The Red Lion: The Perfect End To A Long Walk - Restaurant Review
- Jen Bell I Editor I Good Life List Peak District
- Apr 29
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 17
The Red Lion Restaurant, Peak Edge Hotel, Darley Road, Stone Edge, Chesterfield S45 0LW, (01246 566142). Starters £8.95-£14.95, mains £17.95-£36.95, desserts £8.95-£12.95, beers from £5.50, wine from £7.95 a glass.
My husband and I had spent most of the day walking.
Not one of those gentle Sunday afternoon strolls where you stop every twenty minutes for coffee and cake. A proper walk. Four hours from Baslow Edge to Chatsworth and back again, covering just over 19,000 steps and enough hills to ensure we'd thoroughly earned our dinner.
By the time we arrived at The Red Lion that evening, tired but happy, the prospect of a good meal felt very appealing.
The Red Lion has always been one of those places that manages to feel welcoming without trying too hard. Flagstone floors, oak beams and that cosy countryside atmosphere it does so well. Walking in after a long day outdoors felt especially lovely.
It was made even better by the fact we had the boys with us.
Anyone who has ever walked into a nice restaurant with young children will understand the small moment of relief when staff immediately make you feel comfortable rather than slightly apologetic for existing. No awkward glances. No feeling that you've accidentally brought a pair of feral wolves into a fine dining restaurant. Just a genuinely warm welcome and a lovely table overlooking the countryside.
As the evening progressed, the views became almost as enjoyable as the food. Beyond the windows, the Derbyshire landscape gradually softened into shades of gold, pink and orange as the sun began to set. After spending much of the day out in it, it felt like the perfect backdrop to dinner.
We started with warm sourdough and, perhaps unfairly, I always judge bread by temperature. Warm bread immediately puts me in a good mood.
This arrived with whipped butter and a scattering of sea salt flakes and disappeared within seconds.
A zero-alcohol beer arrived for my husband, pineapple juice (strictly no ice) for Mr 5, Coke for Mr 7 and a perfectly chilled glass of 2024 Kuraka Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough for me. Fresh, crisp and exactly what I wanted after several hours on the hills.
Colouring sheets, puzzles and crayons quickly appeared for the boys, buying us that precious parental luxury: enough peace and quiet to actually read the menu.
For starters, I very nearly ordered the scallops.
I almost always order scallops when they're available and rarely regret it. On this occasion, however, I decided to be adventurous and opted for the twice-baked Dovedale Blue soufflé with watercress and pickled walnut.
My husband chose the French onion soup with Gruyère croûte.
I have to admit there was a brief moment of starter envy when it arrived.
The aroma reached the table before the bowl itself had properly landed. Rich onions, savoury stock and molten cheese. Exactly what French onion soup should smell like. My husband confirmed it tasted every bit as good as it promised.
Fortunately, my soufflé was excellent too.
Light and airy on the outside, soft and creamy in the middle, with enough of the Dovedale Blue coming through without becoming overwhelming. My only minor criticism was that I would have loved the pickled walnuts to bring a little more sharpness to proceedings, but that's very much a personal preference. I'm firmly in favour of flavours that occasionally punch you in the face.
The boys had their mains while we enjoyed our starters, which worked brilliantly and kept everything moving smoothly.
Mr 7 chose fish and chips and immediately declared the chips a success. The fish itself received a more mixed reception, although this appeared to be entirely down to a seven-year-old deciding battered fish was no longer for him rather than any shortcomings in the kitchen. My husband sampled a piece and confirmed the batter was beautifully light and crisp.
Mr 5 went for the burger, which I managed to investigate in the interests of journalism. It was excellent. Juicy, well-seasoned and made with noticeably good-quality beef. Both children's meals felt thoughtful and generous rather than like an afterthought.
For mains, I chose the Creedy Carver free-range duck with panhaggerty potato, celeriac purée and orange jus.
Duck can be a risky choice. Cook it badly and it quickly develops the texture of an old walking boot. Here it arrived exactly where it should. Beautifully pink, tender and packed with flavour.
The richness of the duck worked perfectly alongside the silky celeriac purée, while the orange jus added just enough brightness to stop everything becoming too heavy. It was exactly the sort of dish that feels comforting after a long day outdoors while still retaining a touch of elegance.
Across the table, my husband was equally happy with his saddle of Chatsworth Estate venison, served with venison croquette, rosti, black garlic purée and blackberry jus.
Again, the cooking was spot on.
The venison retained all of its flavour while remaining beautifully tender, and the blackberry brought a gentle sweetness that complemented the richness of the meat without overwhelming it.
By this stage, however, the boys had already moved on to pudding.
This turned out to be an excellent piece of restaurant logistics.
Rather than spending twenty minutes waiting impatiently for the adults to finish their mains, they were happily occupied with dessert while we finished eating in relative peace.
Mr 5 chose the chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream and polished it off enthusiastically.
Mr 7 ordered the white chocolate mousse from the main dessert menu.
He enjoyed it so much that he inhaled the entire thing in record time before complaining of a mild tummy ache shortly afterwards.
Readers with children will recognise this sequence of events.
To finish, we shared a trio of Derbyshire cheeses with quince jelly, house chutney and artisan crackers.
I can never resist a cheese board and this one didn't disappoint.
My husband rounded things off with a flat white, accompanied by one of the restaurant's famously good homemade shortbread biscuits, while I decided that birthdays are no time for restraint and ordered a glass of 2016 Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos dessert wine.
It felt like exactly the right way to end the meal.
The drive home across Beeley Moor was almost as memorable as dinner itself.
The moon was beginning to rise on one side of the car while the last traces of sunset lingered on the other. The roads were quiet, the boys were tired and, for once, nobody was arguing in the back seat.
After 19,000 steps, a wonderful meal and a birthday celebrated exactly as I wanted, it felt like the perfect end to a Peak District summer day.
We'd be very happy to do it all again.
Though perhaps with slightly fewer hills next time.
