The Dog Inn, Main Road, Pentrich, DE5 3RE

Despite being 13 miles from Derby, the Dog Inn at Pentrich had been bleeping on my radar for some time. So this Saturday lunch we hit the gas and 20 minutes later we’re just about there. I’d pre-booked and recommend you do to ensure you get a table at this bustling north Derbyshire pub.
A pint of Timothy Taylor for me (luckily I’m not driving today) and a soft drink for my partner, passed the time quite nicely until our table was vacated and prepared.
Being lunch we opted for the two course £10.95 deal, three courses for £12.95 seemed very reasonable but just too much food for midday.
To start my partner had the soup of the day, which was fish. Vibrant red, saffron infused Mediterranean style bouillabaisse that exuded a deep taste of various shell fish. I found it delicious and was more than happy to polish off her leftovers. I had Mull of Kintyre rarebit toasties with apple and grape chutney. In my opinion it was seriously over described miniature cheese-on-toast, but none the less it was an agreeable savoury titbit.
For mains my partner had the Derbyshire pork sausages & mash with apple sauce and red onion gravy (pic 1). An all time pub favourite, executed heartily with a trio of herby pork bangers piled on to a heap of mash and with a moat of onion gravy. Once again it was quantity that beat her. I was not complaining though.
I had the chicken & ham hock puff pie with mushy peas, chunky chips and red wine jus (pic 2). Plentiful chunks of chicken and ham crowned with a top hat of light puff pastry all co-existing with a tarragon infused cream sauce and a swirl of red wine jus. I hit-it as hard as I could, but I couldn’t polish it all off, especially as I had also consumed a stray porky banger from someone else’s plate.

Service was adequate, the young staff ensuring that dinners were not neglected and tables were cleared promptly. In just over an hour we were done and it was time to head back to Derby for a much needed nap, zzzzz….
Hearty, contemporary pub food that’s definitely worth the ride out. Next time hopefully for dinner, so I can have a pop at the desserts. The dog’s b******s !

Food 8/10
Venue 7/10
Service 6.5/10

Tel: 01773 742781

www.thedoginn-pentrich.co.uk

The Bulls Head, Repton, DE65 6GF

I don’t know where I first got the word on the Bulls Head in Repton, but it’s been lingering on my “must go and visit soon” list for some time. The better half wants to go somewhere new for a Sunday lunch. So it’s off down the A38 (again!) in search of some decent grub.
Repton is our very own Etonian village, with a world-wide acclaimed public school dominating this tiny Derbyshire village. It’s no surprise then that there’s an abundance of quality pubs within it’s domain.
I was really impressed the second I walked through the door. Someone had managed to achieve the perfect fusion of restaurant and pub. The eclectic, antique, brik-a-brak interior is well thought out and I “loved it !”
Unfortunately this is where the essence of the Bulls Head started to go down the pan. Poor bar service, a delay with our table, burnt potatoes, disorganised waitresses, missing cutlery, etc, etc. resulted in a complimentary drink being offered.
When the starters appeared they looked as though the taxi had arrived before they were ready to go out. Nice flavours but scruffy, with no bread to accompany my tasty scallop & chorizo salad (£6.95) or Becs chicken liver parfait (£4.95).
The menu was limited and certainly lacked a chicken option. Two meat, two fish and two vegetarian seemed a bit disproportional to me. I had the Staffordshire topside of beef (£7.95) and Bec had the cinnamon roasted ‘Old Spot’ belly pork (£7.95). Burnt potatoes were replaced with fresh ones, which was the right thing to do, but again they were burnt! The beef was overcooked, but Bec said the belly pork was tasty and tender. We decided to go the whole hog and have a go at the desserts. The lemon curd Eton Mess (£4.95) was crunchy & zingy and well presented, but the sticky toffee pudding (£4.95) was heavy and lacking in expected gooey dates.
I just can’t believe they managed to ‘F’ it up so much. There’s obviously been a massive investment on somebody’s part to create such a slick interior, but yet again when push-comes-to-shove, they couldn't deliver. We could have called in on a bad day, but I can’t believe that so many mistakes could be a coincidence.
“Nice place, shame about the boat race” !!

Food 5/10
Service 4/10
Venue 9/10

Tel: 01283 704422

www.thebullsheadrepton.co.uk