Restaurant Lovage by Lee Smith — Restaurant in Derbyshire Dales

Last year I went to this amazing restaurant on their opening night on my own and food was amazing. A year on as a couple I went back had the 7 course menu (although I added an extra starter as the Beef Tartare was simply the best I had ever had last year and chef has tweeked it a tad so this year was even more amazing!) The wines that accompanied the tasting menu were all gorgeous and matched the food really well. Also they were great choices from all over the world including an English sparkling wine and a wine from Lebanon. I used to sell wine and these choices were all inspired. The halibut dish was our favourite, a beautiful balance of textures and flavours, although every dish was incredible and had so many flavours and textures. Our only criticism would be the three dairy based desserts, my partner will eat dairy, but not in such large quantities lol. I will say they were all delicious though. We regret maybe not having the cheese ( yeah IK more dairy but I bet Lee would have chosen some amazing cheeses) - maybe to replace one of the desserts? Oh and 1 question Lee - where do you get such amazing sweet tomatoes from? That starter was lovely and am recreating it tonight with some heritage tomatoes from Waitrose lol :) Definitely a Michelin Star coming next year! Also as my partner had not been before she was really impressed by the incredible ambience (it is very laid back and really comfortable and a beautiful old building). The service was incredible and all the front of house staff seemed so knowledgeable. My Only regret is that I live 200 miles away - otherwise I would eat here...

I took my partner here on Saturday night for her 30th birthday as a special treat. It is not often I use this kind of language, but this was easily the best meal both of us have ever had, and we do eat out a lot as both of our favourite hobbies! I don't often leave reviews, but I felt compelled to do so after such a fabulous evening.

A few areas to discuss: Surroundings: the restaurant itself is lovely. Beautifully presented inside with period features mixed with modern. Everything was very clean and neat. Perfect.

Service: We were served all evening, and I wish I had asked the waitress her name, she was simply amazing. I do know she was Latvian as she told us. She was incredibly attentive, very friendly, courteous, professional, and most importantly, INCREDIBLY knowledgeable on the menu. I feel like we went on a journey on every single course, as she knew every detail around why we had asparagus from Hertfordshire as they are harvested there earlier than in other counties (sounds silly, but we were wowed by her knowledge). She is an absolute star and deserves all the credit she gets.

Food: The showstopper....... the food was so good. We had the 7 course menu and each course was so well prepared, so tasty, and you could tell the very finest ingredients were used, and then brought together to make the perfect dish (x7!).

I will be recommending Lovage to everyone I know, and will definitely be visiting again in the future. Thankyou for such a wonderful evening and making my partners 30th birthday one to...

Fabulous little bistro/restaurant with a great crew. Very welcoming to the interesting restaurant space which is a converted historic building. Warm, enticing and comfortable great for couples or dinner with friends. Staff here are friendly, well informed and helpful. Efficient and available without being omni-present they got the balance just right. Very helpful and honest with wine suggestions. There is a choice between a la carte or a tasting menu. Both are great value, but you need to be hungry! The dishes are beautifully prepared with love of the ingredients and thought about the combinations of flavours. Lovely extras/ snacks- the bread is the best I think I have ever tasted. Amazing. A lovely place for a special occasion. We will...