Devonshire Arms, The

It has become customary, and rightly so in my view, to regard anything associated with the Chatsworth estate as exemplary, hence no surprise to find that this cosy pub on the estate has been taken in hand by some of the family and now offers the sort of genuine quality experience that we have come to expect from them.

The setting is rural England with knobs on. Not all Derbyshire buildings are kind to the eye, but this one would melt the heart of the hardest critic. Formed from three cottages in 1747 it exudes hospitality. Food comes from a brasserie that makes no concessions to antiquity, in the form of a straightforward choice of 6 dishes in each of the three traditional courses, backed up by a formidable list of specials that includes lobster thermidor, bangers and mash and steaks.

Those who are always banging on about a classless society will rejoice - everybody is welcome here, hikers, bikers, locals, tourists, y'all come. The wine list would feel thoroughly at home in a city restaurant, and is equally presentable in the middle of the Derbyshire Dales, particularly as city prices are notable by their absence. Ales on draught read like a symphony to the enthusiast.

The whole enterprise is a tribute to the qualities embodied by the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, perhaps best summed up as robust sensibility.