The Peacock at Rowsley

We spent four nights here on a recent holiday, using it as a base for exploring this part of Derbyshire. It was a good choice, but very expensive - our room, which was quite ordinary, cost £295 per night for the first two nights and £360 per night for the Friday and Saturday nights. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant on our first and last evenings and the food and service were excellent. The total cost of our four-night stay with two dinners was well over £1700, making it easily the most expensive (but not the best) of the five hotels we used on this trip.

5 of us ate here for my husbands big birthday. Food and service were both great, the lady who greeted us (think she was French) was very good; efficient and friendly. We all had the set menu with coffee (v expensive as others have said) some of the portions were a decent size, others a little small. One of the party was doing veganuary and he found something he enjoyed. A minor disappointment was that although a couple of the staff wished my husband a happy birthday, that was the end of it. A complimentary drink or dessert would have been welcomed, as is normal at establishments like this, especially as the bill was almost £500.

Poor Christmas Eve lunch. Both of us had turkey for mains. Unfortunately the meal barely resembled a Christmas turkey lunch meal at all. The turkey was cut from a roll, without sprouts, or mash, or parsnips , carrots or even a Yorkshire pud. The waiter tried to pacify our complaint by explaining that the sprouts had been mashed in with the stuffing ! Only a single sprout leaf was evident at the side of the plate. The gravy was served in a thimble size jug that was half full. The serving waitress disappeared to try and find some sprouts ! All to no avail though as the returning waiter explained the meals were all made up in advance, so nothing could be changed. We decided to leave the mains and pay for the starters and drinks which still amounted to £ 105 ! What a complete rip off for a meal that bore little resemblance to a Christmas turkey meal that we have ever experienced. Valentine the French head waitress was particularly annoying in her OTT defence of the establishment and blind defiance that there was anything wrong with the meal. We have supported the Peacock at Rowsley for years and spent thousands of pounds in the process. Never again though, we will definitely not be returning again in the future.

From the moment we stepped through the door we were treated like royalty. We had the warmest welcome from Laura who greeted us at the door, showed us to our room and settled us in. Our room was tastefully decorated with a massive super king size bed, small bathroom but its not purpose built and a beautiful period property. We came down and enjoyed drinks by the fire in the afternoon in the bar. This must be the cosiest bar we have ever sat in. We had dinner in the restaurant. We enjoyed pre drinks and canapes in the lounge and was welcomed by James who recommended some fabulous cocktails created by Jack. Dinner was outstanding, three courses and even a pre dessert. The menu was bang on season serving the best Venison from the Haddon Estate. My husband had the turbot which he thoroughly enjoyed as well. Excellent recommendations for wine from Valantine. The whole team really did make our stay. Shout out to Poppy on breakfast, nice to actually see smiley happy people working, you can tell there is great comradery within the team who apparently have worked together for years. The Christmas Market at Haddon Hall has to be one of my favourite, stunning to have a market running through all the rooms inside, so special and we had complimentary tickets because we booked direct. Definitely a winning formula, do not ever change and we can’t wait to come back from my birthday! Hopefully, you will have a Michelin star by then!!

Lovely hotel in great location for walking and visiting Chatsworth. The food was excellent at dinner both in the restaurant and the bar. Breakfast was also very good. Service was great and the staff are helpful and friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and hope to come back again.

Booked as a family with older children whilst visiting the peak district to expose them to fine dining as a treat. Atmosphere was lacking. Decor was traditional as expected but not plush. Price for the 3 course menu seemed to have gone up. Food was a great disappointment. Amuse bouche lovely but nearly every single course lacking in flavour. Presentation of food was good however. The service was outstanding with good wine knowledge which is why we have given 3 stars. It would have been nice for someone to say goodbye to us. We were the last family there and after we paid everyone disappeared! We showed ourselves out! Overall has potential but not worth the nearly £500 for 5.