The Stepping Stones in Derbyshire Dales

Lovely evening again at Stepping Stones, friendly attentive staff couldn't do enough to help.

Food was nice, Ryan a chatty individual and very pleasant. Nice atmosphere.

Lovely place, the staff are so kind and polite, made my two little daschounds feel very welcome. A breath of fresh air to see a clean and well kept dog friendly place with an assigned area as nice as the other area, dog bowls blankets and treats provided. Can’t wait to visit again. Thanks for having us!

Ryan was an absolute star he took care of absolutely everything, his consideration for the tables needs was so brilliant and comforting would love to come back just for the energy he provided to the evening

Great food, great atmosphere, the staff are fantastic. We will definitely be back again. Leonna, Beth and Alex are fantastic

Beth was great . Helpful and nothing too much trouble . We asked for adaptions to the menu and she sorted this for us with no problem . Thank you . Happy Christmas 🎄

Fantastic service, Ryan was very attentive to our large group, thank you 😊

Our server Ryan was friendly. Very thorough with our order. A credit to your restaurant

We had an amazing meal with the best servers / bar staff etc. We will definitely be returning! Beth was amazing and made us all laugh Leona was the best waitress with fab service and was sure to fill our drinks again Alex was rapid on the bar and made the experience so personable. Thank you so much to all the staff! From the Teagues/Braziers xxx

Service was great , jamie the trainee waiter did such a good job as did the young lady training him didnt get her name . Food was fantastic

we was greeted by Ryan who was very welcoming and his bright and bubbly personality lasted throughout the service along with very nice food thankyou 😁

Lovely unplanned lunch out. Service was impeccable. The full menu was explained to us as we sat down and drinks brought quickly. Staff member Ryan was particularly brilliant, engaging with our toddler when he tried to speak to him which was lovely. I'm always sceptical about chain pubs quality of food but was really impressed. The food was hot and tasty.

Throughly enjoyable afternoon with Spiderman! My Nephew & Niece really enjoyed it! Lot's of entertainment for them. The meal was excellent & the staff were very accommodating for my Niece who is dairy intolerant. Highly recommended!

Lucy's was lovely and attentive

Thank you Lauren for our service this evening. Had a lovely night.

Popped in for lunch as it was raining and miserable outside. Had lovely comfort food, fish goujons and sausages and mash. Followed by a delicious pudding each. On the set lunch menu. Great value and Laura could not do enough for us. Definitely be back soon.

Brilliant service by the members of staff that were on today and a special shout out to Beth for making sure everyone was happy and comfortable at all times

We had two great meals there. They had a Elton John tribute night on the Friday. The staff were under a lot of pressure due to the amount of bums on seats the staff coped very well We was staying at the Travelodge nxt door. The waitresses and barman were very attentive will definitely use the restaurant again if we stay again

Went to the Elton John event 29/11/24. The food and service was excellent, staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Elton was fantastic would highly recommend the special events they do.

Beth was our waitress for the night. She was very friendly, very happy & very professional. Food was great and I wouldn't hesitate coming again. A+

Good, friendly service with great atmosphere.

Ever dependable, even for spontaneous stop-off. Looked after well by Ryan.

We were a large table with 6 children. Leonna was fabulous, the service brilliant, food was delicious! Staff couldn't have been more accommodating with our many intolerances and neurodivergent preferences. We would definately come again.

Booked a meal for our granddaughter's 3rd birthday. The place was well set out and clean. Good variety of menu. Staff were great and Leonna was so helpful and attentive. She made us feel at home.

Staying at the Travelodge next door ‘The Stepping Stones’ became our local for the past two nights (22nd & 23rd Nov). On both nights we’ve enjoyed friendly hospitality from the whole team and great food too! Your kitchen team deserve a special mention - so special thanks to them, including Scott and Loz (your front of house colleagues supplied names when we asked) for producing a huge variety of tasty food all of which we enjoyed. Being a group of 4 we’ve collectively eaten 8 very different main course over the course of the past 2 nights - all super tasty and well presented. Thank you. Front of house, bar, waiting team and Lucas made for fun times - and there’s no doubt that great hospitality is consistently provided to anyone who visits. Could you do anything different ? - Yes - do breakfasts :) If you had we would have definitely made use of that too. Very much enjoyed our visit to The Stepping Stones and hope we get the opportunity to visit again soon.

Always had a nice meal here. Nice friendly staff. lucas was very nice helpful as always

We hadn't booked, luckily it wasn't too busy so they could fit us in. What we ordered was good, fairly quick service and reasonably priced.

The open log fire. The friendly service and selection of food made for a wonderful lunch expeirnece

I had the hunters chicken but there was no bbq sauce on the chicken. The side salad had lashings of dressing but it isn’t mentioned anywhere that dressing is going to be put on it, so sadly I couldn’t eat it. It’s still a good pub though and I will return.

Leonna was brilliant. We had a party of 17 and she couldn’t have been more helpful. Was always there when we needed her and nothing was too much trouble.

Well done Stepping Stones.You provided a great meal, great service and I enjoyed visiting this pub. I looked at the menu and knew I could have picked anything and it would not dissappoint. Keep it going. Sorry I don't remember the name of the girl who was serving but everyone i met was great. Thank you.

Ryan was genuinely a great server, he was attentive and tailored service to cater for needs of customer. This doesn’t happen very often! Thanks 👍

17 of us came for a family celebration dinner and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Leonna was our waitress, incredibly patient and attentive to our every need, the service was second to none. Thank you!

Great service from Tina, Paul and Beth, homely atmosphere, quality food, very friendly staff

Excellent meal tonight in stepping stones. The team were very welcoming and our server Ryan was excellent, nothing was too much trouble. Both had the hunters chicken which was really tasty and a good portion. Enjoyed our visit.

Great food and service Tina and Leonna were very helpful and lovely

Great pub, amazing sea bass and staff were helpful too

Lovely food. They had the fire going too which made it cost. High standard and friendly customer service from Laura

Me and my family went in to stepping stones pub following a busy day of walking around the peak distract because of this my 2 young boys were really hungry and we wanted somewhere nearby. Me and my husband were initially impressed with the children’s menu and a lovely waitress who we believe to be called Fabien gave my boys some crayons which they loved for their menus. Unfortunately our experience at this place was poor. We overheard what we can only assume was management being rude to their employees and the kitchen staff were playing explicit songs too loudly which only bothered us because our boys are young. I never leave poor reviews but the way the waiting on staff were being spoken too was upsetting. We won’t becoming back and wouldn’t recommend it to any friends or family.

Great food, hot and quickly served

Lovely food, lovely atmosphere, great music choices and fats, efficient service.

Ryan was our server. Very friendly and helpful.

Meal was really good and all the staff were friendly but Ryan who served us was brilliant. Thank you again

Ryan looked after us and our 3 year old so well! Great service and food

Paul and Tina 😁👍 Spot on, thank you

Paul and tina were amazing The food was fantastic Excellent food

I travelled on my own for a work event and visited the stepping stones. Lorena and Beth made me feel so welcome and not at all uncomfortable as a lone female customer. The food was lovely and I was able to sit quietly in the corner reading my book with a large glass of wine. I would like to express my gratitude to all the staff but these 2 specifically. Will definitely visit again.

Lovely choices on early evening 2 &3 course set menu. Quick and friendly service. Quality of food was excellent and well worth the money. All round lovely meal & good value. Would strongly recommend.

Edit** We're here for the 4th year in a row - just had another fantastic meal, great service as usual and still happy to recommend! This is the 3rd time we've stayed at the hotel next door and we visited the last couple of times we stayed but this time we've ended up having dinner here one night, drinks another and lunch today. The food is very good quality for the price and the staff are so friendly. Had a really good experiance here the last 3 days and after a bad experiance locally last night I only wish we'd just eaten here again last night too. Will certainly be back next time we are visiting Alton Towers and would have no issues recommending this pub whatsoever.

We had a registry office wedding in Ashbourne and chose The Stepping Stones for a meal afterwards. I was called the night before to discuss seating arrangements and we turned up to a top table, bottle of Prosecco, some fresh flowers and a lovely message. We were asked just to let the team know when we were ready for food and then it was all brought out together. We had quite a few toddlers with us, who were running around, the team were so thoughtful and put colouring sheets and crayons out and brought out an activity cube for them. This was beyond our expectations and you really made it such a lovely time for us! We appreciate it so much! Thank you to Laura and the Team.

Stopped by today for lunch - really nice food and atmosphere. Great service from Laura.

Our first time in the area (father and son trip) and we found The Stepping Stones through Google. What a find. The food was excellent. Laura looked after us and the service was superb. A wonderful evening. We’ll return when we are in the area!

Had Lucas serving us, genuinely cool guy

Very pleasant evening. Good service and all 8 of us enjoyed our meals. The discount voucher made the meals very reasonably priced.

Just enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey while I charged my car. Friendly staff and quiet atmosphere

Very friendly place and excellent service from Lara, very good place for a casual meal

Tina and her team are always friendly attentive and helpful making a great meal out guarenteed. Good food came out soon after ordering . Have been here many times over 2 decades .

Nice place, nice food, nice people, but too expensive, and slow food service.

Lovely pub with lots of choice and great tasting food and friendly service

I recently enjoyed a lunchtime meal at Stepping Stones in Ashbourne, thanks to my server Lauren. Her service was attentive and friendly. She was helpful about the menu and tried to accommodate dietary needs by speaking to the kitchen and signposting to the Marston website. The menu and arrangements for segregation of ingredients could be improved to enable a real choice for anyone who has intolerance or allergy for common ingredients. One suggestion could be actual ingredient lists rather than the filter on Marston website which didn't give confidence, showing buttermilk chicken as dairy free! This resulted in a Hobson's choice. Lauren’s warm demeanor and professionalism means I'd highly recommend her service.

Beth was an excellent waitress very friendly and made us feel very relaxed, pub was clean and pleasant, good sized portions.

Great service from Beth. Food was amazing, nice calm atmosphere

Beth was amazing, bubbly and a great server. And as one myself I know they’re hard to come by, 10/10 would recommend her service to anyone. Loved the Halloween makeup also. Mains were amazing and really enjoyed the deserts. Had a great time.

friendly and attentive staff, great food, lovely atmosphere

service was excellent, with a staff that was polite, attentive our server Ryan couldn’t have been any nicer and just added to the great atmosphere of the stepping stones would recommend to stop for bite to eat

Lovely food and amazing staff . Tina and Paul are great hosts

Had an amazing afternoon. Great food and Drink, with a really friendly Team.

Tina was brilliant as always, very polite, great service

First time and me and my partner ordered a gammon steak meal and mixed grill and it comes out cold and and the tomato is the hottest thing on the plate

Popped in for a snack and a pint after a long day. Food was ok for what it was but £6.30 for a pint in Derbyshire is crazy. I can't believe you get away with it.

Quick service,Nice atmosphere.Good food.

A lovely meal, couldn't recommend anything better! Ryan was very attentive and we had everything we needed! Lovely pub! Highly recommended

Absolutely wonderful meal at The Stepping Stones. The Sunday roast was exceptional and well worth the money. The staff were helpful, friendly and the atmosphere was extremely pleasant. Would definitely recommend and I can't wait for another visit!!

Fergus, the young man who welcomed us and the head chef were all very welcoming and accommodating. We will definitely be back for the friendly atmosphere and attentive staff

Excellent service from Lucus. Very polite and efficient. Food lovely thank you

Ryan was really lovely and super helpful and amazing server!

We had Ryan as our waiter, he done a great job and made the experience!

Great venue, Very accommodating worth a visit if in the area.

We stopped here after being at Alton towers all day , we was served by Ryan who was very friendly and helpful , the food was good and the service was very fast

Lovely meal at a lovely pub. The staff are extremely friendly in particular Ryan who took time to speak to us. Highly recommend

Came for a meal with my fiancée. I had Sausage & Mash which was excellent. Got to give a shout out to Ryan who served us. Established a very good rapport quickly and made the experience an enjoyable one for us. Would recommend.

Great food and service. Star was excellent, very polite and professional.

Fantastic service. Amazing food! We recognised some staff from previous times we have been visiting Alton towers each year & we have been pleased each & every time! Can’t fault anything.

Nipped into the stepping stones as we was working int he area , ordered sticky chicken and a signature burger which both was really nice . Good service and nice and tidy . Spot on all around 👌

Great, friendly staff. Amazing food! No waiting around for drink or food & no pressure for ordering. Will be back k next year. Highly recommend.

Firstly we walked in to a very hostile environment. The staff were unwelcoming and seemed as if they didn't want us to be there. (it felt as if this could have been because of our un-local accents). We felt it was a bit on the expensive side, especially as a member of staff very obviously wiped his nose on his hands - hygiene? we felt almost intimidated because the staff was clearly talking about us behind the bar, this made us feel quite uncomfortable and on edge Interior was great, one if my favourite in the areas and would hope if me and my family returned in the near future it would give off different vibes Thankyou for reading our review October 13th

The staff are, as always, friendly with excellent service, Leonna was a ⭐️

Best Banga and Mash ever. And our started of breaded mushrooms was also great. Could have done better with side lettuce or green salad sprigs. Thanks Ryan for a great service. XOX

Leonna was fab and very friendly. Let our little person help with the cutlery and tidying up when she started to get bored… thank you!

Staff are friendly and helpful. The food is lovely and are good portion sizes.

***UPDATE*** Date of Visit: 08/10/2024 - The service from Beth was ***ABOVE AND BEYOND*** however the Steak ‘n’ Ale pie did have a rather strange ‘tang’ to it, which I personally wasn’t a fan of; however everything else was cooked fantastically well. It’s definitely worth mentioning that the dining area (in our opinion) was ***FAR TOO WARM*** and headache-inducing. We chose to sit away from the fire too, which is why I have raised the heating issue in this review; so it can possibly be addressed in future ? The lighting was also too dark, however all-in-all the service from Beth just about shone through - Thank you once again for your hospitality ! ***OLDER REVIEW*** The lady in the smart summer dress who greeted diners was excellent, her customer service skills were apparent to me immediately; she was also very personable as were all the staff that waited on our table (Jack is a credit to Stepping Stones and nothing was too much trouble !) Our food was all lovely and priced accordingly. I had the sausage ‘n’ mash, which was very tasty - My wife and I would definitely return. Enjoy the rest of the August Bank Holiday weekend guys :)

Food was delicious, staff were attentive, service in general was speedy. Had a lovely couple of hours, just what we needed after a long day.

Lauren was fabulous! Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and great food

A lovely birthday lunch for my granddaughter. The staff really know how to look after you. Tina was a star 😊

Food nice ,beer nice staff excellent service. But over priced now so don't visit has much

Such a lovely breakfast this morning, Tina & the team are very welcoming & nothing is a problem. Gluten free options available. Will definitely be revisiting.

Ryan was fabulous, nothing was too much for him!!

Busy family gastropub even midweek but no problem getting a table for two. Efficient, friendly and allergy-aware service.

Lovely experience. Food was great and Ryan was a great host, nothing was too much trouble 🙂

Sean’s tales of his traumatic personal experiences entertained the waitress