Best Peak District Dining

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Best Peak District Dining

Biggin Hall Country House Hotel and Restaurant

The Very Best Peak District Dining

The Peak District National Park is a wonderful place to relax over a leisurely lunch, cosy up in a country pub for dinner or just chat over coffee and cakes. Whether you’re meeting up with friends and family, or re-fuelling after a day out hiking in the hills, you can’t beat the choices for Peak District dining.

The largely rural landscape of the Peak District means that many restaurants, pubs, cafés and hotels are able to use produce that is locally-sourced and with great provenance; in some instances the food cooked in the kitchens comes from the farm right next door. Peak District dining means that you’re always assured of the freshest, tastiest meat, dairy products and vegetables, chosen with care.

The Peak District is also well known for many of its own delicacies. Make sure you try traditional Bakewell Pudding when visiting the lovely town of Bakewell. The recipe for this sticky, sweet and thoroughly delicious dessert dates back to 1847. The story goes that it was invented by accident when the landlady of a pub in the town left instructions for her cook to make a jam tart. Instead of stirring the eggs and almond paste mixture into the pastry, however, the cook spread it on top of the jam. When cooked, the egg and almond paste set like an egg custard, and the rest is history!

Don’t miss a trip to the cheese shop in the lovely village of Hartington either, where you’ll find a huge range of delicious artisan cheeses all handmade at a local creamery, using milk from the beautiful Derbyshire Dales.

And nothing goes better with fabulous cheese than a traditional Derbyshire or Staffordshire oatcake. There has been many a fierce debate about which is best! An oatkcake is a kind of dense savoury pancake made from oatmeal, flour and yeast. They’re delicious when toasted – another perfect example of great Peak District dining.

At Let’s Go Peak District we’ve gathered together our pick of the Best Peak District Dining for you to enjoy, including Peak District pubs, restaurants, cafés, tearooms and hotels. You’ll find everything from small village establishments that are muddy-boot friendly, to large, elegant hotels and award-winning restaurants for unforgettable celebrations.

Bon appetit!

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The stunning Peak District National Park covers over 550 square miles of the most beautiful areas of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and even parts of Greater Manchester. The Peak District was the first National Park created in the UK in 1951. It now receives more than 10 million visitors each year, who come for the spectacular landscape, lovely towns and villages, and the freedom to escape on miles of footpaths, bridleways and cycle trails.

The Peak District is renowned for its charming villages, with pretty cottages on narrow lanes, historic country churches and cosy pubs. You’ll be spoilt for choice here, but makes sure you visit Castleton, with its lovely shops, magnificent show caverns, and incredible surrounding countryside. Or the intriguing plague village of Eyam, famed for its inspiring tale of bravery against the bubonic plague in the 17th Century. And for perfect Peak District beauty, it’s hard to beat walking in Ashford-in-the-Water, with its idyllic riverside setting, complete with a medieval bridge, pretty cottages, twisty lanes, a tearoom and cosy country pubs.

Camping in the Peak District The Peak District and surrounding area is also blessed with many bustling, historic market towns. Be sure to visit beautiful Bakewell, or enjoy a show at the magnificent Opera House in Buxton, designed by world-renowned theatre designer, Frank Matcham.

The Peak District National Park has no shortage of grand stately properties for visitors to enjoy. Many consider the Jewel in the Crown to be Chatsworth House, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Devonshire. The House is awe-inspiring, with lavish interiors and important collections of art, but its expansive gardens and acres of parkland are just as impressive. Or visit the superbly romantic Haddon Hall, deservedly acclaimed as one of the most beautiful medieval manor houses in England, looking like a scene from a fairytale.

But the real draw for almost all visitors who love the Peak District is its fantastic landscape. Despite its well-deserved popularity, it’s still very easy to escape the crowds here, with more than 1,800 miles of footpaths and bridleways. Many visitors come to hike and run in the hills and valleys, and the famous long-distance footpath The Pennine Way starts in the pretty Peak District village of Edale. Others come to for the world-famous rock-climbing; Stanage Edge in Hathersage has almost 1,500 routes up its gritstone faces and is known in climbing circles as God’s Own Rock.

Whatever your reasons for visiting and wherever you choose to stay, you’re sure to find everything you need for dining in the Peak District, the country’s original and favourite national park!

Peak District Dining