Tea rooms are often countryside oases which conjure up thoughts of home-made food and pots of tea. But they can also be found in towns and villages or as part of visitor attractions throughout Derbyshire. Some tea rooms are licensed whilst others offer a menu more ‘bistro’ than ‘home-baked’. Whether you are walking , cycling or simply driving around and enjoying a tour of the Peak District, we have some of the best tea rooms in the country, run by the finest cooks and offering refreshments to relish.
Chatsworth House is a lovely walk away, and with a bit of prior notice you could even arrange to pick up a picnic basket from £5 a head to enjoy in the park, a truly delectable feast!
In the heart of the White Peak and at the head of Lathkill Dale is Monyash, popular with walkers and cyclists . Across from the village school and overlooking the village green are The Old Smithy Tea Rooms, famed for their hearty ‘full English breakfasts’ which can set you up for a day exploring the countryside. Hartington lies on the edge of Derbyshire and the fringe of Dovedale, and is famed for being the retirement home of the fictitious Hilda Ogden who supposedly moved there to open a tea room! Maybe you should have a good look around when visiting the Beresford Tea Room for someone in curlers and a headscarf! Here you can order Stilton Pate made from famous Hartington Stilton which is produced just across the road. Longnor Craft Centre is located in the Grade II listed Old Market Hall at the centre of this popular little village.
Perhaps you would like to view locally made crafts whilst listening to sedate music before tucking into a slice of scrumptious cake and a pot of tea? Eyam is steeped in history and has a museum to tell you all about when ‘the plague’ swept through the village and depleted its population. This was 300 or so years ago and the residents are now fighting fit and proud of their ‘claim to fame’. Visitors descend in droves to Eyam, often by coach.
Hathersage has retained its public outdoor lido (heated) thank goodness for global warming! After an adventurous dip, visitors may well wish to pop around to the Pools Café and Tea Rooms for warming sustenance. Popular with hikers and bikers to the Hope Valley and surrounding hills, the tea rooms has a speciality dish ‘Hikers Hash’ which is served up in a giant Yorkshire Pudding! In the heart of Hathersage is Cintra’s Tea Room which was established some 50 years ago.
This quaint eating house has a traditional menu and a well known reputation for its authentic steak pie. In the north of the County is Chapel-en-le-Frith with its French sounding name. Castleton is famed for its mines, minerals, caverns and caves as well as the fact that it nestles beneath the slippery slopes of Mam Tor ‘the Shivering Mountain’.Ye Olde Nags Head in the centre of Castleton is a 17th century coaching inn and provides lavish accommodation as well as a wonderful Sunday carvery.
Its tea room however boasts the widest selection of desserts in the whole of Castleton! Where the waters of the river Wye and Derwent unite at Rowsley, you can find Caudwell’s Mill which retains its giant waterwheel and still produces quality flour using traditional methods. The grain store and stables have been converted into the Peak District Craft Centre and Café, offering home-made baking including fresh bread and gateaux. Whatever tickles your taste buds or halts your hunger pangs, a visit to a Peak District tea room can be an interesting experience as well as a culinary delight and fulfilment!
