The best restaurants serving British food in Carsington Water Derbyshire Dales East Midlands

Went for lunch today. My husband had roast beef and I had the chicken supreme absolutely delicious and good value. Will definitely return.

Our first visit to this characterful old rural roadside pub with nice views of Carsington Water reservoir since it was acquired and overhauled by locally owned Hopton Hall Estate, which has built a portfolio of several historic hospitality venues in the area. It's a big improvement on the old Knockerdown, which had got rather tired, but a favourable first impression of the pleasantly styled and revived interior was knocked down by being presented at table with a disgustingly scuffed and creased menu card, complete with ring stains from glasses and food smears. C'mon, how much does a fresh A4 menu for each service cost? Answer: about 10p/sheet on quality 350 gsm card, or maybe get them laminated or UV varnished for durability? That aside, our food was reasonable in terms of quality and portioning (though £19 for cheese 'n' onion pie with chips felt toppy, and the chicken caesar salad had been put together without shaved parmesan), the ale was well kept, and the service was promptly efficient. However we probably won't be rushing back as the place feels geared to the weekend tripper trade rather than locals. £112 (inc tip) at lunch for four mains, three desserts, a single round of drinks, and a coffee.

We stopped here after a morning of walking for a spot of lunch and a pint and we were very pleasantly surprised. Lovely food, massive portions and some amazing staff. If you're around, do make sure you visit.

Great little pub with a good selection of beers and spirits. Food is lovely and made on the premises. The people who run the pud are such lovely and friendly people. Would recommend if visiting the area.

We arrived after a long journey and wanted to find a pub with good food, a friendly atmosphere and dog friendly. We hadn’t booked, but the red lion found us a table and were very welcoming & friendly. The pub was busy, being a bank holiday and the atmosphere was warm. Music was soft in the background playing led zeppelin & Simon & Garfunkel. There were guitars by the fireplace and games dotted about to enjoy and a dog curled up in the bar- we instantly felt at home. The menu contained all the classics but everything from the shortcrust pastry of the pie to the curry of the day to the chutney accompanying the cheese were home made. The food was outstanding and plentiful- no wonder it was so busy. The pub is family run and you can tell that this is their labour of love. I would urge anyone in the area to visit- but book a table- you wouldn’t want to miss out!