The Black Swan - Amber Valley

My family and I went to this restaurant with a party of sixteen while staying nearby for the weekend. We were asked to pre-order our meals, which we weren't thrilled about but understood given the large group. When we arrived, half of the table had the proper utensils and napkins, while the other half was missing items. We waited a while to order drinks and discuss our wine choices, but nobody came to take our order. When the starters finally arrived, it was chaotic trying to get the right dishes to the right people and waiting for glasses. We had to ask for napkins, which were tossed at us. The main courses arrived missing peas with the fish and chips. All three burgers had to be sent back because they were cold. The chef decided to start over, but by the time the burgers were re-served, everyone else had finished their meals. Desserts were slow to come, possibly due to the burger delay, and we had to ask for spoons. We even had to track down one of the desserts. The food was okay, but nothing special.

Passed by in afternoon popped in for drink. Lovely pub. Noticed 25% off meals on Tuesdays . Back to holiday apartment. Changed and returned. Excellent meals for us. Starters and main courses. Yorkshire portions in Derbyshire. Can't fault em! A really good pub with log fire and sport on TV in bar. The staff were great, specially Elizabeth.

Visited as part of a group of nine relative strangers for Sunday lunch. Website prices were out of date, which didn 't make a good first impression, especially as we 'd been issued at the table with a là carte menus as well, only for those who had made their choice from that to be told that they couldn 't have it! The beef is now priced at £20 and the lamb £19, for example, and although we 'd rather prices were increased than standards fall, I think it is fair to say that these are very much top end for a pub lunch. Expectations were there set high on the one hand but on the other we waited for our meal with some trepidation and concern that we might be being ripped off, so it had better be good... Well, I pleased to say the food was pretty good. I 'm always impressed by a chef 's ability to deliver a host of different meals at the same time and, although it 's obviously a bit easier with roasts, between us we 'd ordered beef, lamb, pork, chicken salmon, so we covered most bases. Everyone was very happy with their chosen protein and, although I can only speak for the beef (which my wife felt lacked flavour and I felt had a hint of aniseed, which I don 't like), the one thing we agreed on was that it was melt in the mouth tender; indeed, I 've never had beef with quite the same almost pâté like texture! Yorkshire puddings were great and were served with every main, although to save waste there might be merit in asking those not having beef if they actually want a Yorkshire, as at least three people on our table left theirs. We were given a good selection of veg including 'proper ' cauliflower cheese baked in the oven all of which was very nicely cooked. Particularly pleasing was that the quantity of veg provided was spot on plenty so that no one felt constrained to be polite, but not so excessive as to end up with any left over. So, full marks for the chef and kitchen colleagues but, unfortunately, front of house was not up to the same standard. There 's nothing I want to single out for comment, but 3* for service is the best I can muster and meant the group didn 't enjoy the dining experience quite as much as they otherwise would have done. Get the service right and it 's worth the money.

We all had different dishes and each was equally delicious. Beautiful venue, good music and friendly service. Would definitely recommend.

Called in for a lunch when driving past soo happy we did best food around two of the table had Panini’s two for £20 and got plenty of food and we had the kebab skewers which where to die for wish we had room for a dessert will definitely be back