Farmhouse at Mackworth in Amber Valley

We were waiting a long time for our food to come out as they were a chef down. The server was amazing, very apologetic and offered us free puddings and a free round of drinks as an apology. The food was really nice, despite the long wait time we'll definitely be back

I arranged a family get-together and the Den was ideal. Abbi and Pippa were helpful and friendly when I was deciding on the room and the choice of food. On the day, Ben was polite and friendly, delivering the food and drinks on time. The food itself was excellent. Altogether, a super venue.

Went for an overnight work trip and from the evening meal to the stay to breakfast, it was all excellent. Every member of the team that we interacted with were friendly, polite and couldn't do enough for us. Louie served us for dinner so a special mention to him.

Disappointed the one real vegan choice of chickpea curry was unavailable, bit of a deal breaker really. It’s a ready meal. Surely we’d keep that In stock.

Really good food and excellent service. Just one small complaint is that the espresso martini was served in a wine glass and not a proper martini glass.

Louie was a great waiter, super helpful and lovely service with a lovely smile :) #payriseforlouie

Louie that waiter needs a pay rise what a gem 👍 beautiful food, will be back 👍

Excellent service and excellent food. April was our server and she was very friendly and very fast service. Nothing was too much trouble! Will definitely be back for another visit.

Food was poor quality, sent food back and they didn’t really have alternatives apart from money back. Won't be going back in a rush

Recommend this place as could not fault anything

Can't fault this place, very well managed and run. Food was good, no one has any complaints about food or service. The only thing for me was that drinks were very expensive. If they could bring their prices down on their drinks then i would return.

I im never unhappy with the place ! The Sunday roast dinners are lovely apart from one thing! NEVER enough gravy! Had one yesterday, but honestly, it seemed like 2 spoon full of gravy was placed on my turkey that was it! But other than that the staff are always excellent! And very friendly

Slightly limited menu (for my taste) but food is great. Excellent friendly service and reasonable price.

Great atmosphere, nice outdoor seating area, really delicious food. Five stars for the Farmhouse from me.

7 of us had a birthday meal for my daughter. Amazing service food too. Wonderful area we was sat so we could enjoy our chats away from everyone. Our waiter was brilliant he took her birthday cake away to light up and bought back in on a big board plates forks napkins and knife too. We left him a tip. Definitely returning. Thank again!

Great food. Service is lovely, sometimes a little slow, but they're always busy and the service is in fact top notch. Lovely, friendly staff. Really can't fault the food. Great pizza. Not that the other meals aren't half decent. Good range of beer too.

Excellent food and service. Great vegetarian options, the cauliflower wings are delicious.

Great roast but waited 40 minutes for it! Beef was just ok; but turkey and pork leg were lovely. Everything else on the plate was nice, and when I asked for more gravy I got a huge boat full! Good value also. Would stop again but only if I'm in no hurry. Maybe it was Christmas busyness but still.. 40 minutes!

April was a lovely waitress and really looked after us. The food was excellent as it always is when we visit, it's always to treat to have a meal at The Farmhouse

Came here a few weeks ago. Have been a few times before. Don’t really know any better options in the area. Food and service was very poor this time. My child’s macroni cheese was the smallest portion I think I’ve ever seen on a kids menu. Perhaps two dessert spoons of pasta. My poor child polished it off and was literally licking the bowl. I politely told the waitress that my child was still really hungry and it was the smallest portion I’d seen, even on a kids menu. Was there a mistake? I was met with a relatively rude response that it was “all decided in head office”. Eh? A gesture to get a tiny bit more for a very hungry child would’ve been appreciated. Even more so given the adult fish and chips was about the biggest portion I’ve seen. How odd. Appalling really, won’t visit again.

The staff were attentive, food was lush and the atmosphere was great 👍 think this was one of our best experiences here so far!

All staff were really polite and helpful even though it was really busy. I had the steak americano which was cooked to perfection, I don't usually have dessert but I had the caramel tart and it was also amazing. My friend had the vegan burger which she enjoyed but said it could use a bit of vegan mayo on because the bread was a bit dry from being toasted (hindsight we should have asked for some) she also had a dessert which was a vegan brownie and it was perfect.

Visited with friends. My starter of sticky chicken was grossly over cooked. My main Indian dish was nice, comprehensive and decent value. Service was good and the atmosphere lively.

Lovely food and extremely friendly staff would definitely recommend the Xmas lunch

Underwhelming. Visited for dinner midweek after being recommended but must say we were left disappointed, burger was ok but dry and bland and pizza came out cold, for saying we went on a quiet night we hoped for better for the price.

App menu doesn’t match the printed menu. No hot drinks in the app. No mixed grill I. The app. 🥹

Everything was great and superbly looked after by April. A mark down for atmosphere due to NOISY table next to us (but I guess that’s not your fault)

Great service, good food, April attended to us and she was amazing..overall great service

It was a great atmosphere, but it was very busy. We had to chase our drinks twice. One of our party had her starter served before drinks arrived. My main (seabass) looked like it had been sitting under a lamp for a while. The presentation was messy. The cheesecake tasted shop-bought. A great place to meet friends for a drink but I won't be rushing back for food.

Visited for a Christmas party eating off the set Festive Menu. I went to the bar on arrival and was greeted by really friendly bar staff. The atmosphere and decor was lovely. Easy to park. The food was all delicious, served hot and again, the staff were all friendly and attentive. Will return with my family and try the standard menu as I'm sure it will be equally good.

Another great lunch on Monday. Emily is a fantastic server..🙂

Nice pub looks lovely I know it was refurbished a few years ago Paige is lovely friendly and very helpful

April our waitress was outstanding

Great Sunday lunch, good venue. April was super friendly and very efficient.

The staff were terrific and the food was superb. Unfortunately, the major talking points were the difficulty we had choosing our meals in advance on their Website then, at bill time, finding the information to be in a completely different format. There were a couple of discrepancies and the staff worked very hard to sort them out but it took a while due to cross-referencing. The restaurant is easy to access, which was most appreciated as Storm Darragh was at full force, and there was ample parking. We would have not been surprised if we had been met with a shortage of staff but, despite the elements, they were there to look after us. As we hadn’t seen each other for a while there was a lot of catching up but there was no pressure on us to sit at the table. We were served to drinks promptly. My pâté starter was delicious and the steak and ale pie was even better. The short pastry base, flakey top containing a rich meaty filling were perfect. The only problem with the desert (cheesecake) was that it was a bit of a struggle following the first two courses, but I managed, eventually. Will I go back? Despite the hour and a half drive, yes.

The Farmhouse is really cosy for such a large pub. It has lots of different rooms, each with their own ambience and suitable for small or large groups. I love the library dining room with books hanging from the ceiling. It is a bit dark in some places, which I suppose adds to the ambience but not great when trying to read a menu. Good food, with lots of different menu options at the moment (Christmas), lovely staff, good parking. Overall, it's a lovely place to eat and drink.

5***** absolutely amazing, our waitress verity was awesome and always happy

The experience was really great from the start to end. Our server was lovely and helpful, especially considering the size of our group. They were very accommodating to changes in the food requirements and very helpful. The food came out very quickly and everyone in the group really enjoyed their food, it was a very pleasant surprise as none of the group had visited before! Overall it was a really positive experience for everyone and I will be sure to visit again soon!

Jake was very efficient and polite dishing us with magnificent food. Thanks Jake

The roast beef was perfectly cooked, as was the Sea Bass. Best of all was the friendly welcome from all the staff we met and excellent, genial service from our waiter Olly.

It was great! Booked a table online and was there less than two hours later. The staff were lovely and the food was delicious! We were having a family meal and we ordered from the Sunday roast and regular menu and it was all great!

Very nice place 😍🥰 Very nice food 😍🥰😋 Cultured Butter salted ❤️‍🔥❤️

Busy but the staff managed to find us a table at short notice. We all had a roast dinner. The slight disappointment was that the roast potatoes had been reheated. Other than that, all was lovely. We Will return.

Lovely restaurant & bar great relaxing atmosphere, would recommend for lunch and dinner x

Food was amazing and Louie and George our servers were so happy, helpful and acomidating we had the most lovely evening. Considering its the run up to christmas we didnt know how they had so much energy! Plus when it's your Birthday in your 30's being told "18 with experience" will always go down well for a women who needs flattery! Thank you lads for making our evening so lovely!

First visit as a central meeting place for our friends and ourselves. Everything lived up to the reviews about the place we had seen, lovely venue, food and service. Verity served us and was excellent. She heard my friend and I talking about our soon to be 70th birthdays and surprised us with a birthday platter of ice cream and brownie. Above and beyond service. We will certainly visit again, worth the 50 minute journey from Rugeley.

Visited on a Monday night with a friend. Was told server was being shadowed by a trainee which I thought was the right way to go about it - letting us know. Food was decent, service was prompt and welcoming. Credit where it’s due, they did well!

Food was very nice, plenty of choice on the menu and Emily our server was very friendly.

Service poor No comms on who the server was, had about 4 different people try and take our order after waiting about 20mins to be asked for drinks or food order Asked for kids meals to come out with starter, as it takes them forever to eat, one kids meal came out with our starter, the starter we had had to be sent back twice, the camembert is very clearly microwaved, first time it came out cold and solid in the middle, however the bowl it came in was red hot, back we go, only for it to come back out where they have clearly just chucked the whole plate, which also had bread and chutney on, back into the microwave, asked for a fresh one, but that had clearly been microwaved aswell, so just accept defeat on that one All this faf still waiting for the second kids meal to come out, had to prompt staff again, finally came out, was ok. Then more waiting for them to clear the awful starter away, then more waiting for the mains to come out, mains came out, were again ok, not value for money though at all, this is an expensive place to eat. Then after bringing our mains out we were asked if it was just the kids meals to come out, haha couldnt make it up, no weve been waiting that long theyve managed to eat theres and had plates taken away All this waiting meant we had finished our drinks, but rather that wait any longer to get the staff attention, my wife went to the bar and ordered some drinks (we were in the actual restaurant part) The quickest service of the night was after they had put the bill down and i advised we were paying by card, straight back over to take my money, funny that All in all a very dissapointing trip and not somewhere i would return in a hurry

Lovely food and staff, definitely would recommend for any occasion, good price

Lovely service from April this morning. Breakfast was good value for money. Being the only one downstairs for breakfast, the atmosphere was ok. Would come back.

Amazing experience here! April our server was so helpful and kind. Would absolutely recommend. Food was amazing!

Lovely Christmas atmosphere, nice food and had excellent service from George.

Great breakfast, with a fabulous countryside view. Had breakfast here November 2024, served by George. Attentive service, with aromatic coffee, best breakfast.

April was super friendly and helpful, food was delicious.

Very nice, cozy and welcoming environment with friendly staff. Our server Jake was swift and polite when looking after us and are requirements, his personality made the experience much mire plesent

Our server April was so friendly and polite, we had a spillage and she cleared it up so quickly and refilled out drink straight away 🙂. The breakfast we had (eggs Benedict and pancakes) were beautiful, fresh and hot!Will definitely be coming again.

April and Abi were really welcoming, lovely and through with our order as I was a bit picky. Food was smashing and so fresh! Will deffo be returning

I was visiting the area so found it beautiful food brillant

Great food as usual and April was very attentive and friendly. Thank you!

April was very attentive. Really good service and prompt

The food was amazing, and the service was really good.

Fabulous night had. Food and drink was excellent. Verity provided brilliant service and was happy and smiling throughout. Thank you for a lovely evening

Attend a wake here. I expect that after the refurbishments and redecorations are completed it may warrant 5 stars.

Jake the waiter was really good I will definitely be coming here again

The food and service was excellent, had a great time being served by Katie

Always good food and drinks and family friendly. Great service from Katie.

Always lovely and a favourite x Jess was super lovely and her service was exemplary x

Lovely meal with lovely service and some lovely company. Jess our server was particularly helpful.

April was very friendly and prompt service, lovely food

Great experience. Well done to the Farmhouse. Offers e.g 30% off mains is much appreciated 👏

Very friendly and helpful staff. Delicious breakfast.

Service and staff welcoming and helpful. A delicious well cooked meal. Would recommend.

Fantastic place, the housekeeping is first class

Place is lovely and food is great. Slowest bar staff I’ve ever seen. Make no eye contact and serve people at random. Zero personality. Spent 30 mins trying to get 1st round. After another 30mins for round 2, and still no service, I just walked away.

What a great venue. Great ambiance. Friendly service. A memory. George was an excellent waiter.

Lovely place, lovely food and lovely staff

I had a very lovely meal with my mother, I was served by Katie who was really attentive and personable! The food steak was delicious and was cooked as requested. I would recommend this place for any occasion.

We were served by the lovely Verity, who was attentive, friendly & patient. This was our first time at The Farmhouse & we'll definitely be going back. Not just because the food was great but also because Verity's service was impeccable. Thanks Verity, you are a super star 🌟 🤩

Being refurbished . But George was excellent

Very impressed with our Sunday roast meal,and even better it had 30% off,first time we’ve been ,but definitely not the last,good food and very pleasant staff. Thank you

I've been here twice, once after it became the Farmhouse and the second years later, last night, on the choice of friends. The first was Sunday Lunch that was awful, the vegetables were almost raw, the beef chewy and expensive for what it was, it was like an inexperienced cook was trying to make something look fancy but without the substance behind it. Last night, years on, the food on a Saturday night was terrible. The best response from 4 people was "it was ok". The Signature burger at almost £18 sounds great on the specials menu, like Christmas in a bun, camembert, red onion chutney etc. I got frozen fries that hadn't even been broken up in the fryer so there was a lump of cooked, frozen fused fries in the middle of loose chips, the brioche bun was no better than cheap supermarket quality as were the burger patties. The plate had been left under the hot plate too close or too long so the centre of the bun was burnt black. No decent chef or even cook would let that leave a kitchen. The other meals on our table were poor and could be cooked better at home by anyone reading this. The place is lovely, atmosphere is good and our waitress attentive, this must be the only reason it's so busy and that there is no alternative nearby. If this place hired a proper chef and not a poor cook it would be booked up full weeks or months ahead. Somewhere I'll not go back to for any reason until I read or hear someone say the food was great, they've got a new chef.

Fantastic service, great red cabbage and gravy.

Really nice local for food and drink. Its dog friendly in the bar area so great to walk and stop off for a drink and or food. Or alternatively the restaurant is lovely for a nice occasion. Also really cosy atmosphere with lots of seating. Usually can always get a table if you walk in to the bar but recommend booking for the restaurant.

Really good food at reasonable prices, thanks for the great service Verity.

Verity is a star! I was very well looked after. Thank you 🤩

Service was great this evening. Verity put up with the banter of our ‘hilarious’ partners & couldn’t do enough to make sure we had everything we needed.

The food was absolutely amazing! Well priced. Service was lovely. Verity went above and beyond to ensure our experience was the best. Will definitely be returning!

Verity served us today, she was brilliant, can’t praise her enough.

Excellent service from Verity! Thank you

This was the first time coming to the Farmhouse (well for about 15 years anyway). Staff were lovely and very accommodating with fulfilling requests. The food was good quality. There was a slight error with the chips but they were changed immediately and piping hot when they were brought to us. I would definitely come here again. One slight criticism, it was slightly cold, but I can definitely live with that!

Fantastic food, but Louie made a good experience a fantastic one, attentive and always on hand, clearly a busy night but explained well and with a smile.

We had the Sunday lunch . Trio of meats . The food was excellent , especially the turkey. Our waitress Katie was lovely and took the time to talk to us and was genuinely interested in what we were saying. A credit to your team . Definitely will come again. Our 6th visit! Have recommended you to our neighbor as they go out for Sunday lunch. Thanks again

Specials menu was very appealing - we all had the burger from this menu and it was delicious. Olly our waiter was incredible, 10/10 for his service and positive friendly attitude!

Great food and good prices. Service was great too.

Food and service was fantastic!

George was excellent very efficient and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble

Food was absolutely amazing when it did arrive our server George was very helpful and friendly, perfect atmosphere for my birthday meal

We had a lovely lunch, great food & fab service from George! 😀

Nice place and service with a smile. Went for breakfast and food was ok, good choice of things on menu.