Lunch At The Miners Standard, Winster Near Matlock
Published On Monday 2 Jan 2023 by Sticky Beak
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It’s always been our Flock ethos that a holiday or short break starts as soon as you set foot out of the door. No surprise, then, when The Man Bird suggested we book somewhere for lunch on the way to a weekend getaway with friends to Landal Darwin Forest. Regular readers of the blog may recall that last year we stopped off at Barrington’s (which was very nice, I have to say), so we scouted around for another venue to get our weekend off to a good start. After a bit of research we settled on The Miners Standard in the village of Winster, so after packing up the jalopy we headed off on our adventure with Christmas tunes belting out of the car stereo!
It turned out to be another of our epic meanderings up in’t’hills of the ‘Shire, complete with a few games of chicken with white van-driving delivery men as we traversed the narrow, winding roads and then the twisty-turny streets of Winster itself! I have to say though, that it was worth it for the views; you can literally see for miles from Bank Top, where The Miners Standard is located.
There are two small/medium sized car parks, so we went for the left hand side one and this looks as if it provides the bulk of parking for those who are camping, vlamping or glamping at this venue...more details on that at the end of the article. As you go through the door there is a date sign; not sure whether it says 1633 or 1653, but whatever, this building is blooming old and full of character. I’m not shy about admitting the fact that I’m not a tall person (Fledge lovingly – I think! – calls me ‘stumpy’) so when I say that I could reach the ceiling without having to go on tippy-toes, you get a good idea of the dimensions of this quirky, traditional ale house. I ruddy love buildings like this!
Given its age, you won’t be shocked to hear that it’s a proper, solid construction of stone, complete with thick, wooden ceiling beams, smaller than modern windows and a fireplace at each end; one in the dining area of the pub, the other in the seated area. We had gone for lunch and the fires were newly lit so it wasn’t as warm as I imagine it to be in the evenings, but we still managed without our coats on; the couple of dogs that were in with their humans were happy enough too, and sat down at the side of the seats. The beautiful terriers’ day got a lot better when they were allowed to have a treat from the lovely bar lady (not sure if it was Lindsay, one of the Miners’ owners)after she’d asked their owner if it was ok to feed them.
Having got drinks from the bar, we sat at one of the tables and perused the weekday lunch menu (Saturday and Sunday are different offerings) and discussed what we fancied. His Nibs had spied the Bangers ‘N’ Mash (£12.95) so that was him sorted, and when the bar lady told me that there was a Game Pie on as well as the usual Steak ‘N’ Ale one (£13.95), that was me settled, too. We weren’t alone; there was another couple in (probably ‘tourists’ like us), already tucking into their choices and there was a group of locals in the other side of the room, that I would call a ‘snug’, enjoying a lunch time pint.
The food is cooked fresh to order at The Miners Standard, but we weren’t waiting overly long before our meals were being placed in front of us. As you would expect in a traditional establishment that’s a bit off the beaten track, the presentation was fuss-free; no heaps of micro herbs or fancy garnish, but each element was carefully plated, not just chucked on. The portion size was lovely and generous and everything that was meant to be hot was piping hot, as in steam-billowing hot!
My game pie consisted of large chunks of Duck, Partridge and Pheasant contained in a beautifully rich, flavoursome shortcrust pastry case and topped with a buttery, puff pastry round that flaked crisply when cut into and melted on my tongue. The case was filled to the rafters and there was a smattering of sauce to provide a nice moistness without rendering the pie soggy or overshadowing the game meats. Underneath the pie, almost acting as an anchor point, was a deep bed of perfectly seasoned, glass smooth mash; now I’m not usually a massive spud fan, but this was absolutely delicious. My garden peas had come in a separate little pot, as had more meat-juice gravy – but in a metal gravy boat, not a pot! I dipped my finger in to see if the gravy was worth pouring out, and it most definitely was, so without further ado I larruped the entire boats’ worth over my plate. This was hearty, honest food done fantastically well, and it was bang-on-the-money for this hungry bird.
The Man Bird had opted for a pub classic for his lunch and there’s something almost magical about Bangers and Mash when it’s done well, isn’t there? Chef at The Miners Standard is clearly on board with this theory and uses top-quality butchers’ sausages, the fat, juicy trio sitting cheekily on their mashed potato perch as they waited for His Nibs to go get them! These beauties were chockfull of Pork and the skilful seasoning meant they had very little repeat factor to them; I tried a piece of one and said that I could happily have had this dish myself. As with my meal, this one came with Garden Peas but they were roaming free on The Man’s plate rather than being confined in a pot as mine had been. The gravy was proving irresistible to His Nibs too and he reverentially poured the thick liquid over his dish, smiling as the steam arose from the snaking stream.
This had been an excellent meal; one that we hadn’t expected to be quite so good if I’m being honest. Not that I’m saying we weren’t expecting a good offering, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise from an out-of-the-way pub kitchen. Our clean plates confirmed the quality of the meal and our full bellies bore testament to the size of the portions! We’d had a great experience at The Miners Standard at Winster and the lady and gent that both served us were lovely and friendly.
Hot Wings certainly given to this country pub and if you’re into your al fresco getaways then pin your ears back for this info. Those who have Caravans are probably familiar with the fact that they can pitch-up at this venue if they’ve ever looked into touring in this area, but there are a couple of new kids on the holiday block at The Miners Standard: Glamping and Vlamping.
The bell tents used for glampers are available in three sizes (2-, 4-, and 6-berth); they are available for a minimum of two nights and under 16’s are given concessionary pricing, which makes it very family friendly. At the time of writing, The Miners Standard is the only Peak District site to offer Vlamping which, for those that aren’t au fait with this (I’m not!) is for camper van owners to just pull up to a ‘glawning’, connect the utilities and enjoy. There’s no faffing about putting your own awning or tent up - or having to pack it into your van in the first place and waste space for alcohol, sports stuff or whatever makes your breaks fun. If you really want to be inside (away from bugs and other critters) then there are also 3 ensuite guest rooms in the Miners Standard itself.
For more information on any of the topics covered, simply head to www.theminersstandard.co.uk or give them a buzz on 01629 650279.
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