Dinner At The Coolstone Bar and Bistro at Eyam Hall Courtyard
Published On Monday 1 May 2023 by Sticky Beak
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His Nibs and I were kindly invited to The Coolstone Bar and Bistro at Eyam Hall Courtyard recently, and before I get into the food and venue, I just want us all to acknowledge the heroism of the inhabitants of this Peak District Village. If you don’t know, previous villagers basically stopped the Black Death/Plague from continuing its rampage in the 17th century through the British Isles, by declaring their home a ‘no-go’ zone: no-one and nothing came into, or went out of, the village, to contain the spread of the disease. The upshot was that approximately one-third of the village died themselves (including one entire family, the Thorpe’s) from the plague, in an act of selflessness that I’m pretty sure wouldn’t happen today; so massive thanks and gratitude to them, from our household 😊.
Eyam Hall is a private residence, although they do open to the public a handful of days each year (we missed one of them by a day – doh!!). Adjacent to the Hall itself is a stone courtyard where all manner of fantastic shops can be found (deli, bookshop, quirky gifts, and even a yoga studio), and there were plenty of folks sitting at the wooden benches and tables enjoying refreshment with their kids and pooches. Located in the courtyard is The Coolstone Bar and Bistro: café by day, restaurant by night; owned by the lovely George, who we’ve met before through his other enterprise, Project Dinner Party.
Inside, Coolstone has been carefully decorated to preserve the character and charm of the old stone building, whilst adding modernity. Warm toned floor tiles downstairs balance the cooler hue of the stormy blue/grey walls and I personally love the neon sign that declares “This Is Our Happy Place” 😊. Free standing square tables are paired with mid back chairs with patterned velvet devore upholstery, but whilst we had a pre-prandial coffee, His Nibs and I parked our derrieres on a plumptious, squishy velvet sofa that had bright scatter cushions on it. A pair of stylish, emerald colour chairs add a splash more intensity to the décor palate, as do the swathes of hanging faux foliage that drape from the round beehive-shaped wicker light shades. Large Yuccas in planters are arranged around the downstairs café area (both of which are child- and dog-friendly, by the way 😊), transitioning the outside-to-inside very nicely.
A gorgeous, open-tread spiral staircase leads up to the wooden floored restaurant, which was closed to us on this occasion (a 35-strong party was dining up there) but we did go for a [typically] Sticky Beak neb before they arrived, and it is a beautiful space. Stags’ heads and copper lighting, with their amber hued bulbs that cast a warm glow, add country charm to the exposed wooden beam ceiling and plain walls. If you look out of the leaded windows you get a great view of Eyam Hall itself, too.
As I mentioned earlier, The Coolstone Bar and Bistro acts as a café during the day and serves breakfasts and lunches Wednesday-Sunday from 10am-Noon, and Noon-5pm respectively. The Bocconcini Courtyard Menu offers street-food style dining – the range of pizzas is pretty impressive, as is the ‘2 pizzas and 2 sides for £28.50’ deal. We’ll definitely be back to try this delight another evening!
Anyhow, The Man Bird and I were at Coolstone to sample the evening menu: the a la carte, spring season option. I chose the Parma Ham, Pickled Watermelon and Feta Salad, with Basil Pesto (£8.50) to start; His Nibs went for Haddock and Chorizo Fishcake with Homemade Tartare Sauce and Frisée (£8.95). Guess who was Chef that evening? None other than Ash, the Chef who had come to do our private dining dinner party when we reviewed that for Project Dinner Party 😊!! It was lovely to see him again, and it meant that we knew the food was going to be amazeballs.
For drinks, we’d ordered a glass of Rioja and a pint of Asahi lager, which was on draught (not something you often see) and our lovely server, Nicky, also brought out a jug of iced water with slices of Lemon, Lime and Orange in. Liam was the barman on this occasion, and he was kept busy mixing up some scrummy cocktails and pouring pints for the steady stream of people coming in to dine; soon, the venue had a great buzz to it, and folks were chatting and swaying to the upbeat background music.
Presentation-wise you couldn’t fault the starters: they both looked exquisite, and we eagerly tucked in. My own choice captured springs’ emerging colours with its pink, cream and green palate; I’m pleased to say that its flavour also reflected the bounce and freshness of the season. The Parma Hams’ gentle salty tone was partnered by the crumbled Feta cheese, both of which were tempered by the sweetness of crunchy Pea Shoots. My taste buds were captivated by the sharp tang of the Pickled Watermelon as well as the sweet/spicy, clean taste of the Basil Pesto that was artfully dotted around the plate. This starter had certainly got all the flavour bases covered, and set a high standard for the rest of my meal to live up to.
Having snaffled a piece of the Fishcake, I can confidently say that this was just as super as my salad. The unsmoked fish’s natural sweet juiciness was beautifully lifted by the unmistakeable boldness of spices within the Chorizo cubes, and floury, mashed potato bound everything together in this satiating morsel. Before you got to this deliciousness though, you had to cut into the tempting golden coating, and we both smiled at the crunch it made as His Nibs sliced into its super-crispness 😊. Cutting through the creaminess and spice was the wonderful zippy flavour of Caper- and Pickle- containing Tartare sauce that was gloriously chunky and herbed with fresh Dill with a smidge of Lemon juice adding a lovely bite to this condiment. Now, you all know what a salad-dodger The Man is, but he gallantly chomped through the dressed lettuce with no qualms whatsoever…and said that he liked it – nice work, Ash.
As we’d munched our way through the starters, Nicky had checked we were happy with them and, when she came to clear the clean plates away, she took the time to have a chat with us. George also came over to chat and told us where my main course choice of Rump of New Season Lamb (£24.95) came from: Ginger Butchers, at Over Haddon Farm; he lives on the farm adjacent to them! The Man Bird had opted for Chicken and Wild Mushroom Pie with Garlic Mash, Fine Beans, and Tarragon and White Wine Sauce (£17.95) for his main, and this has a wait time of 20 minutes because Chef cooks it fresh-to order - *spoiler alert*, it was worth the wait!
Chef serves the Lamb Rump pink (exactly as it should be, in my opinion!) and it was sliced thickly, allowing my eyes to appreciate the delicate ombre of the meat from pink to caramel, as it went from centre to periphery. I always say that you can taste when an animal has had a happy life in its flavour, and this particular lamb had been very happy indeed: the flavour was second-to-none, matched by the moistness and tenderness of the meat. A quarter of Spring Green had been charred, and the smoky hint seemed to enhance the lamb’s sweetness – which was certainly no bad thing 😊. The Goats Curd Dauphinoise was simply spectacular! Wafer-thin spuds were pimped by musky Goats’ curd into a soft, sumptuous dish that really could be served alone as a suppertime treat; it was just marvellous. In-season Asparagus spears lay proudly on my plate, their verdancy displaying their potency proudly and, as I bit into one, its buttery sweet, yet earthy, flavour flooded my mouth. Pinch me someone, I’d died and gone to gastro heaven. Even the Rosemary Jus warrants a mention! - rich, and deeply meaty, you couldn’t help but notice Rosemary’s confident, piney taste at its heart.
Secretly, I’d been rubbing my hands together gleefully when His Nibs ordered the Chicken and Wild Mushroom Pie, confident that I would be receiving them on my own plate. Pffffft, how wrong was I?! Once he’d cut into the stunning, cobweb-fine, flaky pastry, His Nibs then wolfed a massive forkful of both Chicken and Mushroom into his chops without a second thought; worse was his reply when I enquired as to how it tasted: “absolutely delish!”. No mushroom morsels for me, then ☹. I don’t think Chef Ash could’ve crammed another crumb inside the pastry ‘bombe’; it was stuffed to the brim! The moist pieces of dark and white poultry meat and pleasingly dense textured fungi were accompanied by a moreish white sauce, whose Anise bounce (courtesy of Tarragon) bubbled tenderly in the mouth. Glass-smooth, garlic-zhuzhed mash and squeaky Fine Beans completed the ensemble perfectly, and when The Man placed his cutlery down, all evidence of their existence was gone. Another pair of clean plates were taken away by Nicky; not that she was surprised, as we’d grinned wider than a Cheshire cat when she’d asked if we were enjoying our mains 😊.
As soon as I spied the word ‘Rhubarb’ on the dessert menu, that was my choice settled (Rhubarb Posset with Ginger Shortbread, £7.95), and His Nibs plumped for Salted Caramel Mousse with Florentine Biscuit and Orange Compote (£7.95) – he did seriously consider the Dark Chocolate Tart with Clotted Cream and Chocolate Soil though (£8.25).
I sighed contentedly as the mesmerising sharp/sweet notes of Rhubarb from that county that begins with ‘Y’ (you know, the one that wishes it was Derbyshire 😉!) hit my palate – there really is nothing better than at-its-peak Rhubarb. On top of the fruits’ beautifully rosy hue was the delicately pale cream, sugar and citrus juice Posset concoction; the perfect foil to Rhubarbs’ playful rambunctiousness. Together, they made for a superbly balanced pudding, especially when the rounds of crumbly shortbread (with their distinct Ginger warmth) were added into the mix 😊!
His Nibs said that the mousse had what he called a ‘proper’ Caramel flavour to it, meaning that it wasn’t tooth-chatteringly sweet as some can be. Instead, it was that perfect sweetness that invites other elements to come and play with it – something that the wondrously clean, zingy Orange did with gleeful abandon. Where the mousse and compote were soft, the Florentine biscuit was whisker-thin and crunchy, its texture and nutty taste very welcome to The Man’s senses.
From start to finish, this had been a top-notch meal, representing very good value for money, given its quality and quantity. The service was every bit as good as well! I have no reservation at all about awarding Hot Wings to this great eaterie in a stunning part of the Peak District 😊. Many thanks to George for kindly inviting us along, we had a superb time, thanks to you and your amazing team 😊.
To book a table, ring 01433 627280 or visit the website www.thecoolstone.co.uk and hit the ‘book’ button.
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