A Restaurant Evening At The Stretton Manor Barn Wedding Venue
Published On Sunday 23 Mar 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Tucked away down a farm lane (that I remember walking along with my Grandad as a young chick) is the rather fabulous Stretton Manor Barn. As well as being a stylish, sought-after wedding venue, the team also run occasional Restaurant Nights when they have a spare evening, and His Nibs and I were lucky enough to be invited along to the March one.
Photo by Monkeymole Photography
There’s plenty of parking, so you don’t need to worry about that and, having tucked the jalopy into a space, we meandered over the shingle to the barn itself. Attractive flames were casting shadows as they fluttered from the firepits on the outside patio/seating area; I was already a smitten-kitten with this glorious Derbyshire venue! You also can’t fail to notice the massive [8metre!] bi-fold doors/windows that allow natural light to flood in, though we were visiting in the evening so it was the moon that was in charge. We were treated to a twinkling wonderland, with the stratospherically high barn ceiling beams awash with fairy lights and a pair of gasp-inducingly large, matte black chandeliers whose multiple layers were set with warm-toned bulbs.
Laura [who had invited us] couldn’t be there, so it was Ellie who checked us in and, after one of the team had taken our coats to hang up, urged us to help ourselves to a glass of Prosecco whilst our fellow diners were still arriving. I loved the ‘Prosecco Wall’; a wooden-pallet style, multi-tiered stand that held a whole raft of flutes filled with bubbly – it made helping yourself to refreshment so easy, and also freed up the serving team so that they could mingle among guests and offer canapés.
Ah, yes, the canapés: totally tempting and thoroughly irresistible…and seemingly limitless! Chicken Liver Parfit on dinky bread squares, Tomato Bruschetta, and Smoked Salmon Blini’s were all super-fresh and bursting with flavour; best of all, they were perfect one- or two- bite size delights. It didn’t take the team long to figure out who to revisit when they’d only got a couple of canapés left on their serving platters! We were conscious, though, that we had to leave room in our tummies for the feast that awaited us: Stretton Manor Barn are known for their utterly fabulous food, and we didn’t want to only half enjoy the banqueting experience.
We’d found a cosy spot on one of the dove grey sofas in the dedicated bar area from where to sip and nibble… and as we were listening to the pianist tinkle the ivories (beautifully, by the way), Amanda (Stretton Manor Barns’ GM) came over to say hello and have a chat. At this point, we were all ushered in to the main hall to be seated at our communal long table and get acquainted with our neighbours. Each table was set for 8 people on this occasion, and there is a nice space between you – so no chance of knocking elbows whilst you eat! To my eye, Stretton Manor Barn is the perfect size; large enough to cope with wedding parties without being so spacious that its charm and intimacy is lost.
The classic, long wooden benches had a Sage Green runner down their centre, with vases of fresh Gypsophilia and tealights in glass holders as decorative touches. More strings of lights added illumination, and I loved the elegant, faux flame candles set at intervals along the tables; I meant to ask where they were from, but forgot – doh! Gleaming glassware and shining cutlery patiently waited to be used, and it wasn’t long until they were getting their wish.
Seemingly from nowhere, the serving team arrived at our long table and served the first course on wooden boards: Baked Camembert, Rustic Artisan Bloomer stuffed with a Garlic & Herb Melting Butter Candle, Crispy Streaky Bacon and slow-roasted bulbs of Garlic. You can’t beat something a bit different, and the Butter Candle was certainly that; as well as casting a beautiful glowing flame, its warmth helped soften the intense Garlicky, Herby butter further. We tore the fluted round of bread apart and scooped up the unctuous butter with it, licking our fingers and lips as it smeared them, and I teased the cloves of softened, roast Garlic out of their papery confines with my fork tines and passed some over to The Man. If you need an introduction to the charms of Garlic then I can heartily recommend roasting the bulbs whole, as the resultant flavour of the individual cloves is a lot mellower and sweeter on the palate. The saltiness of the Streaky Bacon seemed to make the other elements in this dish ‘pop’, and we both savoured the audible crunch as we bit into the rashers.
Up next, for mains, was a trio of meats: Elderflower-marinated Chump of Lamb, Slow-braised Pulled Pork with Crispy Crackling and Apple Sauce, and Chargrilled Chicken Breast and Leg. Accompanying the meats were Dauphinoise Potatoes, Roast Carrots, and Fine Green Beans, all served in separate bowls.
Over the years, His Nibs and I have had many funny moments and communication woes, but this particular evening had an absolute belter in store! I’m not sure what happened, but His Nibs said something about the meat and I said “No, it’s not Beef” – he obviously thought I’d said “No, it’s Beef” and spent the entire course with a quizzical look on his mush…nothing unusual there, LOL! Anyhow, later in the evening, Mark (co-owner of the Barn) said what had we particularly enjoyed and The Man said “The Beef, its texture was marvellously soft”; Mark replied, “it was Lamb, not Beef”, at which point I said “I told you it wasn’t Beef!”. Indignantly, His Nibs said “I thought you said it WAS Beef, and spent the whole meal thinking that it didn’t taste like Beef and that I was coming down with a cold or something”. Oooops, my bad – but it was funny…and something to reminisce about when we’re old and daft(er).
The upshot, though, was that the [rose-pink] Lamb was indeed beautifully soft and tender, with an exquisite sweet, floral note to it from the Elderflower it had bathed in prior to being cooked. Chef had sliced the Chump to reveal its beauty, as well as showing the fact that it had been rested skilfully to reabsorb its juices and not release any blood onto the platter. Equally stunning was the Pulled Pork shreds; they were as soft as silk and topped with crispy Sage leaves, whose fragrant taste was clean in the mouth. The Apple sauce was pleasingly thick, and not overly sweetened, either, which made me very happy; I like to taste the fruit in my sauces rather than just sugar. The Crackling had been presented in a glass, looking like Cheese Straws – another nice touch. I grinned happily as I chomped on the salty, crunchy strips, they’re one of my favourite [homemade] things. Served on a bed of wilted Spinach and fresh Herbs, the Chicken had been cut into the breast and leg pieces, and the flesh was juicy and tender, with a delightful creamy taste.
His Nibs makes a mean Dauphinoise so, to preserve marital harmony, I will say that this one nearly matched the quality of his (but what I mean is that it was just as good!). The Potato was soft and floury, punctuated with Garlic and Cream notes, and beautifully seasoned; if Carlsberg did Dauphinoise…
Green Beans are a favourite of mine, and these ones were marvellous; served with toasted Pine Nuts and then tossed in Lemon oil and sprinkled with Sea Salt. Clean and fresh, they were a joy to eat. Even the roasted Carrots had been elevated into something magical; not just honey-sweetened, these minxes had Olive Oil’s fruitiness, Rosemary and Thyme aromatics, ozonic Rock Salt and warmth from Cracked Black Pepper in the mix. Delicious!
At the start of our third and final course (dessert), we knew something tremendous was about to happen: half of the serving team lined up in front of each dining group, waiting patiently with a small white jug in their hands for their colleagues to arrive with the platters of sweet treats. On the wooden board was a small black bowl containing fresh herbs; nothing special about that we all thought…until the warm water in the jugs was poured into the bowl and the hidden dry-ice began to froth. Instantly, it was like mist was rolling over the table like it was a wild moor - talk about some fabulous table theatre! Bravo, Stretton Manor Barn, you had us all captivated. Even better (from our gluttonous viewpoint!) was the fact that style was matched with substance; the Crème Brulée was quite remarkable, and partnered delightfully with fresh Raspberries and sliced Strawberries that were housed in their own bowl. Squares of ridiculously gooey, indulgent Chocolate Brownies were crowned with large, white-Chocolate drizzled Strawberries, and we were both giddy with glee as we finished the last morsels of our, frankly, incredible feast.
Concluding the evening was your choice of Tea or Coffee, served with after-dinner Mints. Mindful of the late hour, I didn’t really want to be introducing caffeine into my system, so was very glad to be told that both de-caff Tea and Coffee was available. I opted for Tea, His Nibs had decaff Coffee, nicely presented in individual cafetieres. Coils of Brown- and White- sugar were held on their own wooden ‘twirler’ – another artful touch from the Stretton Manor Barn team.
Throughout the evening, the service had been impeccable; the monochrome-uniformed team had been professional and slick, clearing and serving a whole long table together. It isn’t often you come across phenomenal service quality like this, and it was great to see. If this is what you experience on a restaurant night at Stretton Manor Barn, imagine how good it would be at a wedding!
Hot Wings more than happily awarded here; we had a truly memorable evening, and are beyond grateful to have been asked along. It really was a privilege to be your guests; thank you. If you are longing to experience this for yourselves, I can tell you that the next restaurant night is on Saturday 17th May 2025; be quick to book your places though (£79 per person), as the next one probably won’t be until October or November, or whenever the next date is that a wedding isn’t booked in at the Barn!
Get in touch on 01246 511676, and visit the website www.strettonmanorbarn.co.uk to see just how fantastic this venue is.
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