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

The Thai Kitchen, 3 Wilne Lane, Shardlow, DE72 2HA

The new Alvaston Bypass can now propel you from Derby to Shardlow in minutes, so mother, sister et moi hit the gas and 10 minutes later we're pulling up outside the old Lady in Grey hotel. Dark and derelict from the outside, the entrance reveals a 'Narnia' esk junk shop interior with old tables, carvings and various brik-a-brak squeezed into every nook and cranny.
Considering it's August, the room felt surprisingly cold (mind you, hasn't this summer been the worst you can remember!?). Then as if by magic the heating suddenly came to life. Things are gonna start warming up!

The constantly bowing waitress took our order, nothing for the mother but Tempura Squid (£4.95) for me. Lightly battered, soft fleshed hoops of yummy squid with a choice of three dipping sauces, thai-riffic! Sis had a bash at the Thai Mixed starter (£5.45), a platter of various deep fried morsels and the ubiquitous ornate radish carving (are you supposed to eat this?).
The bowing waitress removed our plates and returned with the three mains. Mother had ordered Pad Prio Wan Gai (£7.15), a modern take on Sweet & Sour Chicken, a bit too sweet for her palate she proclaimed, but it still kept her quiet for some time. I ordered Gai Pad Med Ma-Muang (£7.65). I was intrigued by the description's foot notes proclaiming that this is Andy Roddick's favourite dish (world no.2 tennis player, in case you didn't know). I'd never have guessed he lived in Alvaston!. A classic thai combination of chicken, cashew nuts & chillies was accompanied by a bowl of sticky rice. A bit too fiery for me considering it only had a 1 out of 5 heat rating. Sister ordered Pad Gra Praw Gai hor Kai (I assure you these are the genuine names!) at £8.25 it was the most expensive, and also the most disappointing. The stir fried chicken with holy basil in an omlette, came....without the omlette wrap, resulting in an expensive plate of stir fried chicken & mushrooms. "So solly, fort yoo ask foor diflent dish". Well they never charged for it, which in my opinion is the only thing a restaurant should do in these circumstances. I'm still amazed how a kitchen that isn't busy, get such basic things wrong.

The eclectic interior is fun, but I do draw the line at the amount of cobwebs. I know it adds to the C.S. Lewis experience, but I don't think stir fried chicken with sweet & sour spider would go down well with most people.
Worth a look, but don't go in your Armarni suit or Jimmy Choo's!
Food 5/10
Service 6/10
Venue 6/10 (or 2/10 if you don't like spiders or cobwebs)
Tel: 01332 793311

"Don't tread on an ant he's done nothing to you, there might come a day, when he's treading on you" (Ant Music, Adam & The Ants, 1980)

Martin, August 2007

Unfortunately, despite the fact I thought this was a fun place and the food was acceptable, some friends visited last month and told me the food was very poor, and the restaurant was cold. Probably best avoided.

Martin, February 2009