Three Horseshoes, Breedon on the Hill, DE73 8AN

I’ve tried most, but in my opinion one of the best hangover cures at the weekend is a Sunday lunch, a couple of drinks and then hit the sofa, for a James Bond repeat and some zzzzz’s.....
So with my two partners in crime from the previous night Ann & Kim, we glide off towards Breedon on the Hill near Melbourne, to get stuck-in.
This former farriers building has been lovingly converted to a contemporary pub whilst retaining its ‘old world charm’, with an eclectic mix of tables, chairs and trinkets. The marraige between real ale and dinning pub, is spot on.

Pedigree, Pimms and a plate of bread and olives were called upon, in attempt to dismantle the remnants of our hangovers. No suprise that rather too much of the finger-lickin garlic bread was consumed prior to the arrival of mains. I fall for that one every time!
Pork with customary apple sauce and sage & onion stuffing for Ann (£12.50), roast leg of lamb with pease pudding for Kate (£12.50), breast of chicken with rosemary, barley & garlic pour moi (£16.95), all accompanied by a selection of veg, including carrots with broad beans, red cabbage, cauliflower cheese and a pile of roasties.

My chicken was moist and the combination of barley, herbs and garlic in a light gravy worked well, even though I considered it a wintery combination. Kates lamb dinner was shrouded with a blanket of rich dark gravy, it was a good job she was a fan. Her pease pudding was a bit salty, but a pleasant change to the expected rosemary or mint sauce. The presentation however was careless and her plate looked a bit 'school dinner'.

Ann troughed her way through her generous amount of pork and accompaniments, small grunts between mouthfulls gave an impression of contentment. The four oval dishes of crisp vegetables were faultless and it was great to be served broad beans, I forgot how much I've missed them.
Suitable service was maintained throughout and despite my eyelids starting to shut-up-shop, we couldn't resist a dessert. It was the handmade chocolates for Ann (£4.99), six hand made chocolate truffles including lemon & coffee. Like many, I always ignore the coffee flavour chocolates in the box of Christmas Milk Tray, but I was taken aback by the subtle sweet cappuccino flavoured truffle. Kates bread & butter pudding (£5.49) was comforting and approprately wobbly but lacked the sugary crust I prefer, due to its blast in the microwave. Yours truly had the bakewell tart (£5.49), a hadmade slice of fragipane tart, with custard. A Derbyshire classic, but a bit on the dry side.
The alcohol and food made us all drowsy as the blood desserted our brains and glided off towards our stomachs.......
It was an enjoyable lunch, but provenance asside, £90 including a bottle of wine was a bit stiff, especially £17 for my chicken dish, you can get a 3 course Sunday lunch at Masa for just £18. A bit more attention to presentation could certainly add value to their prices. Nonetheless if you're feelingh flush and fancy a drive out, then the Three Horseshoes is definately worth a look.
The sofa beckons, I wonder if it will be "Octopussy" or "Live and Let Die".........

Food 6.5/10

Service 7.5/10

Venue 8/10

Tel: 01332 695129
www.thehorseshoes.com

Zest, 16 George Street, Derby, DE1 1EH

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Zest is like Scotland to me. I know it's there, I really want to go, but I never get round to it. Well sister and myself have booked a flight in mothers 'Rover 200' to Zest this evening. At last we're going!

It must be a couple of years since local restauranteur Bill Poynton relinquished the reigns at Zest, giving the new owners plenty of time to stamp their own mark on the place. I must say I do prefer the new aubergine colour scheme to the previous stark white interior, the 'cosy control' has been turned up a notch or two. It certainly needed it this evening as the relentless winter downpours continue (whatever happened to snow?).
We were lucky they still had tables on the ground floor. I prefer this to the balcony. Various drinks and a dish of herby olives were ordered. We were preparing for take off....
As usual mother by passed starters leaving it to sister et moi to sample the openers. Intrigue lured me towards the cod, spinach & mascarpone wellington (£5.95) and sister commenced with butternut squash & ginger soup (£5.25). The ubiquitous butternut squash soup was as you'd expect, but with a hint of ginger and star anise. I do wish restaurants would "step out of the box" when it comes to winter soups. I'm getting quite bored of butternut squash. The cod wellington was a sausage shaped filo parcel containing steamed spinach and a thumb sized piece of cod, sat on a pool of tangy orange hollandaise. It was light and felt healthful, with most of the flavours packed into the sauce. We were in full flight....

For the main event mother went for pork tenderloin with caramelised pears & brandy sauce (£15.25). It was cooked just right and served on a bed of potato with a cluster of pan fried pear slices forming a perfect peak. My sister ordered the saute of chicken breast with apples and parsnip(£14.95), her accompanying brandy & madeira sauce imparting most of the flavours in this delicate, yet once again perfectly cooked dish. It was no surprise I chose the most expensive main course, venison steak with rosemary and cherries (£18.50), came perfectly seared pink and succulent on the inside. The astute combination of rosemary and cherries creating a perfect winter dish. The accompanying selection of winter brassicas were also cooked spot on.

For a dessert I had their panettone bread & butter pudding (£5.25), it was a lucious slice of gooey, squidgy pudding with plenty of sticky butterscotch sauce. I loved it. Mother surprisingly had room for a banana mousse (£5.25), a light mouse with slices of banana and more of their finger lickin butterscotch sauce, a well executed take on a banana split.

It had been an enjoyable flight....

Zest provides comfortable, contemporary dinning without getting too involved in "foodie fashion". You won't find snail porridge or essence of quail with a lagoustine foam here, just modern, stylish dinning. Book early for valentines!

Food 7.5/10

Service 6.5/10

Venue 7/10

Tel: 01332 381101

http://www.restaurantzest.com/

"Now I gotta reason, Now I gotta reason and I'm still waiting" (Holidays In The Sun, Sex Pistols, 1977)