Fischers at Baslow Hall
Baslow Bakewell Derbyshire DE45 1RR
Max and Susan Fischer have been in residence here since 1988, and head chef Rupert Rowley has held a coveted Michelin star since 1994, which (however seriously you take such things) is quite a feat of sustained quality. And it is a bit of a special night (or lunchtime) out, from the sweep of the chestnut tree-lined drive to the elegant hall, which looks for all the world like a 17th-century manor house (in fact it was built in 1907). Rowley's training at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saison is evident in the elegant, interesting menu; a typical evening choice might include tempura of tuna, coconut, wakame seaweed, black radish & wasabi or barbecued wood pigeon, bearnaise ice cream, toasted seeds, rosti potatoes to start, followed by fillet of pan fried sea bream, land cress, rocket & wild garlic risotto, chicken oysters or local shoulder of Derbyshire lamb slow cooked over coals, with goat's cheese potato puree and Gold Rush apples. You get the picture. Max nurtures and tends his herb and vegetable garden and almost all of the leaves on your plate have come from his verdant plot. A truly unforgettable dining experience.
