Puddings in the Peak District – Part 1

We wound our way on country roads surrounded by rolling green hills scattered with grazing cows and sheep. The panorama looked unreal and as much as I did try, the camera just could not capture its magnificent beauty. We have entered the Peak District – England’s first designated national park.

This area was by far my favorite part of our trip. Its panorama alone made it the winner.

Our first Peak experience was a stop in the village of Hartington. We popped in to the Devonshire Arms pub for dinner, ordered our meal at the bar (as you do at the pubs) and took a seat at a table in the rear garden.

My dinner consisted of a beetroot and goat cheese tart with a side salad and new potatoes (small roasted potatoes). This tart was rich with the savory beetroot flavor and just enough – not too much – of goat cheese. The tart’s crust was a buttery and crispy perfection. It was while enjoying this particular tart, that I decided that everything should be baked in a crust.

We ended this meal with one of my favorite desserts: a thick, warm square of Sticky Toffee Pudding. This heavenly dessert is a heavy, moist and spicy sponge cake made with chopped dates, covered in delicious warm toffee sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or custard. Sound rich? Well it is – and it’s fantastic! As you can see in the photo, I didn’t even have time to photograph the masterpiece – sorry.

I should add, that ‘pudding’ in England is used as a synonym for dessert.

After our filling, we continued north to find our rental cottage in the village of Tideswell. We wove our way through the quaint, dark streets of Tideswell, and finally found our cottage. When we stepped inside, we smiled at the site of homemade bread, biscuits and farm fresh eggs sitting on the kitchen table. It was an instant warm sense of home and comfort.

Next: Tasting a famous pudding.