Contact & booking details

The Walnut Club in Hathersage opened with quite a flourish in 2005. Their head chef Nicholas Wilson has previously worked with the well respected Jean Christophe Novelli and The Walnut Club make no pretence about their own aim to achieve Michelin star recognition. So, it was with keen anticipation that we headed there recently.

Hathersage is a great location for The Walnut Club - it is an easy drive or affordable taxi distance from Sheffield, but with its Peak District status, it also seems an apt setting for a restaurant specialising in the use of fresh organic produce.

The main menu is in a large card format and offers a nice variety of dishes. It was good to note that there were about equal numbers of meat, fish and vegetarian options and vegans will be delighted to know that they too are properly catered for at this restaurant. There was a slip on the table detailing the additional daily chef's specials, giving a further couple of choices for starters, mains and puddings.

It has to be said that during our experience, the customer service was exceptional. It started with the phone call booking, during which we got the impression that The Walnut Club genuinely wanted us to eat there and have a good time. They were helpful with issues like taxi bookings and car parking arrangements and this warm reception continued throughout our evening there, from the personal greeting from the maitre d' on arrival, to the waiter acknowledging our departure by getting to the door ahead of us to open it and bid us goodnight.

Food presentation was top notch, though you do need to be prepared to spend a bit more than you might normally when eating out - starters are upwards of £7 each, with the average main courses coming in at £14 - £20. But then, it is organic produce cooked by top chefs.

We tried the butternut squash ravioli and the goats cheese roulade. The goats cheese was utterly delicious and packed with flavour, the ravioli was beautifully al dente, but was possibly a bit too subtle on flavouring, especially when compared with the goats cheese. The smoked haddock main course was fabulous, intensely flavoured, moist and well complemented by the walnut crust. The breast of chicken was very enjoyable, made into a filling main course by the accompanying risotto. Both came as well sized portions.

There is a good choice of very tempting puddings, or you can opt for coffee and petit fours if you can't manage one. We were disappointed with the coffee we received though, it was very weak and for some reason scalding hot. However, that aside we enjoyed our meal and there was something satisfying and wholesome about knowing the produce was organic. We felt that we could 'taste the difference', especially with the vegetables, which were sweet and flavoursome.

The Walnut Club has a buzzing atmosphere and a live jazz band at weekends. They have a no-rush policy and the table is yours for the evening, so it makes a great choice if you want good food, in a place where you can relax and enjoy the company of friends and loved ones. Inside, it is light and very contemporary, set off by chocolate brown leather and dark wood tables, with modern art from a local Sheffield artist on the walls. The cutlery is quirky too, though we did notice that is wasn't Sheffield's best - but then, I suppose we were in Derbyshire!

August 2005

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