“I woke up this morning to the sound of birdsong and sheep bleating in the fields below my window. The views over the hotel’s beautiful grounds and surrounding Chatsworth Estate were simply stunning. At night, with the windows slightly ajar, I could hear the sound of owls hooting and the occasional bark of a fox, from across the fields.”

I was staying at The Cavendish Hotel, Baslow, Derbyshire, which has recently been named Hotel of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Best Places to Stay guide for 2025.

The guide focused on the essentials that really matter to me, clean, fresh spacious comfortable rooms, well prepared and imaginative food choices & a high level of professional table service.

“an impressive top-to-toe refurb has added extra sparkle to this arty escape in the Derbyshire Dales”

The 28 bedrooms, heritage bar, elegant dining rooms, sensational food, classic country house rooms and a striking Peak District location, have helped place the Cavendish Hotel at the top of the table.

The Cavendish is part of the Chatsworth Estate, in fact soon after I arrived, I stepped out of the front door of the hotel and took off on a twenty five minute walk, across well laid paths to the grand house. Chatsworth is regularly voted the countries favourite country house, its major collections of paintings, furniture, old Master drawings, neoclassical sculptures and books draw in thousands of visitors every day. For me, two of the highlights of a visit to Chatsworth, have always been, the Emperor Fountain & the Maze.

The Emperor Fountain was constructed in 1844, and is at the north end of the Canal Pond, which was dug in 1703. The water jet is on record as reaching a height of 296 feet (90 m). It is always an impressive sight and a huge draw for the visiting children, who stand close to the pool, waiting for the wind to carry the spray all over them! Today, was no different!

The Maze, planted with 1,209 yews, occupies the site of the former Great Conservatory in 1962. My wife & I had great fun, racing to the centre of the maze and back. It was disputed, of course, but I was the clear winner! Later, in the gift shop, my wife pointed out the bust of a cool looking Mr Darcy, Chatsworth was the inspiration for the Pemberley estate, in Jane Austen`s, Pride and Prejudice.

During my visit to Chatsworth I took the opportunity to take a look at their latest exhibition. The Gorgeous Nothings: Flowers at Chatsworth: Flowers in all their forms take centre stage at Chatsworth House from 15 March – 5 October 2025. The exhibition features both historical and contemporary works of art from the Devonshire collections, and is supported by key loans from national and international museums, and new artist commissions. Artworks and artefacts connected to the exhibition are on display throughout the house at various points on the visitor route, and in the garden and glasshouses. I particularly liked the Philip Treacy Hat, a hand – painted silk & wire hat created in 2011, on loan courtesy of the V&A, London. If you are visiting Chatsworth or The Cavendish, make sure you check out this memorable and exciting exhibition. It is sensational.

Many of the artworks, local crafted fittings, textiles, personal Devonshire family mementoes, books, and pictures from the big house, have found their way into the rooms and corridors of the Cavendish, such is the inextricable link & historical bond between the two buildings. The Hotels connection with the local community goes back over 500 years!

The Cavendish has two stunning restaurants which offers a wide selection of dining choices. Guests can choose fine dining in the Gallery restaurant or select their meals from the classic British menu offered in the Garden Restaurant

Executive chef Adam Harper and his kitchen team have created menus that use only the best seasonal ingredients, much of the fresh meat & vegetables come straight from the Chatsworth Kitchen gardens and the Chatsworth Estate & county wide Derbyshire farms, towns & villages.

The food-mile friendly menus showcase the Peak District’s best known producers, including the finest quality trout from the Ladybower Reservoir, home to the legendary Dambusters, cold pressed rapeseed oil from Bakewell’s Brock & Moreton, pork from Moss Valley Farm, as well as venison, lamb, beef, pheasant, mushrooms, honey and much, much more from the Chatsworth Kitchen garden & estate.

The Gallery restaurant, which proudly displays its 3 AA Rosettes, is an elegant teal green space in which to dine and enjoy the very best dishes, created by the kitchen staff, from this wide collection of local produce. The walls are decorated with paintings and drawings of familiar views from across the estate including atmospheric landscape works by Irish contemporary artist, Oliver Comerford.

Gallery Restaurant: Signature Menu:

Snacks:

Chive & Shallot Brioche & Homemade Butters – Tasty warm brioche & soft butters.

Spring Velouté, Brioche Croutons & White Balsamic – light & foamy with a crunchy bite of the croutons.

Lobster Crumpet – a fresh bitesize crumpet with a satisfying amount of fine lobster.

Poached Skrei Cod, Crispy Potato, Oyster Leaf & Blue Meat Radish – shredded crisps, small round shaving of crunchy radish sitting atop a very tasty piece of Norwegian fresh cod

OR

Jersey Royals, Crème Fraiche, Kombu & Pommery Mustard – It is start of the Jersey Royals season, cook with a little Kombu Japanese Seaweed, a staple of East Asian cuisine, then add the scent of cognac from the French Pommery Mustard and the result is a superb dish.

Celebrating the short UK Asparagus season, typically running from late April to late June. Spilman’s Yorkshire Asparagus, Smoked Egg Yolk, Ponzu, Chatsworth Kitchen Garden Herbs, decorated with a couple of fresh wild garlic flowers & tiny leaves. The Ponzu, a citrus-based sauce, commonly used in Japanese cuisine & the smoked egg yolk, presented a delightful flavouring & accompaniment to the slight earthy, subtle bitter crisp to the bite, asparagus. Perfectly cooked and presented to the plate.

Chalk Stream Trout, Nori Tempura, Smoked Eel, Crème Fraiche & Pickled Cucumber – a simply stunning trout dish with excellent sauce from the Nori Tempura, a little fried seaweed, Crème Fraiche & tiny pieces of smoked eel & pickled cucumber. Delicately sweet trout from the nearby Ladybower Fisheries. A triumph of a dish!

Chatsworth Hogget, Shoulder & Loin with Wild Garlic, Nori & a potato swirl. A Hogget is a juvenile sheep, not a pig or Hog! It is a young ewe or tup between 11 to 24 months old. The slow growing ethically raised Chatsworth hill sheep, live a good life, taking longer to fatten, producing a meat which has a richer, stronger taste and is much more flavoursome, than the young lamb or older mutton. I particularly liked the shoulder, which had been cooked slowly with Nori, an edible seaweed, much used in Japanese cookery. Alongside the mint jelly & wild garlic, it added a strong & distinctive edge, to what was an exceptional dish full of flavour & texture with a slight sweetness. The Dish of the evening for me!

OR

Chatsworth Beef Fillet, Vanilla & Peppercorn Sauce, Roscoff Brittany Onions & Spring Onion. The Chatsworth cattle have free range across the estate foraging on berries, crops & fresh grass, which has produced a tender, succulent grass-fed fillet steak. A perfectly cooked beef fillet, full of flavour. Deliciously tender Chatsworth Farm beef fillet. Simply wonderful!

Grapefruit, Thai Basil & Lychee – Very tangy sharp Thai Basil Ice Cream & Grapefruit softened by the lychee fruit.

Dessert:

Chocolate Marquise, Blood Orange, Guinness & Ale Cake & Coffee Ice Cream

OR

Tahitian Vanilla and Tonka Bean Millefeuille, Hazelnut Praline & Salted Caramel

Extra: Enjoy before or after dessert: A selection of Courtyard Dairy Cheese & Homemade accompaniments. We had eaten so much, we had to pass on the cheese, despite it being so tempting!

All of the food that I was fortunate to taste was excellent. I must admit to trying some of my wife’s meal and can vouch that all of the dishes were beautifully cooked and professionally presented to table. The stunning food, wine and exclusive service made for a glorious evening to remember. The Gallery restaurant comes complete with glass chandeliers, freshly ironed table cloths and a waiter to offer advice, explain the detail within the menu and ensure our wine glasses were topped up! I found the service and hospitality to be exceptional.

The Gallery Restaurant must rank as one of the finest hotel restaurants in the country & deserves the increasing number of positive accolades it has received. I am already looking forward to my next visit!

Breakfast did not disappoint either. It was well worth getting up for! A light breakfast selection was available alongside the more conventional Cavendish Breakfast selection, which included my choice, The Cavendish Breakfast, with smoked bacon, sausage grilled tomato, mushroom, black pudding, hash brown, poached eggs & plenty of toast. My wife chose Eggs Royale, Smoked salmon on an English Muffin, with poached eggs & a small bowl of hollandaise at the side (as requested) For the celebratory visitors, the Champagne Breakfast with a glass of Laurent Perrier Brut/Rose or Cavendish Bucks Fizz, was also on offer.

The Bar & Lounge at The Cavendish Hotel – The comfortable 1950s-style Bar & lounge, whose walls are peppered with a selection of Devonshire family photographs, is the ideal destination pre or post dining! My wife & I certainly think so!

The Garden Room Restaurant, inspired by the glasshouses at Chatsworth, is a brightly lit dining space, with light streaming in through the large glass patio windows. The restaurant is decorated with lots of specimen plants from the estates greenhouse and looks out across the spacious terrace with stunning views of the open fields and gardens of the estate.

The Cavendish Hotel ticks all of the boxes for grandeur, opulence & splendour. The quality of the food, choice of drinks and table service were of an exceptional standard, what you would expect from a five star hotel & restaurant. Our dining experience was excellent with highly trained serving staff who were attentive, but not obtrusive!

Our room was located in the oldest part of the hotel and had two corner windows, one with a view of the hotel terrace and the other looking out across open fields & the Chatsworth parkland. The room was filled with a classic four-poster bed, a comfortable seating area with small rustic tables with spindle-turned legs and antique furniture complimented with a dash of colour on chunky, modern ceramic lamps with retro-cool Bakelite phones, nestled on the bedside tables.

There were several pieces of artwork dotted about the walls but for my wife & I, the two most important features were the wonderful views, there are epic views of the Peak District through almost every window of the hotel and for my wife, particularly, a bath, so that she could relax with a luxurious soak, after walking around the Chatsworth House & estate for a large part of the day.

“We sourced incredible pieces from upholsterers, craftspeople and makers, such as locally woven organic cotton and linen fabrics and glazed ceramic bedside lamps made by a member of the Chatsworth team. We even drew on the art and family photos from the Devonshire family’s personal collection.” Nicola Harding

My visit to The Cavendish at Baslow was one I shall remember for a long time. The meals were first class and the waiting staff could not have done anything more to make my visit such a wonderful experience. If you are planning to visit Chatsworth, or touring the the Peak District, why not check out this superb Hotel, you will not be disappointed.

Disclosure: My stay was courtesy of The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow. The views and comments expressed are as usual my own.