We recommend:

The Jug and Glass in Lea is the nearest pub – and is shown in the photo above. It’s a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute bike ride from Cotton House. It serves beer and some pub grub. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. Check the website as opening hours vary at the moment.

Robin Maycock Butchers (and bakery) is an award-winning family-run butcher’s shop in Holloway where you can buy home-made meals, a range of superior groceries as well as meat.

In spring and early summer, the Teashop at Lea Gardens is thronged every day, and justifiably so. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating is available. You can also visit the spectacular rhododendron and azalea garden for £6. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to Lea Gardens from Cotton House if you follow the road. You can cut along a footpath up to Lea Primary School, turn left and then look out for another footpath on your right leading straight to Lea Gardens if you’re feeling adventurous!

You can reach the Family Tree in Whatstandwell in just under an hour along a gorgeous stretch of the Cromford Canal leading in the Ambergate direction. This was once a pub, but now offers mainly food throughout the day. The menu ranges from champagne breakfasts through pub-style lunches to afternoon teas. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.

If you choose to wander in the other direction along the Cromford Canal, i.e. in the direction of the High Peak Trail, after about an hour you’ll reach Cromford, which has a few places to eat including the Greyhound Inn. This pub has indoor and outdoor seating. Here you can enjoy anything from a pint and pub lunch up to a seriously good evening meal.

One of the best restaurants in the area is Stones in Matlock. It’s so popular that it’s booked up for weeks in advance. Luckily, the owners have taken over an old pub and set up what they describe as “a smart, modern place to relax offering fuss-free food and drinks that retain the reputation for quality we’ve hopefully earned at Stones.” This is The Bluebell – in South Wingfield. The food is great, the prices are reasonable and you don’t have to book months in advance.