*Original publication date May 2015*
Hello All, how have you been? I hope you’ve had a great weekend. What has the Derby foodie been up to? First of all, what a week it’s been, what with the country turning blue.
I had the pleasure of spending Sunday afternoon in Matlock Bath with The Dude.
I just had to tell you about this awesome art and foodie indoor market we spied in this gorgeous space not far from the train station. I think it was an ex-council building, you know the stone set-ups with a hint of Victoriana about it.
Anyway, there were about 40 different stalls and we made a few purchases. I’ve been after edible lavender for a while and managed to pick up this generous pouch for a bargainous £1.50. I’ll be baking some lavender shortbread soon and will let you know how I fare (expect a standalone blog post coming up on that soon).
Amongst the stalls was Dad’s Bees (who do really tasty salad dressings, sauces, condiments and honey). I bought their Honey & Mustard with Garlic and Brandy Salad Dressing, Luxury Strawberry, Pimms & Honey Jam, and their Hot Chilli Sauce with Honey.
Not only were the people who served us wonderful, but also very knowledgeable too. They proffered recipes, for example scoring a chicken breast and using the chilli sauce as a marinade, then topping it with cheese, say Philadelphia. I also picked up a few truckles of David William’s cheese (Cheddar with Caramelised Onion & Red Wine, and Cheddar with Chilli). When I cook with these products, I’ll be sure to blog about it as well. There were also these giant cookies from Cookie Stop (don’t worry, they’re totally freezable, so I won’t gorge on all of them in one hit). These cookies were soft, chewy and I loved their Butterscotch offerings.
I wouldn’t have pegged Matlock Bath as foodie heaven – but it actually is. Plus the setting is pretty AMAZING. We walked near Abraham’s Heights, passed Gulliver’s Kingdom and scaled some very steep steps (great cardio, might I add). Check out Matlock Bath for a lovely weekend treat, especially in the summer when you can really enjoy the lush greenery.
See you soon!