We drove past it every day wondering what on earth to do with it,’ chuckles Laura Greenall, referring to a boarded-up, unloved pub on the edge of her and husband Johnny’s Staffordshire-Derbyshire estate. Her casual recollection belies the couple’s hospitality brio, lofty food standards and sharp design eye, responsible for reinstating the Duncombe Arms as the local community hub since 2012. While keeping the key trappings and spirit of the traditional pub–cozy nooks, a roaring open fire and Merlot-hued rugs warming flagstones–they installed an impressive farm-to-fork ethos, working closely with a cattle and sheep farm in the Staffordshire Moorlands, as well as a fresh riff on rustic design (woolly blankets flung over rattan furniture beside fire-pits outside; cushioned chairs, tartan, and quirky cow canvases inside).
And while this spot is perfectly placed for Peak District ramblers, particularly as the sun shifts north across the magnificent mass of rock, soft grass, and wildflowers, it's the imaginative and elevated menu that pulls in the crowds: roasted Jerusalem artichoke starters with shaved truffle; Staffordshire lamb-rump mains with miso-baked carrot and ewe’s curd. House sourdough, buckwheat and barley spring-onion salads, and other cosmopolitan delights appear to have drifted north from London’s restaurant scene along with Adam Handling-trained chef Jake Boyce, whose emphasis on produce and knack for creative spins on much-loved classics has placed the Duncombe Arms firmly on the UK’s foodie map. General manager James Oddy has worked with Bibendum Wine to curate an extensive and intriguing wine list worth hanging around for, along with the artfully light English puddings. This can be for the night or longer in Walnut House’s refined rooms, and with a small group in the smartly renovated Old Barn (more a charming cottage), both a stone’s throw away. Why not make a weekend or even a week of it and hunker down with five others in the Garden Cottage, set in a secluded spot on the bucolic Wootton Hall estate? A lovely launchpad for scaling the Peaks and feasting on a legendary Duncombe Arms burger with bacon jam and a Greenhall’s G&T. Rosalyn Wikeley
Address: The Duncombe Arms, Ellastone, Ashbourne DE6 2GZ
Price: Double rooms from $235