Cavendish Hotel in Derbyshire Dales

The Cavendish Hotel has outstanding food and facilities. The service is excellent and the staff very helpful. Our hotel booking included tickets to the historic Chatsworth House, which was just a twenty minute walk away.

Great service Holly and Matt went above and beyond to ensure a pleasant stay

Celebrating friends Golden Wedding. Everything at the Cavendish is first class. The food, the rooms and especially the staff were brilliant. Highly recommended for a special occasion.

Lovely restaurant, great food and wonderful views

Beautiful hotel recently renovated Had a drink on the terrace with lovely views of the countryside. Great service .

During an afternoon's walking we stopped here for a drink on the terrace. We sat down at a table where a couple was leaving. they explained they were leaving because they had been waiting 20 minutes and their order had still not been taken. We decided to see if we could get better service. After about 10 minutes a waiter took our order. My husband's cold drink arrived fairly quickly, but my tea did not. The waiter said he was going to go and see what had happened to it and returned about 15 minutes later with a pot of tea. I immediately poured a cup, and it was stewed to the point that it was undrinkable. My husband went to the bar to pay and explained that the tea was undrinkable. The response was simply " that will be 13 pounds" . Meanwhile the waiter returned to the table with the bill. I explained that my husband was paying inside and that I had not been able to drink the tea because it was stewed. he said " i just made it" and walked away. Needless to say, we were charged for it despite the cup remaining untouched. I was shocked at the slow service and the atrocious customer service. 13 pounds for one glass of orange juice and lemonade and an undrinkable cup of tea. There are better places to spend your money.

This hotel has the best location. Very comfortable bed, lovely view out the window, and very professional and friendly staff . there are two restaurants on site and we booked Chatsworth experience with the dinner in the Gallery on the first night , it’s very quiet and elegant place , the food was amazing and service was the top quality!! It’s definitely romantic atmosphere!!

Love having Sunday lunch here in the Garden Room.

Excellent! Friendly and efficient staff made us very welcome, and made our stay such a pleasure. Wonderful food for dinner and breakfast, and a very comfortable room with great views.

Lovely rooms all overlooking the park with glimpses of Chatsworth House. Unfortunately on the night of our visit they got the order wrong resulting in some of our party having a delay in getting their main course. Shame they don’t have a good non IPA draft beer.

I cannot comment on the rooms as we only came for afternoon tea; I have to say I’ve never been so impressed and felt so welcomed by Amelia who was there from the first moment we walked in, nothing was to much trouble, took our coats and helped us back in them at the end, explained everything and the afternoon tea was so wonderful. Thank you.

There are undoubtedly better options for this price range in the area. For over 200 pounds per night, to put it quite simply this place is absolutely not worth it. The hotel felt tired and seemingly forgotten. As a taster: my room was not cleaned on the first night, towels not replaced. The breakfast was cold and clearly had been prepared a while before being served. The staff were lackluster. Management highly unhelpful in finding a solution.

Absolutely beautiful, luxury rooms along with delicious food and superb customer service. Also in close proximity to Chatsworth House! Highly recommended.

Afternoon tea. lovely experience

Went for lunch for my birthday and staff brilliant, food lovely. Bit pricey but surroundings and setting worth it.

Fantastic meal, fantastic service.

The food was great, up to the highest standards, but rather pricey, hence only four stars. Service was a tad slow, but the food was worth the wait. Nice to have proper starched tablecloths too! Recommended if you are not on a budget.

This was my second visit to the Cavendish but my first chance to sample their afternoon tea. On our first visit we had been told there was no need to book but on arrival the hotel was heaving and we were informed that we could not be served for almost 2 hours. We did not stay and I contacted management to inform them of this issue. All due credit to them- I received an apology and complimentary afternoon tea. So today having ensured we had booked we arrived and enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea in a beautiful setting. There was a selection of open sandwiches, 3 cakes each, a scone with jam and cream and a delicious lemon posset. Compliments to the chef! A choice of numerous types of tea or coffee complimented the meal along with a glass of prosecco! Service was efficient, friendly and attentive without being over intrusive. Well done to all. Hoping to return again soon.

Nog niet eerder aten we tijdens een vakantie in Engeland zo lekker en verfijnd. De kwaliteit van het hotel deed ons op een fijne keuken hopen, maar wat ons in The Gallery werd voorgeschoteld overtrof ver onze verwachtingen. Ook de bediening was uiterst hoffelijk en verfijnd. Zelden genoten we tijdens een vakantie zo van een etentje...

No comido/alojado por un tiempo. Hotel precioso país y hoy repetirá para comer el domingo. El mejor! Por las noches, el restaurante principal es demasiado exótico para mi gusto, sin embargo tiene el almuerzo de domingo fayre delicioso asado de ternera normal, glorioso, excelente sopa de remolacha para postres. Todos acompañados de espléndidas vistas sobre el Chatsworth Estate.

Fuimos allí el domingo por la tarde con la familia, teníamos bollos caliente con crema de leche y mermelada. El lugar es increíble, muy viejo tiempos, el servicio es excelente y el personal es genial, no se puede hacer más por ti. También nos hemos alojado aquí antes y pasamos un tiempo estupendo, así que si quieres probar un poco de calidad pruébalo, no te decepcionará.

The restaurant is of higher quality than the hotel in my opinion in this sense I would say they are mis-matched. The meal was ok adn the service was pretty good

This event was a birthday treat from my wife and what a treat - there was afternoon cream tea with champagne in front of an open fire - a four poster bedroom which was luxury itself and the evening meal was very very tasty and not overfacing. The easygoing breakfast that followed meant an absolutely wonderful time was had by the pair of us. A huge thank you to all the staff at the hotel who were all so friendly and attentive,

I don't work for this hotel nor the company running it but do know something about hotels in general. Everything about the hotel is fantastic, particularly the staff, accommodation and food

Well, it's Christmas, and my annual treat for my hard working, hard done to, hard to please at times, lovely Wife. It's the Friday before Christmas and as we arrive by taxi we are greeted at the door and welcomed by our name, nice touch, not sure how they knew it was us? Lovely pre dinner drinks and fab olives. Our meal was good. But, let's get something straight here. The gallery restaurant is more than just the food. I read and understand some previous comments on trip advisor. Purely on food, it's never going to score 100%. BUT, if you want fabulous service in stunning surroundings with food that is perfectly acceptable then it hits the spot. It is an experience. Our meal was good, scallops, venison, share a cheese platter, a decent pudding, all with wines to compliment, coffee, liquors, perfect. It's just a fabulous night out. Enjoy the service and surroundings and realise how lucky we are to have special places like this.

Once a year, we go out with two of our friends for a special meal to celebrate Christmas. This year, we picked The Cavendish, based on its reputation as a high-end restaurant, with fine dining, relaxed but top-notch service, elegant furnishings and a superb position. All of the things we expected were there in abundance: the service; the furnishings and the position (what a view!) but the food! I cannot grumble about the food quality. Whilst not fine dining, it was good. The menu was varied and we had a choice of the normal menu and also the Christmas Fayre menu, or a combination of the two. Our starters ranged from scallops to crab, to chestnut soup. All were fine and the portions reasonable. However, when the mains arrived, the portion sizes were ludicrously small. My initial impression was that the waiter had brought us the chef's amuse-bouche at the wrong moment! I had ordered venison and, whilst I did not expect a whole stag on my plate, I expected more than a handful of postage stamp-sized miniatures! Other members of the party who had ordered beef or fish had similar experiences. I pointed out our disappointment to our embarassed-looking waiter. He apologised and offered to bring out some vegetables. Unfortunately, these never arrived but he did make a reduction on our bill. We all had desserts which, whilst not of Mr Creosote proportions, were of an acceptable size. We left The Cavendish with very mixed feelings. This is an expensive place which in many ways fully justifies what it charges. However, the portion size of its main courses is disgracefully small and therefore we will never go there again.

The food here was wonderful . I started with artichoke cappuccino with tempura skate wow it was wonderful . Probably the best soup I have ever tasted . Then I had venison with gnocchi. Outstanding . The apple tarte had a whole baked apple in the middle which was a surprise but it paid off . My husbands dairy intolerance was handled well and we both had a great time .

We chose this hotel because we wanted to visit Chatsworth House. A very good decision. The reception staff are brilliant, couldn't be more helpful. The dining room staff also very good, attentive, not overbearing. The bedroom, beautifully decorated and spacious. We also had extremely good weather, which of course was also down to the hotel!!

Partner booked a surprise weekend away and she chose the Cavendish Hotel, we were quite excited as the website looked pretty good. We arrived around 7.30pm on the Friday evening, checked in (that bit was ok) then asked if reception could book us a taxi to go down the road to Calver, in fairness she did this, but she told us there's not much call for taxi's but I'll do what I can - as mentioned already, she did manage to book one. We went out for dinner in Calver and arrived back to the hotel about 11pm, we asked if we could sit in the bar/lounge to have a drink, we were served our drinks and we politely asked where it was appropriate to smoke a cigarette, we were glared at like we'd asked where in the hotel could we inject our heroin, eventually we were pointed towards outside the front door to the left (again no issues here) but felt like we were treated like lepers because we smoke cigarettes. We asked for another drink, which we got and were then told by the Rumanian chap serving us (who then appeared in his trackies and t-shirt) that he was off to bed so did we need anything else (this was about 11:30) neither of us were particularly tired and could have done with another hour enjoying a few drinks but felt like we were ushered off to our room. When we arrived on the Friday evening we asked what time breakfast was and were quite clearly told 7.30 till midday, so on Saturday morning at 10:09 hrs when I went to the reception to check which room breakfast was served in, the aforementioned Rumanian chap (now in full uniform) frowned at me, drew a sharp intake of breath and looked at his watch! "Problem" I said? " we were told breakfast was up until midday" I went on to say (in a slightly annoyed tone) "yes sir, that's fine" he said " why frown, do a sharp intake of breath and check your watch" I found myself saying under my breath. In the end my partner and I decided we didn't feel at all welcome at the Cavendish Hotel and checked out and booked somewhere else for the Saturday evening.....I can't fault the location, the decor, the quality of the rooms etc, but in my opinion the service is dreadful here and for £200 a night I would expect far better service from staff and not to be treated like outcasts because we smoke or turn up at 10:09 for breakfast I'm sure the Cavendish has plenty of satisfied customers who return regularly, but we will certainty not be one of them

We booked Sunday lunch in the main restaurant and from the moment of arrival we received excellent service from all the staff. The food was delicious, with fabulous views of neighbouring Chatsworth estate and a beautiful dining room, we really enjoyed the experience.

This is a really nice hotel on the edge of the Chatsworth estate. The rooms are very comfortable and spacious. Our room overlooked the estate and it was such a gorgeous view! The beds are comfortable and they go the extra mile in little conveniences, including cold fresh milk for tea! So lovely! We ate offsite but they were very welcoming for every meal - they made sure we had a place to eat.

We visited the Garden Room at the Cavendish on a recommendation from a local accommodation owner who had eaten here many times. On arrival we were very pleased with the setting, especially the garden views. The menu was adequately varied & there were many dishes we could have chosen. In the end I opted for the fish of the day - plaice with brown shrimp, capers & parsley mash - while my partner had grouse. Both were well presented and well flavoured but lacked any real substance and seemed very small for their price tag of more than £22 each. The meals being eaten around us seemed far better portioned & might have earned a better review but ours were dissapointing. The desserts were marginally better. My carrot cake was moist & beautifully complemented with a carrot sorbet. Unfortunately my partner's creme brulee was a little more lacklustre and notably lacked any crunch on top. Would be tempted back just to try another dish in hope for a better experience but couldn't wholeheartedly recommend on this visit alone.

Second visit to the Garden restaurant after having a good experience last time.Bookings are not taken for this restaurant; on a first come basis, although there were plenty of free tables when we arrived. Greeted by reception who took our coats but merely gestured to the restaurant and a table. Good choice of starters, mains and puddings, though one or two a little pricey. Standard of food was excellent thanks to head chef Alan Hill, but unfortunately this was let down by FOH staff. Service was very intermittent, on many occasions and for lengthy periods there were no staff in the restaurant. The table was laid for two and eventually we did receive two more covers but with the wrong cutlery. We ordered a second round of drinks, but this never materialised. I intended having a dessert, but after a long wait for a member of the serving staff, I gave up the idea, in fact, after our main course dishes were cleared we got fed up of waiting to be asked if we required anything further that we left the table, paid at reception and left. No thank you or goodbyes. Disappointed

My friend and I came here for afternoon tea Saturday, we thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. I have been to quite a few of the highly recommended ones in London such as Sanderson, Ritz and Claridges and thought this was a strong contender considering the price, delicious food and lovely surroundings. The staff were incredibly friendly too. I see why this is in the top four in Derbyshire.

If I could give 100 stars I would. The moment we got to the hotel I loved it. The staff all wear lovely smart tweed uniforms. They are very helpful and friendly especially Victoria. The hotel is situated in a beautiful estate of Chatsworth. It is very clean inside the beds are comfortable. The room we had is hoskins it's lovely with beautiful views. I like the added touches of biscuits and bath robes.

Booked the boardroom for a surprise family birthday afternoon tea. The event planner was very helpful during the booking and dealt with the special requests with ease. The staff where very helpful and accommodating. The afternoon tea was lovely with a good selection of sandwiches and beautiful desserts and it's great for a special occasion.

I have used the Cavendish for years and in the recent past it has varied in its quality and value for money. I am pleased t say that it is now back on track. WE always use the conservatory and at last it looks like a conservatory, not a milady's boudoir, The staff have very nice uniforms, they are polite and helpful and the menu is good. It is not cheap but given the experience and the view over the countryside it is unbeatable.

My mum and I ate Sunday lunch in the dining room. We each had three courses, the food was delicious and beautifully presented. The desserts especially were delectable. We were in a hurry and our service though never feeling rushed was fast while remaining friendly and courteous. From the moment we stepped through the door until we left all staff were helpful and made our time spent there very pleasant.

Children charged same price for adults although food hardly suitable eg ham and mustard mayonnaise sandwiches! No prior knowledge of this although deposit a paid and said there would be children in party. Otherwise quite nice but overpriced.will not return as this spoilt an otherwise lovely family gathering and the children had travelled a long way together there and left starving!!

We spent a very nice evening in the bar area of this smart pub. The atmosphere was spot on, lively but not over-bearing. The service was efficient but most importantly friendly with a genuine feel to it. We enjoyed a couple of fine pints and a lovely bottle of prosecco. We both had the rib-eye steaks and jolly tasty,succulent, cooked to perfection they were too.The portions aren't large but are very nicely presented. The experience was only let down by my bakewell tart dessert. It felt over heated and so was oily and unpleasant. But hey after local ale and lashings of bubbily I wasn't complaining.

in occasione del matrimonio di mia nipote ho pranzato al Cavendish. Anche se proposto dagli sposi, il cibo mi è parso abbastanza buono, vario e con gli elementi ben assortiti. Buoni soprattutto i contorni. L'impiattamento mi è parso un po' scadente ma il personale è stato molto accorto, gentile ed in numero adeguato alla situazione. Adeguata anche al numero dei commensali la grandezza della sala, non proprio eccezionale come arredamento ma allietata da un funzionale caminetto.

So, to start, the Gallery restaurant charges £50 for 3 courses. Not the most expensive meal ever therefore, but at a level where your expectations are high. Generally they were met, I would say - Waldorf salad with celery pannacotta at its heart was different and tasty. Sea bass was absolutely fine without being spectacular. Cheese was good (though with zero choice and small portions, despite the surcharge). Bread was frankly poor.....a little thing, but just a choice of a bland white or brown roll doesn't really cut it in these days of pumpernickel, rye and sourdough. Wine list sensibly priced. Service fine. So overall, a great option if you are staying in the hotel (as we were) but with the great competition available from other restaurants in a little place like Baslow, I was expecting a bit more.

A wonderful evening. Couldn't fault a thing. Polite and attentive staff, excellent food enjoyed in the very pleasant dining room. Will visit again

Had lunch in the dining room which was very comfortable. The Garden room is at present being refurbished but we understand that it will be completed shortly. The food was excellent and well presented. The staff were efficient and friendly. It was a special occasion for my wife and I , one of us had 2 courses and the other 3 plus 3 glasses of wine. The price was a tad expensive at £137 but It reflected the ambience and quality.

Having enjoyed our lunch on Christmas Day 2014, we took the plunge and invited my mother and her husband for Christmas Day Lunch 2015. There was a small choice, but it meant we all picked something we wanted so everyone was happy. Perfectly cooked, friendly and professional service and a lovely atmosphere. We all relaxed and returned home very contented.So good was Christmas Day that we returned a couple of weeks later to dine in the restaurant for the 10th anniversary of our civil partnership. The middle of January is never going to be bustling, and the night we chose certainly wasn't, but nonetheless the staff were very attentive and the food up to scratch. For a special meal, worth looking up.

Had lunch here for a special birthday treat. Reception staff were very helpful on the phone, reassuring that a table would be available, despite not being able to book in the Garden Room. All the table staff were absolutely lovely, attentive and friendly yet unobtrusive. We made exotic choices of fish and chips and the rump steak burger (!) which were well cooked, well presented and cleaned from the plates with great enjoyment. Mum particularly enjoyed her creme brulee served in an old china cup. I thought the prices were very reasonable. We will definitely return.

We ate at the chef's table and stopped the night. I would have preferred to review the hotel and restaurant separately so here goes:The chef's table experience was amazing (yes....you actually sit in the corner of the kitchen). 7/8 courses in the end and I was pleasantly surprised that we both thoroughly enjoyed absolutely everything. usually there's a course that's not to your taste but even dishes we wouldn't have chosen from a standard menu were beautiful. I've worked in a kitchen before and expected it to be very heated and fast paced but the team never broke sweat, everything ran like clockwork with plenty of food going out. bravo.All of the kitchen staff were very down to earth but a special shout out to Ben who went out of his way to make our experience that extra bit enjoyable. That personal touch was appreciated and he rustled up a delightful cheese board for us in front of the fire to finish off a great dining experience.we've dined a Michelin starred Fischer's several times and I have to say that we preferred the Cavendish overall, although both are exceptional. My only disappointment with the dining experience was that the Head Chef was on holiday (pre booked) and I really thought this should have been mentioned when we booked, which was only 2 weeks prior. The whole point of the chef's table is to meet the chef and discuss some of the dishes and the inspiration behind the menu, so it was disappointing we didn't get to meet him.As for the hotel, it's a classy place with plenty of character. The lounge in particular is very cosy and relaxed. We were greeted by a lovely young lady on reception. the room it's self was nothing to write home about but that's not the point of staying somewhere like this. all the corridors are tastefully decorated with that character shining through.the only blemish on the stay was a mix up with breakfast. the young lady at reception informed us on arrival that breakfast was served up until 12:00 noon, which was music to our ears as we were in desperate need of a lie after leaving our 6 month old at granny's for the night! The following morning we trotted down to breakfast approx. 11:30 only to be greeted by a waiter with a big frown on his face, almost giving us a 'tut' for coming down so late. We were informed that he'd have to see if we could still have a cooked breakfast due to the time. clearly a big miscommunication between reception and breakfast staff here.Feeling a little upset at the situation I was moments away from complaining, when the waiter came back to inform us everything was fine and to his credit was very pleasant for the rest of breakfast. the whole experience still felt a little uncomfortable due to the bad start. The cooked breakfast was nice enough but perhaps slightly underwhelming in comparison to other top venues. I didn't feel like I could taste the superior quality of the ingredients. the continental buffet style selection however was very good and I would suggest is sufficient for most people wanting a nice selection of cereal, pastries, fried fruits, excellent quality ham/cheese. So overall a slight blemish on dining, a perhaps slightly more significant blemish at breakfast but overall a superb experience. We will certainly revisit at some point in the future.

Outstanding food at the kitchen table. Everything we ate was superb, made even more special by watching the chefs cook.

This was a difficult review as there were both positives and negatives. A good rating would probably be more applicable.The hotel was very nice with lovely bedroom and public rooms. Breakfast was good with a wide choice of both hot and cold food. There are two restaurants one classed as fine dining and one less formal. The fine dining was good ( not wonderful) and quite expensive Not far from Michelin star price.The other restaurant was very good. However overall it was the organisation that was lacking ie to get a drink in the lounge I had to go searching for a member of staff. At breakfast I also had to go and ask for a cooked breakfast. This was a shame as the individual staff were very good.

Thought this was going to be the finest around. The prices certainly suggest so. Not brilliant where was the lemon wedge with the fish and chips. Not well delivered lacking in detail and taste. Didn't get what I ordered mentioned it when paying shouldn't have bothered. We shall not return.

We booked a two night stay here so we were close to Chatsworth House for the Christmas lights and market.On arrival we were helped from our car with the bags. All the staff we met greeted us and made us feel welcome straight away. Immediately on entering the reception you feel relaxed and notice the truly Englishness of the hotel.We were promptly shown to our room, No.22. It was almost the furthest from reception but as had requested a quiet room it was perfect. The rooms I think have all been recently refurbished. There was plenty of hanging and shelf space, bathrobes and lovely white towels. Tea and coffee making facilities with a big box of chocolate cookies. Small mini bar and hair dryer. The bathroom had a lovely shower and was tastefully decorated and very clean. Only small complaint was the magnifying mirror didn't adjust and at only 5' I had to stand on tip toe to use it. Lighting was not great for doing makeup but I managed ok.Service was very friendly. Occasionally we did have to go and find someone to get us a drink when in the lounge areas but there were not many guests so understandably the staff were off doing things elsewhere. They were always very happy to serve and nothing was too much trouble for them.We eat in both restaurants during our time here and both were first class. The gallery restaurant is fine dining. A beautifully relaxing room with log fire. Food was superb. Beautifully presented. A small but choice menu and first class ingredients. I had the mackerel with beetroot canalloni followed by the monkfish with curried lentils and finishing with textures of raspberries which was truly amazing. Our other choices were scallops, rack and shoulder of lamb and the cheese board. The cheese board had all British cheeses accompanied by grapes, chutney, quince jelly, apricots and a selection of biscuits. There was also a little description of each cheese and where they wer made which made it much more interesting. The only one that we didn't like was the Oxford Isis which was incredibly strong and smelly!The garden restaurant is less formal and fancy but has a good selection of foods. In here we had the burgers cooked to our liking and rice pudding with amaretto ice cream, both of which were lovely.Breakfast is served in the gallery again with a good selection of juices, tea or coffee. Fruits, cereal, continental or choices from the menu freshly cooked including full English, omelette, eggs benedict etc.There is plenty of parking, the views are beautiful and Chatsworth house is a 20-30 minute walk across the fields or a few minutes drive away. Would definately return at the first opportunity.

We arrived at the Cavendish Hotel as a result of another hotel having to source us an alternative as they had messed up our booking (Peacock at Rowsley). It wasn't therefore our choice and to be fair it wouldn't have been where I had wanted to stay. Having said that, the views from the hotel are stunning, the food was excellent (we ate for 2 nights in the Gallery Restaurant) and the service in the restaurant was top notch. On the not so great side I felt the hotel lacked a bit of finesse in the rooms - bit old fashioned? Probably just not my taste.And then there was an opportunity to make a lasting impression given the circumstances. Having been so spectacularly let down by the Peacock for our 10th wedding anniversary it was the ideal opportunity for the hotel to make us feel special again. However reception didn't even mention what had happened and check in was very practical and efficient rather than friendly and welcoming. It's a nice enough hotel, not particularly my taste, very good food. However it wasn't the Peacock and our special trip had been ruined.

Four of us ate here last week. There was only 1 other couple eating at the same time but it was midweek.Three of us had roasted Cod which was delicious, good meaty sized portion and wonderfully cooked. The other had the burger and really enjoyed thatPudding was also good.I've given it the rating of very good rather than excellent on 2 points - no one came to pour out the Champagne we'd ordered and we weren't offered some water for the table. Small points I know but it's not cheap to eat here.

food was good and venue great. Was served a bread roll full of hair and the waiter didn't bat an eyelid when he put it on my side plate. When I asked for it to be replaced there was no apology.

A very good friend and I treated ourselves to afternoon tea at the Cavendish and what a lovely experience it was. We sat in the conservatory looking out across the beautiful view, with the sun pouring through the open windows. A lovely selection of finger sandwiches and delicate cakes were on offer, and even a box was provided for the ones we didn't manage to eat!! If you are passing the Cavendish on your travels and you have an hour or so to spare, go on treat yourself to a quintessential afternoon tea.

The evening was a surprise booked by my partner and it did not disappoint.It was elegant, formal yet not stuffy , intimate and private.The food was amazing.Will definitely be back , it's now 'our' place.From beautiful tasting mains to fabulous coffee and petit fours.The setting was beautiful , highly recommend .Donna and mark x

Recommended to visit by the landlady of our B & B and did not disappoint. Great food and really good value.

We were staying in the area and turned up with two friends, they arranged a table without any issues. The menu choices were good although fairly standard, but were cooked and presented extremely well. The staff were also very good and gave a polished service and the cost was not excessive considering the standard and location.

My husband had booked surprise afternoon tea for my birthday...they didn't even mention this even though they were told at time of booking! We were seated immediately but then waited a long time for service, this was to be the pattern of the afternoon. A waitress arrived and asked if we would like tea or coffee, NO tea menu...I asked which teas they had was told lots! We selected tea then waited for it to arrive, it came without a tea strainer, there were no staff in evidence then for quite some time, eventually I caught the attention of possibly the maitre de?, I asked for a tea strainer again had to wait. The food came quite some time after that, the food was ok definitely not what I had been expecting, sandwiches, not vegetarian as requested, but I still had a selection of non meat to eat, were a little dry, cakes were not petite fours, but again ok, scones were lovely, and some strange jelly shots of no discernible flavour at all. Not once did anybody ask if everything was ok, I would have liked more tea as we had drunk much of the pot whilst waiting for the food but as no one seemed to be attending our table I was unable to do this, also NO hot water with the tea in the first place. We didn't complain as it was a birthday treat and we didn't wish to spoil my day, we decided not to leave a tip but then found it included in the bill! Overall if you haven't had afternoon tea anywhere else then this will be an adequate treat, but in reality they have poor standards of what an English afternoon tea is.

The restaurant has ambition and some things work well. The service was professional and polite, the setting outstanding.We ate in the Gallery, the "posh" option, the alternative being the garden room.I started with fois gras served on mushrooms and onions. The dish was a good idea, let down by the over use of some quite harsh malt vinegar with the mushrooms.My companion had what turned out to be a deconstructed Waldorf Salad. Pleasant if surprising in presentation!The main was a confit leg of duck with a roast breast. The breast was served in two very thick fingers, more careful presentation would have helped.My companion faired better with a chicken dish.The cheese plate, with a supplementary charge if taken instead of sweet was generous but some of the cheese was getting past its best.The wine list is short, but reasonably priced.

Garden restaurant lovely & informal with gorgeous food, nicely presented. Choice of wines etc great & views outside just lovely.

Scones and champagne were part of an "Escape on Sunday" deal. Although the scones were freshly cooked and very tasty there wasn't sufficient of them, just two, to do justice to the amount of jam and cream provided.Dinner was of good quality although a little too sophisticated for our pallets - bottle of wine reasonably priced - £19.95.Breakfast also good quality but had to wait twenty minutes for it, thought they were waiting for the hens to lay the eggs!!

Afternoon Tea with Champagne. .!! Booked for my Birthday by my best friend.Beautiful food and excellent service. We asked to see the lunchtime menu for both Saturday and Sunday, and we will most definitely be having a return trip.

We had dinner in the Garden Room & whilst the food was good, the service and decor (in the Garden Room) let down this restaurant. The tables were sticky (no table cloths), and were frequently sprayed close to us while we were eating with a detergent spray (very unpleasant when eating). The dated black voile curtains "decorating" the windows spoil the beautiful view. Our white wine was served in warm wine glasses so we had to ask for ice to cool down the wine. The starters were really tasty & presented well but one main course had to be sent back as it seemed that it had cooked on the pass. The bill was delivered & the service charge had been reduced slightly because we sent the main course back. No explanation was given for this, we had to work this out for ourselves. The Cavendish seems to suffer from lack of competition but needs to consider updating the Garden Room. The prices (significant) do not reflect the service & the decor.

Well The Cavendish make a nice job of Afternoon Tea - which seems to be a dying art! Sandwiches were very fresh and included cucumber - a must. The scones were excellent, as were the almond choux buns. Only gripe - conserve a little runny to stay on the scones - so a very minor one. Would most definitely go again.

The room overlooked the gardens and beyond and was well presented if not a little dated but met expectations, dinner in the restaurant was a joyous occasion with the staff attentive without being over the top. The food was most enjoyable - the scallops tender and the foie gras terrine flavoursome. The duck was exquisite and the chicken moist and delicious. The cheese superb and all washed down with a decanted Rioja. Dinner in the Garden Room is less formal but equally enjoyable with a fine selection of dishes and wines. Truly splendid and a return is must.

We went for the Sunday lunch yesterday and had a great meal ,the pork loin and the beef ,I expect from Chatsworth ,were excellent ,the yorkshire puddings were perfect ,the best I have had for a long time ,light and crisp instead of the usual soggy offerings you often find in restaurants. Fairly quiet but this made for a relaxing time and the views are always a plus.Will make this a regular as I find the food is always of a consistent standard and the service if sometimes a little slow, is charming

I love this place. It's consistently good with a lovely conservatory-style restaurant that's rarely even half full (at lunchtime anyway) and has a lovely view over the fields. Three of us had : fish and chips, salmon fishcake, & pork, with puddings to follow. Anyway that doesn't really matter, because everything we've eaten here has always been first class. Yes I know it's part of the Chatsworth Estate, so it isn't cheap, but it's reliably good and should be one of your stops if you're in the Peak District. Just make sure you leave a table free for us !And no, no inducements to leave a good review here, though I'm open to a free meal here anytime, your Grace !

I recently went to the Cavendish for afternoon tea with some friends and our daughters. We had booked a lovely table in the Gallery restaurant which was all set out beautifully for us. The welcome and service from all the staff was fantastic and they were incredibly helpful and lovely with the children. The afternoon tea itself was delicious and beautifully presented. It consisted of a selection of lovely sandwiches, pastries, scones and mini cakes and it was all delicious. A real treat for a Saturday afternoon. We will return soon for a lunch or evening meal as the menus look lovely.

I booked here to take a family member for a birthday treat. The location is lovely and it is a beautiful dining room. The staff were friendly although not as attentive or efficient as I would have expected. We were not offered a choice of teas just did we want coffee or tea and pots of black tea were brought. The food was then brought to the table and that was the last we saw of any waiting staff, we had wanted some more hot water as the tea was super strong but were unable to see anyone to ask and no one came near again even when we wished to leave we needed to go to reception to ask if someone could take payment. The tea was substantial but not over special. Lots of sandwiches but no other savouries. The cakes were nice but again not super special. A nice large glass of a good champagne was nice. Not nreally a bad tea but although the service was friendly it was a little meagre to say the least.

Calling in unannounced on a hot bank holiday afternoon and ordering afternoon tea on the terrace was the best decision of the day!A simply wonderful array of sandwiches, scones, pastries and cakes, superbly presented with fine tea and a glass or two of champagne. Quintessentially English and it cannot be beaten. This really is a joy not to be missed.

October 2014 - Hired a small function room for management meeting (4 people). Lunch in restaurant. Service excellent, nice size meeting room with large boardroom table (a little noisy as at side of restaurant), beautiful hotel. Food in the restaurant couldn't fault it, lovely sat in the orangery. Didn't stay but will put on our list for future.

We like afternoon Tea, So the setting here is absolutely spot on.Its best to book as you will then be assured of a place in the restaurant otherwise its pot luck in the conservatory, Still nice on a summers day.You will be offered a glass of champagne which adds a further £10pp to the bill.the tea and the food I have to say is good but not exceptional.the bread for the sandwiches was straight from the fridge so was pretty cold. And the thickness of the slices too thick. This is Afternoon Tea after all!!But all was rescued by the fancies.