The Orangery in Derbyshire Dales

Good afternoon We booked a table for three at The Orangery Darley Dale this afternoon and came away very disappointed. Arrived no one was on reception to greet us we had to go through to the restaurant to find someone. Was seated at the out table and asked if we had booked afternoon tea, I said we had booked a table. He then took an order for our drinks which took 30 minutes to arrive, two teas and a coffee? He then went back and brought us afternoon tea which we hadn’t actually ordered and was still looking at the lunch menu, I explained after seeing what was on offer that we didn’t want the afternoon tea and was waiting to order off the main menu! Afternoon tea taken away and twenty minutes later returned to take our lunch order. I ordered arancini which arrived on a bed or dried mushy peas and was awful! Clearly I hadn’t eaten but the waiter didn’t ask if anything was wrong or right ??? Main meal chicken dry and tasteless … oh this was now a hour and twenty minutes of waiting for the mains. Other guests in the restaurant had already complained about the wait and service. Such a shame but obviously not just us ? Looking forward to hearing from you.

The manager of Darlydale was totally disgusting I took my sister there for afternoon tea it was her birthday very disappointing 2 finger sandwiches each and a few little bit size cakes and 2 small bit size scones on one cake stand I said to him is this it as there was 5 adults he didn’t like it it was a shock tbh he kept saying very intimidating what do you want me to do he was horrible his attitude and when we went to pay even the staff said that other people had complained about him which I did and I’m waiting to here from them

Lovely afternoon tea. Service was excellent.

The decor is really nice, seating etc great. Service was great too, the food was nice and the food and drinks all reasonably priced. You are basically in an old age pensioners restaurant though. So if you go just keep that in mind, if you can get past that it’s absolutely fine

The Orangery restaurant was in beautiful Gothic building that used to be a girls boarding school. The decor was lovely, comfortable and colourful. The staff were friendly but we were very shocked as i didnt read anywhere that the building is actually PART OF the retirement village with in house residents. I feel the website is misleading, i thought from reading about it that it was a restaurant with spa gym etc that was accessible to surrounding residents snd for mon residents, i didnt think for one minute that the building was actually housing residents of over 55's. Our table was booked for 7.30 we werent asked what name our table was booked in there was about 12 other people in there eating all of an ageing population and maybe octogenarians and they all left at 8.15 to go to their rooms so we were on our own eating dinner. Our meal was nice but i dont think it lived up to fine dining ive eaten fine dining before. All in all nice building, friendly staff food nice but disappointing to think we were in what we felt was a dining room for residents living in the building, mot staying as in a hotel

Lunch for two. Staff were attentive and helpful Delicious vegetable soup, roasted vegetable tart, crumble and custard. Generous portion sizes. Would definitely go again

Beautiful location and very good customer service

Went for a boxing buffet, even though we were later in the day there was still a good selection of food and it all tasted really good. Service was hit and miss

OK, rather pricey poor choice, especially on confectionary.

The venue is stunning the food excellent the staff are great. Was my first visit but will not be my last.

I had a wonderful beef carvery this Sunday the second of December 2023 one of the best, the beef was excellent the staff lovely I was invited by a resident Jo.

Really poor experience, would not recommend for afternoon tea. It seems things have really declined at this place recently so be wary of older positive reviews as they do not seem to reflect the current level of food and service. We arrived and nothing was ready, so we had to sit and have a drink for 15 minutes before being seated. We then were seated, but no other drink order was taken. After approximately 30 minutes, afternoon tea arrived. By this time we had no drinks. We were not told what our afternoon tea consisted of. It was placed in front of us and the women walked away. No menus were provided at any time. Both the sandwiches and the cakes were basic and dry. The setting for the afternoon tea is lovely and the seats are very comfortable, but that was the only good thing about this whole experience. I went for my Grandads 80th birthday and we were all genuinely disappointed, I will never return.

Been here twice now! Such a stunning place. The first time was amazing and the staff were great! Couldn't fault the service. The second time wasn't so great- Amazing afternoon tea but the service was dire. They didn't bring any tea straight away, so I had to ask for a pot! 40 mins in and still no sign of afternoon! A staff member came over to say that nobody had let the kitchen know that we had arrived! They did apologise tho with a free glass of prosecco. An amazing place with a beautiful orangery but the service is letting it down!

Not easy to find if you're someone who uses Google maps, a sat nav or expects a restaurant to have a sign outside with its name on it! It's like they don't want you to find it and when you do, they certainly don't appear to want you to park unless it's on the grass verge some walk down from the entrance. Staff were friendly and attentive but as a vegetarian, there were limited options. The food was tasty though and not horrendously priced. You can hear a pin drop in the room as it appears to be primarily for the older residents of the wider St Elphin Park/complex, so it's got less of a restaurant vibe and more of a hotel lounge vibe to it.

I was treated to an afternoon tea here for my birthday. The place itself is beautiful and the staff were lovely. The afternoon tea was good - the scones especially 😋 they were still warm and got plenty of cream and jam to spread on them. The only thing I didn't like was the filling in the sandwiches, I don't know whether you can choose other fillings or not as I wasn't the one that booked it but might be worth checking if you're a fussy eater like me.

We had Afternoon tea, the portions could have been a tad more generous given the price but the food was excellent & beautifully presented in the most spectacular dining room with stunning gardens & terrace.

Booked here for a meal for my mum's birthday. Due to having a quiz night on for the owners (residents) they put us in a small lounge rather than the main restaurant area which was lovely and allowed our two toddlers to explore without getting in anyone's way. I contacted the venue in advance to check the menu because of special dietary needs and they emailed through the menu for the day ahead of time so we could make sure it would be suitable. No kids menu but they are very accommodating, offering smaller versions of the main menu. We asked for one meal between the two kids and they served it as two little meals for us. Special mention to the waitress who served us, Becky I think. She was very friendly, especially with our children. My 1 year old cried when she left the room!

I visited the Orangery last week for an afternoon tea for my Grandma's birthday. When I booked, I specifically booked the Easter themed afternoon tea, but when it arrived it was nothing like the menu specified on the website. The online menu included 4 different sandwiches and 4 different cakes, however we were served only 3 of each. I was charged £43.90 for less than the usual afternoon tea menu. Furthermore, the member of staff who served us did not wait to explain what the sandwiches and cakes even were, nor did any member of staff ever return to check if we needed anything; I had to ask myself for extra milk. There were no teaspoons given with our tea so we had to retrieve one from another table. The website states that the menu is subject to change, however I think it is outrageous that I have been charged extra for a reduced menu, as I have paid more, and received less. I am extremely disappointed by this experience, which was meant to be a birthday gift and a very special occasion. Furthermore, I have been in contact with them twice about this, and have had no response from either email.

Very nice meal but it really does close at 20:00 !

Went for afternoon tea and we were a little disappointed to be honest. Service not the best, no teaspoon to stir the tea, had to ask and had to ask for sugar too. Not enough sandwiches, equivalent to two slices of bread with crusts cut off. Tiny cakes. Not good value for money compared to other afternoon teas locally. No ambience in the room, felt rushed and was in and out in less than 50 minutes.

We have visited the Orangery on several occasions over the last few years and always enjoyed our visits. The menu offers fine dining dishes as well more standard bistro dishes such as battered cod and chips. Every meal has been delicious, plentiful and well presented. The staff are always friendly, the ambience is relaxing and the chairs are very comfy. I would highly recommend.

Went last night, lovely place and quiet, nice food, really enjoyed it, lovely experience, would go again.

The afternoon tea we had was really good with the scone being the star of the show. Good service from attentive and pleasant staff. Great ambience and decor in the lounge.

Amazing food and great service. Not very busy so not much atmosphere

Was told to book, and turned away. No drop in's was the response.

Had a tasty lunch Sunday carvery don't usually enjoy helping myself but I was hungry and didn't have anymore options on the day. I had chicken very tasty and I missed the stuffing but had roast potatoes and leek in cheese sauce, also roast parsnips. There were peas but I don't care for them , some carrots would have been nice. Overall good choice.

We have just enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea in beautiful surroundings served by friendly staff. I'm pretty certain we didn't need to eat a variety of sandwiches scotch egg, quiche, scones with jam and clotted cream and three types of cake but it was so good we couldn't resist. I feel like I don't need to eat again for a couple of days :-)

Absolutely beautiful place. Highly recommended

Beautiful food and surroundings. Absolutely superb.

Lovely meal well worth it and beautiful place

Excellent food and service when we visited family at The Audley Care facility St. Elphins park.

Great view and a beautiful building but was slightly let down by the food. with a small, descriptive and fancy menu I would expect a bit more. The steak was lovely but simple little things such as not being provided with a steak knife and bread with no butter denies me giving the full 5 star. I think with the building in all its majesty, you expect the 5 star service and food. To be honest, the price reflects what you would expect as its slightly more expensive then a pub but the buildng makes up for the extra couple of quid that you'd normally pay for pub food. this review isn't meant to be harsh and I would most definitely go again but this time I know what to expect and wouldn't be fooled by the grand setting.

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Liver cooked to perfection. Like your new décor. Suggestion - put your Orangery dress code prominent on your web site in the hope that customers will respect your restaurant. Peter

So turns out… this is a retirement community! Could have fooled us if it weren’t for the automatic doors and lovely clientele eager to show snaps of grandkids. :) But - that truly truly shouldn’t stop from you stopping in for a bite. Food and service were good, and sitting on the west facing terrace was a real treat! Lovely evening!

This is an amazing restaurant where food is so delicious and tasteful. Ribeye steak was exceptionally good. Staff is professional, friendly and helpful. 5+ stars for them. Thank you for wonderful experience.

Nice, down side only had bottled beers

Great afternoon tea in a beautiful environment.

Excellent food and service. Scallops and soup starters were perfect.Salmon expertly cooked but steak could have been rarer.

Such a very beautiful setting, and lovely staff, my experience was let down by poor communication between whoever runs the online booking system and the providers. The booking was for an afternoon tea, which, on arrival, was not an option on a Sunday. They did agree to honour the booking but what we received was unsatisfactory, not least because the provision of vegan option (advertised on the website) was paltry - none of the cakes/scones were egg/dairy free. Nor was there a vegan option for spread/cream. The staff did their best and we accepted a reduced price, but I was very disappointed.

I had booked the orangery on internet research and recommendations from friends and clients, we wanted something classy with good food and a certain ambience and was not disappointed! From the first phone call to our leaving it was a fantastic experience. The food was first class with comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, the staff were friendly and attentive and brilliant value for money. How we missed this gem is beyond me? We will certainly be back... well done to the owner and the staff. Thank you for making our birthday visit very special..! Roger bannister X

We visited without a reservation and was welcomed to wait in the Bistro until the restaurant opened at 17:00. It is a beautiful setting, friendly staff, very good food at a reasonable price. The slide of beef was cooked to perfection, tender and juicy and the breadcrumbed brie amazing. A special thank you to Gabe and Becky who looked after us.

Superb dining experience at a very low cost.

The service at the Orangery was brilliant - attentive without rushing us. And the chocolate torte was exceptional!

This restaurant in located within a luxury retirement village which looking at other reviews puts people off. Don't be put off. We went for Sunday Lunch to celebrate a birthday. The restaurant wasn't overly busy but the decor and setting are lovely. The staff were very friendly. We had the cured meats, soup and smoked salmon starters and beef and port for mains. All were very nice finished with sherry trifle and spotted dick pudding. It was a very peaceful setting which was ok for us. We will definatley go back.

Fine dining at the centre of st Elphins retirement village .

Lovely Sunday lunch. Beautiful surroundings, well decorated and comfortable. The food was plentiful and delicious.

Good food in lovely surroundings

top class dinner and service. Great restaurant check out the art work before dinner. if you are looking for a good meal go there.

This restaurant is wonderful. I highly recommend it! The food is amazing.

A recent family visit to The Orangery Restaurant for afternoon tea, was a huge disappointment. Firstly, the restaurant was still set up for lunch, and the table was not properly set up for afternoon tea. The presentation of the tea was poor, obscenely overpriced, and did not match up with what the menu advertised. The sandwiches were insufficient, and with chef's in our family, I have never seen smoked salmon served with beetroot. We did not see, or hear from the 2 unsupervised waitrons once they had bought the tea to us again, either to offer any follow up service, or offer additional glasses of sparkling wine, as they should have done. We even had to hunt for them to pay the final bill. I will not recommend, or visit this restaurant again

One of the fanciest restaurants I've visited

Good service and decent meal. High price reflects the service rather than a higher quality of food.

Excellent surroundings and table well laid out. Food excellent and well served. Will be going back. Book a table and enjoy.

Not sold as told for dinner - deceptively ambitious menu, went there for a birthday dinner and was unfortunately disappointed. Setting was lovely and the waiting staff were friendly and attentive but the food was disappointing. Having Googled a number of words on the menu (despite being pretty into food), what we ordered isn’t what turned up. The lamb dish didn’t have pommes Anna but roast new potatoes that were dry, with two small pieces of lamb - my partner would have been starving had he had that portion! King prawn linguine with lobster bisque was mush, overcooked pasta and slushy sauce…shame!

This place is just so beautiful, inside and out. The staff are the loveliest, friendliest, yet most professional. Eating here, or even just having a coffee on the terrace is an experience. Been here a couple of times now with Mum and Dad in law. You are treated with courtesy and love - yes, they make you feel loved and valued. Well done all of you

Wonderful afternoon tea. Beautiful ambience and great service.

Lovely venue for a socially distanced family get together for my mum's 90th birthday. Great food. Nicely presented. Good choice and good portions. Friendly efficient service. Many thanks for a special experience

Fantastic place to eat and very reasonably priced

Ambience was great, staff friendly, my food was OK; good age range of clientele

First time going for Valentines Day, outstanding red pepper soup & sea bass as a main, wish I had the strawberry dessert as the caramel tart was a little bland, loved the arrival bread&olives included with price. Watermelon & Tonic was lovely as well as the staff, looking forward to the Elton John Tribute Night 😊 Highly recommend!

Brilliant place food lovely staff very friendly and helpfull. You dont have to live there to visit apparently.

Booked for Christmas Day lunch.We chose the 3pm sitting arriving at around 2.50 we had to stand outside the dining room until 3.15 as they were setting the tables from the 1.pm sitting....would have been less of an unpleasant experience had the cocktail bar been open and we were not standing around like spare parts with around 30 or so other people. When eventually we were shown to our table the table to was rickety and continually rocking all over the place ...not conducive to a nice dining g experience, particularly for Christmas dinner. However I must say looking at the decor in the dining room you would not have known it was Christmas other than a tree in the doorway there wasnt a single Christmas decoration a very sparse dining room with no atmosphere whatsoever, not even a little music or anything . As for the meal We both started with the amuse buses, an espresso cup of vegetable soup not even on a saucer just a cup plonked in front of you. The starter we chose was the lobster and smoked salmon cocktail , in itself ok but it was served in a dish with a slice of white bread stuck in the dish...would a basket of bread placed on the table have been to much to ask for rather than it chucked on the side of your dinner plate . On finishing our starter we waited over an hour to get our main course, by which time we had virtually finished a bottle of wine between the two of us.The big problem was the service, or lack of it, three youngsters trying to serve over 50 guest, unbelievably slow having been in their since 3.15 it was now almost six o'clock and they were just bringing the coffe cups out, by this time we had reached the end of our patience and decided to leave withou par taking in either the coffe or the mince pies, we paid the bill and left. A totally unpleasant and very disappointing experience and one we will not be enduring ever again.

A lovely festive afternoon tea for three. Everything was lovely as always with the added excitement that the afternoon tea was festive themed to include pigs in blankets and mini trifles. Never feel rushed here and always enjoy the ambiance

Lovely surroundings and reasonable food at fair prices.

Had a delicious afternoon tea in beautiful surroundings. Delightful finger sandwiches, cheese scones, fruit scones with clotted cream and jam and then yummy brownies, lemon cake and a spiced walnut cake. Washed down with oodles of tea. Lovely place and friendly staff

Afternoon tea was lovely, never had it before and truly loved the experience, delightful staff, wonderful surroundings and excellent cakes, coffee and sandwiches.

Excellent service, food excellent. Dr Wyld

The finest restaurant you will find in Matlock. Situated on a wonderful estate, this is the type of restaurant you can dress up and not feel over dressed. We were apprehensive about the portion sizes but we both had steak which was cooked to perfection, with a healthy portion of chips/ dressings. Some of the best blue cheese sauce I've had in a long time. Varied cocktails as well as a fine selection of spirits, everything to accompany a filling meal. Great service from all of the staff and the bill was very reasonable too. Highly recommended.

Delicious well cooked food. The waitress was very helpful checking with the chef what I could change within my main course to enable me to follow my FODMAP diet. Lovely atmosphere and beautiful surroundings. We even witnessed an engagement proposal!

Looks very well, but it's a retirement home restaurant.

Lovely place to relax with friends and have coffe

Pretentious setting, dull food. Dead flowers in vase on table. Will not be going back.

Beautiful setting pity about the afternoon tea. Sandwiches were average, scones were small but fresh , the cakes were really chilled and hard. Went for a birthday treat and came away disappointed. Service good but let down by the quality of the food.

Beautiful venue shame about the food I made a mistake of ordering the fish and chips which tasted like it had been cooked in dirty oil

Beautiful food in lovely surroundings

Tried the tasting menu, very well cooked and presented in lovely surroundings. Best food in the area.

Fantastic food. We'd definitely recommend the sampling menu.

Nice atmosphere. Minus 1 for tea bags. I think proper afternoon tea should be from real tea

Highly recommend. The restaurant staff are friendly the food was lovely. 10/10

Nice venue, but odd as you're dining with resident pensioners. Clean place, looks good, friendly staff. However, breakfast of poached eggs was tasteless, bread was thin and most likely cheap supermarket own brand, and it wasn't cheap. Won't be returning.

Very nice and contemporary restaurant, with tables spaced out well. Good selection of food from lights bites to 3 course and specials. Staff were very attentive and helpful. A really good find in the area

Prachtig mooi oud gebouw met licht dinee. Licht, smakelijk goed geprijsd en bezoek waard. Geen haut cuisine maar ok.Heel mooi ook als hotel. Prima bediening en erg vriendelijk. Lekker op terras. Mooie tuin.

Lovely decor, fabulous food, very friendly and professional staff and excellent value for money. Would definitely recommend it, and the photos on the website don't do it justice.

We arrived to celebrate a wedding anniversary to find a restaurant that really exists for the resident OAP population. It’s in a retirement village which explains lack of signage. Half full at the time of The RHS Flower Show sums it up. Apart from residents we were the only outsiders and were quickly the only people left at 8.15! The menu is limited...great choice of sandwiches??? Thank goodness for a small special offering...chicken was tasty. Service very good but it felt like we were eating in a clinic. Avoid!

a very delightful experience! the food presentation was good, and also nice, and the staff were very nice, overall it was an enjoyable meal! a bit out of the way but there's a bus stop right next to it which is pretty neat

Lovely setting for a restaurant, surrounded by large beautiful gardens and centred in a majestic old private school building, the grand windows and high ceilings provide lots of light. I've only ever visited here on a Sunday afternoon for the classic English roast, which I can highly recommend. The service here is excellent and the staff are really friendly, polite and helpful.

We had a meal on valentines evening and were quit disappointed On arrival we were advised to go to the bar but weren’t shown where it was The meal was £29:95 each for three courses We both ordered lobster bisque which was lukewarm. When the waitress came to sort it out her jacket dangled in my husbands bread The main was sea bass which came with four tiny gnocchi and no vegetable at all. Far too much sauce too Desert was a shared small soufflé and brownie Disappointed really and we won’t be going back

Staff extremely friendly and professional. Slightly longer than expected for order to arrive. Food very nice and presented nicely.

Unfortunately was closed due to refurbished. But what I saw looked first class

Stunning venue, lovely decor and very helpful and friendly staff. A lovely relaxed dining experience. Hoping to return again soon 😀

Beautiful setting, staff attentive.

We went for afternoon tea. Nice place nice staff. Food was OK. Felt like it was a place for Local people!! Odd place. Won't be going again just not my cup of tea

Bright and spacious restaurant in and assisted living complex. The staff were friendly and the food was okay.

You don't need to be old to go to be here. Very nice!