Dinner At The Recently Opened Peacock At Owler Bar
Published On Sunday 29 Dec 2024 by Sticky Beak
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You certainly can’t accuse Rob Hattersley of resting on his laurels! The Longbow Venues owner has expanded his offering of gastropubs and accommodation with the recent re-opening of The Peacock at Owler Bar, having spent mid- six figures to get it ‘just right’. Located at the old turnpike road to Chatsworth House and Bakewell, this Grade II-listed building now has a unique blend of its original solid Oak floors, leaded windows and thick ceiling beams sitting comfortably alongside modern art and lighting touches.
There is plenty of on-site parking and, having left the jalopy in one of them, His Nibs and I wandered inside to sample the fruits of Executive Chef Adrian Gagea’s teams’ efforts. One thing you can be sure of at any of the Longbow Venues is a warm, friendly greeting, and here at The Peacock it is as great as at any of its sister sites. Having been escorted over to our table, we were left in the capable hands of Amelia, our server for the evening, who quickly sorted out water for the table and then asked what we’d like to drink; glass of Pinot Noir for me and a pint of low-alcohol (0.5% ABV) Thornbridge Green Mountain hazy session IPA for The Man.
As you’d expect from the son of a wine merchant, Rob offers an extensive selection of wines, both by the glass and bottle, but there’s also plenty of choice of spirits, ales and lagers to enjoy too. Non-drinkers are well catered for and, of course, you can always pop in to savour a hot beverage, cake and light-bite from 11am-11pm every day of the week. Cyclists, walkers, local residents and tourists alike will find The Peacock offers them refuge in glorious surroundings, and furry companions are welcome as well.
Settling in, we cast our beady eyes over the menu which features pub classics a la Peacock, as well as seasonally changing dishes inspired by cuisines further afield. For starter, I chose the Spiced Lamb Ballotine with Date Glaze, Celeriac Purée and Herb Oil (£10.95) and The Man had Onion Bhaji-inspired Scotch Egg with Homemade Mango Chutney (£9.95). What I love about Rob is that, whilst his ethos is that food should be unpretentious, he insists that everything is cooked fresh-to-order and can be adapted to be gluten-free on the majority of them, and vegans and vegetarians are given a wide choice of dishes.
When our starters arrived, they were beautifully presented, and we took a moment to appreciate them before tucking in. It pains me to concede defeat, but His Nibs’ Scotch Egg won our little competition of ‘most eye catching’; the yolk of the egg was strikingly sunny against the darker crumb coating at its periphery. The richness of the yolks’ colour was amply matched by its taste, making The Man smile happily as it languished on his tongue. In contrast to the eggs’ softness, the coating and thin Onion slices on top were superbly crunchy, but the star of the show was the intensely flavoursome Mango Chutney that provided the bed on which the halved Scotch Egg had perched.
My Ballotine had been cut in half, and each piece was balanced against the other in the centre of a gorgeously mottled, moss-green bowl. Pale, glass-smooth Celeriac purée was the bottommost layer and provided a secure ‘glue’ for the ballotine to connect with the platter, with crisp Pea Shoots giving a decorative flourish. As well as colour, the shoots also imparted some crunch in what was an otherwise soft starter. The Ballotine was lovely, though I had been expecting more spice to the Lamb meat if I’m honest, and a coarser texture; the Date glaze was lovely, imparting a fruity sweetness against the meats’ earthy richness. Without a shadow of doubt, His Nibs had got the winning starter in my opinion.
Amelia had checked we were enjoying our food, and thoughtfully topped up my wine glass for me when she came to clear away our plates. Whichever Longbow Venues site we’ve visited, the service has been absolutely faultless. Product knowledge is vital in the food and beverage industry, especially when you are serving meals, and Amelia came up trumps when The Man couldn’t decide between the Ossobuco or a Gourmet Burger; diplomatically, she said that both were excellent, but that “you can get a burger pretty much anywhere”. Never a truer word, Amelia, and one that resonated with His Nibs; he made his mind up to have the slow-cooked Ossobuco with Truffled Potato purée, Sautéed Kale and Bourguignon Sauce (£21.95). It isn’t often I go for a pie, but the sound of the Venison and Guinness minx [£20.95, pie of the week] had me salivating at the thought of it, so that was my choice, along with a side of Sautéed Greens, £4.50.
When pie pastry is done right, there’s nothing quite like it on earth, and my palate was in raptures of delight at the offering at The Peacock; absolutely banging it was! Substantial, yet not clarty, its high fat content saw it melting instantly in my mouths’ warmth. Chunks of Venison were combined with finely chopped Carrot and Onion, the whole being bound in a tremendously rich, Guinness-pimped gravy – my days, this was sublime! Stronger game meats meld perfectly with intense, malty stouts like Guinness, and this really was a match made in heaven. Lightening things up in the mouth were the grassy notes from the crunchy Kale and the liberally salted Mash was balanced by the Black Pepper that had been sprinkled on the Sautéed Broccoli and Mange Tout.
Ossobuco means ‘bone with a hole’ and, though traditionally Veal is used, any meat shank can be substituted; the main thing is that the [intensely rich, creamy tasting] marrow in the bone is released during the cooking process. Intent on making this a truly memorable dish, Chef not only had the marrow flooding the palate, he’d combined it with Truffled Potato purée; if you thought I was happy with my meal, His Nibs had floated up to cloud nine! As with my dish, crunchy Kale tempered the flavour profile; well, it did its best, but then it had also got the luxuriant Bourguignon sauce to deal with! Sometimes you just come across a ridiculously good dish…and this was the one at The Peacock.
Soon after we’d put our cutlery down on our cleared plates, Amelia came over (she’d already done a check-back) and couldn’t help but smile at the effusive praise streaming from our lips. It’s always nice to hear when a job has been well done, isn’t it?
After such dizzying heights of marvellousness, there was just no way that the puddings were going to outshine the mains, but that isn’t to say they weren’t fab. I had gone for the [vegan] Pear and Fig, Cinnamon-spiced Filo parcels with Vegan Ice Cream and Blueberry Coulis, £8.95; His Nibs opted for White Chocolate and Passionfruit Crème Brulée with Shortbread Biscuit and Berry Coulis, also £8.95.
The smiles on our faces were soon back in evidence as the thick sugar crust elicited that beautiful ‘thwack’ sound when His Maj smacked it with his dessert spoon! Beautifully smoky, the Brulée twirled elegantly with the silky crème, whose own sweetness of the White Chocolate was balanced by the fragrant tartness of the Passionfruit. The individuality of our palates came starkly into focus as I was passed a spoonful to try; I really didn’t enjoy the flavour combo, yet His Nibs was utterly smitten! *This* is why I always say that reviews/opinions are completely subjective, and to try things for yourself. Patiently waiting at the side of the dessert plate was a round of crumbly, buttery Shortbread; this was magnificent by itself, but even better when scooping up some of the crème!
Underneath precise tringles of crisp, golden Filo hid soft, aromatic Fig halves and slices of perfumed Pear, waiting for their treasures to be discovered and appreciated. My taste buds were certainly bowled over by their tastes and the textural contrasts in this pud. Chef had hit that sweet spot between the fruit and Cinnamon’s warming notes, and I sighed in contentment with each mouthful. I’m going to hold my hands up and say that I’m not a fan of Vegan Ice Cream (and I’d forgotten to ask for it to be substituted with its dairy-containing cousin!), but I have to admit that the one used in The Peacock’s kitchen wasn’t at all bad…the marvellously bouncy Blueberry compote that I scooped up with it might’ve helped, though.
Yet again, Amelia was receiving our praise, assuring us she would pass the remarks on to Chef and his kitchen team. So full were we, we couldn’t even manage a cup of coffee to conclude our meal! Bravo, Rob, you have pulled it out-of-the-bag again with The Peacock at Owler Bar; huge congratulations to you and your marvellous staff. Massive thanks, too, to Charlotte [Marketing Manager, extraordinaire) for extending the kind invitation to us to visit. Hot Wings very happily awarded here.
Although The Peacock can cater for 130 diners, I would still advise that you book to reserve a table. Ring 0114 303 7074 or visit www.peacockowlerbar.com and hit the ‘book a table’ button. General opening hours are 11am-11pm. Lunch is served Noon-3pm/5pm on Sunday, Dinner service is 5pm-9.30pm/8.30pm on Sunday, and Afternoon Teas are available Noon-5pm, though 24hours notice is required.
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