case of grab a space where you can. Let’s just say that some of the parking was ‘creative’ with little or no regard given to the lawn in places – we parked on a bend in the driveway; not our finest moment, I will admit, but we weren’t blocking anyone in or obstructing them leaving, so it had to do!
The Grade II listed building is stunning, as you would expect, with climbing Ivy garnishing the sash windows at the side of the imposing entrance arch. As we stepped inside we were immediately in the snug/reception area and the warmth of the welcome was second-to-none, putting us straight at ease. There’s no mistaking the classiness of Riverside House (some ‘stealth wealth’ was definitely in attendance!) but the informal staff attire – smart denim, box-fresh trainers, crisp white shirts and professional aprons – keep things inclusive for all. Very cleverly pitched, Alistair, very clever indeed.
One of the lovely team showed us to our table and handed us the wine list and menus, whilst asking if we’d like water for the table. We were given a few minutes to select our drinks from the choice, so big it was basically a novella, with its own page/chapter index! Entry level wines are fairly accessible, budget-wise, to all, and then you get to the more connoisseur choices which are fantasy land stuff to me - and being honest, my knowledge of wines isn’t extensive enough that I could justify spending big bucks on (however scrummy) grape juice. But, if wine is ‘your thing’ then Riverside House needs to be your next place to dine at.
I settled on a glass of White Rioja, His Nibs had a pint of Estrella and, after having placed our food order, we sat back and admired the decor as we sipped at our drinks. Relaxing shades of Dove Grey and complimentary checked carpet were accented by marine blue window drapes at the huge sash windows, pristine white half-height dado rails, textural paper on the lower half of the walls and wood panelling. The background, instrumental music was at a pleasant level that provided ambience without stifling the gentle bubble of conversation that thrummed from the other tables of diners.
Rafters at Riverside House is the sister venue to Sheffield’s iconic Rafters restaurant, and a nod to the Steel City’s beloved condiment, Henderson’s Relish, is given in the ‘Hendo’s Butter’ served with slices of warm Black Treacle and Granary bread. Black Treacle’s sweet richness is brilliantly tempered by the sharp notes of spirit Vinegar, Tamarind, Cloves and Garlic in the Hendo’s, and Chef achieves the butter’s mousseline texture by using the Ice Cream maker – genius! It was at this point that the lack of stuffiness and snobbery clearly came into view as His Nibs was offered more of the bread and Hendo’s to tuck into; I think he’d inhaled it, the first slice disappeared that quickly!
I’d ordered Celeriac glazed in Apple Caramel with Nasturtium Pesto, Brown Butter Hollandaise and Savoury Granola to start, His Nibs went with the Packington Chicken and Herb Terrine with Caesar and Serrano Ham Salad. Both dishes looked incredible, as you would expect from a two AA Rosette establishment, and we smiled happily at each other as we tucked in.
Personally, I really like Celeriac; its creamily nutty-yet-earthy taste appeals to me, but I can appreciate why others find it a bit boring – especially if it’s been overcooked to a soggy mess, which it most certainly hadn’t been here! In contrast to the softened vegetable were dinky cubes of crisp, crunchy Granny Smith Apple and multi seed Granola, with both providing superb levels of texture. The caramel component came via the Brown Butter Hollandaise and this creamy textured sauce lazed on my tongue to let me fully savour its charms. For a splash of peppery ‘bite’, Chef John Whelan used Nasturtium leaves to produce a Pesto and this added another great layer of flavour to this fantastic starter.
Flecks of verdant herb could be seen peeking out among the shreds of Chicken in His Nibs’ Terrine, adding a fresh, clean note that popped against the silkier, softer poultry flavour. This terrine was quite coarse in texture, making it more suited to eating with cutlery rather than spreading onto bread – perhaps as well, seeing as His Nibs had long since polished that off! It was the Serrano ham slices that got The Man’s attention though, with its complex characters of buttery, sweet (yet gently spicy) richness that salsa’d vibrantly with pungent Parmesan, crunchy Croutons and cool Romaine Lettuce leaves. Chef John has produced an elegant, light, refined starter here; one that will have mass appeal to diners at Rafters at Riverside House.
For mains we chose to have the Slow Roast Highland Wagyu Beef (me) and the Roast Packington Pork (Him), both of which come with Yorkshire Pudding, beef fat Roasties, beef fat Carrot and Cauliflower Cheese. Now, I don’t know about you, but whenever I dine somewhere new (especially somewhere swanky) I never quite know whether the meal will be filling enough to swerve ordering extra sides? After a bit of discussion, we decided to order two sides: Sheffield Honey roast Parsnips and Chive Mash, priced £5 each, as we knew that we’d eat them anyway! Turns out that they weren’t really necessary thanks to Chef being a generous soul, but they did go rather nicely with the other items on our plates, so it worked out well.
I shall get straight to the point and say that the Beef here is the best I’ve had for Sunday lunch, without a shadow of a doubt! The Highland Wagyu just melted on my tongue and had a gorgeous sweet note to its succulent flesh; the moistness is in no small part due to the fine marbling of fat that runs through the muscle fibres of these pampered cattle, but cooking it slow enhances this even more. I was also happy with the amount of meat on my plate; both slices were a good size and my mouth began to water as the aroma hit my nostrils. The Man Bird was equally happy with his Pork, his palate savouring its mild creamy taste and juiciness– I was also happy, as he passed the thick, sea salt flake pimped crackling over to me!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Roast Potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings are cornerstones of any self-respecting roast dinner, and the ones here were sublime. Whilst the Yorkies might not have been the largest we’ve ever come across, they were still a decent size and were absolutely bang-on-the-money in terms of taste and texture. This was clearly an occasion where awards for ‘best’ were being thrown around, because the roasties were deemed to be the best we’d had, too; they had brilliantly roughed-up outers that had turned super-crisp during the roasting process and then you got a cosseting, soft inner to enjoy. Chef John Whelan had popped Garlic and Rosemary in with the spuds as they were cooking and both notes came through clearly in the mouth –yummy!
The Man Bird is a spud-o-holic and it was he who’d hankered after the Chive mash; on this occasion though I have to give credit where it’s due, the glass-smooth mash was delicious, with the crisp flavour of Chive heartily discernible. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved Parsnips, and the baby ones at Rafters at Riverside House had been doused in Honey and roasted to caramelise their natural sugars, imparting a beautiful mahogany colour to one side of their outers. Even His Nibs conceded that they were very tasty, appealing to his sweet tooth (for obvious reasons) and to the lazy side of his nature due to their softness (he didn’t to chew them much!).
A single, large carrot half graced each of our plates and the beef fat’s twang permeated the softened root vegetable so that a gentle hint of it lingered in our mouths. My beloved Cauliflower Cheese came in a separate dish and as I gobbled it up, the mature cheese’s tanginess hop-scotched over my palate followed by the subtle flavour of the Cauliflower florets.
No surprise when I tell you that we ordered pudding: Rice Pudding Parfait with Poached Rhubarb and Ginger for me, Bullion Chocolate ‘After Eight’ with Mint Ice Cream for Him Indoors. When the food we’d had so far had been this good, we would’ve been fools not to go the whole hog, so to speak!
The Bullion Chocolate was decadently dark and rich, the perfect foil for the bright, clean notes of mint to spark against. Visually this was a great dessert as well, with the dark tones of the chocolate contrasting against the bright, well, minty hue of the Mint fondant/crème layer that topped it. An impossibly thin sugar tuille garnished this delight and it literally melted the instant it hit the tongue’s heat! Quietly biding its time to shine was a quenelle of Mint Ice Cream and when His Nibs popped some into his mouth, it unleashed its unbridled clean, crisp and beautifully bright flavour over the unsuspecting taste buds. Rather than being a harsh, artificial mint, this was a cooling, rounded taste that was markedly gentler than you’d first think.
My Rice Pudding Parfait was stunning, it really was. This morsel was amazingly creamy but had the texture of pudding rice grains within it and it was served chilled; one of those bamboozling desserts that has warm and chilled elements within its description! The cheerily rose pink pieces of Rhubarb were sublimely tart on my palate, partnered smoothly by the warming notes of Ginger syrup and textural Ginger crumb. I placed my dessert cutlery down and sighed with joy as I savoured the last whispers of this glorious pudding.
After our clean dessert plates had been cleared away, Alistair invited us to take coffee out in the garden room on the delightfully squishy sofas whilst we took in the beautiful walled garden view. The sun was shining down over the lawn and, had it been a few degrees warmer, it would’ve been lovely to sit out on the stone patio (under one of the heaters) in a rattan chair.
Throughout our visit to Rafters at Riverside House, the team had been utterly faultless in their service and treatment of us: check-backs had been done, food served meticulously and with a smile, and plates cleared away swiftly. Never mind keeping up with the Jones’s, when you dine here you ARE the Jones’s!
Alistair has taken the decision to not allow dogs at Riverside House, but children are welcomed on Sundays – after all, Sunday Roasts are the ultimate family meal, aren’t they?
Rafters at Riverside House is open for lunch Noon-2pm Wednesday-Saturday, and for Dinner on those days from 6.30pm-8.15pm. The A La Carte and Tasting Menu are available Wednesday-Saturday, and the venue is closed for food service on Monday and Tuesday. The Sunday Roast is the only food served on Sundays (Noon-6.30pm) and is priced at £34 per person for two courses, and £42 per person for three courses.
Hot Wings very happily awarded to this superb team; thank you Alistair for the kind invitation, we had a marvellous experience.
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