Find out what our blogger Jenny Bakes thought about this quaint traditional pub with a modern cutting edge restaurant.
Having heard so many rave reviews about The Cock Inn, I was excited to try it.
The Cock Inn opened its doors last November after a £1m refurbishment. The abandoned building had been out of use for over a decade, but now has been transformed into a modern and contemporary restaurant, blending seamlessly into the original pub.
Before our meal we enjoyed a cosy drink by the fire in the farmers bar, which was traditionally decorated with exposed bricks, wooden beams, and rustic furniture.
Unfortunately, I was the designated driver, but for Gin lovers (like me) there is a superb array of gins and premium tonics on offer.
At our reservation time we were greeted by the host who showed us to our table.
The Cock Inn restaurant is subtly modern but still maintains the rustic, homely ethos. The sleek glass panels enlarge the space and draws the eye to the beautifully landscaped garden.
The restaurant continues on the upper mezzanine level, which boasts velvet bench seats with elegant pendant lights, accompanied by rustic tables and stylish chairs.
The menu has a range of dishes from baked whole Cornish crab (£25) to hot Thai green curry with organic rice (£12) and braised shoulder of Angus beef (£14.50).
I have recently joined Slimming World so you will notice that I will be opting for the slightly healthier options in future.
So, with this in mind we kicked off with a trio of cured meats with red onion chutney, olives and sun-blushed tomatoes (£7). The sun-blushed tomatoes were sweet which went well with the cured meats.
I decided on the braised lamb shank with mint and honey root vegetables and redcurrant jelly jus (£14.50). The lamb fell off the bone, it was tender still slightly pink (just the way I like it). The vegetables were oozing with flavour and the redcurrant jelly jus was the icing on the cake.
My dinner date had the braised shoulder of Angus beef, I must say once I had tried it I wanted theirs as well as my own! The beef melted in your mouth, and there was a rich jus to accompany the dish. If had I been at home I would have had to lick the plate clean.
For pudding, I sampled the stick toffee pudding despite being on Slimming World (I had to try a little for the review of course!). The pudding was moist, flavoursome and baked to perfection, accompanied by the rich, sweet toffee sauce.
The Cock Inn is another superb addition to Derby’s culinary offering, and we will certainly be returning so I can sample a gin or two.
Have you been to the Cock Inn before? What did you think?