BLACKPOOL
In the boardroom of Cow Hotels Ltd dramatic plans for the future are being mooted. Just three months after launching The Cow – an ultra-chic 12-bedroom luxury boutique hotel – a herd of similar properties is planned, all with the same name.
Talk about raising the stakes. But after my visit I think they’re on a winner.
The Cow overlooks a chocolate box village green, complete with red phone box at Dalbury Lees, near Ashbourne – just seven miles from the bustle of Derby city centre yet a world away.
Originally the Black Cow – a small traditional pub grub inn with modest accommodation – it’s been transformed and extended by a seven-figure investment.
Each of the 12 designer en-suite bedrooms is different, with influences ranging from Victorian and Art Deco to more modern New England and shabby chic.
NATURAL
Each uses natural materials such as wood and stone, while featuring everything modern guests want – smart TVs, underfloor heating in the bathroom, Nespresso machines and free wi-fi.
My wife Jennifer and I loved the bovine theme, with specially-commissioned portraits of doe-eyed cows and calves on the walls and, in the informal restaurant, milk churns cleverly converted to bar stools with tractor-style seats.
I couldn’t help noticing that the milk for the tea at our hearty breakfast was served in miniature copper milk churns, too.
Food at The Cow is sourced locally and dinner the night before had been a gastronomic delight with a chance to sample something completely different – the “feed buckets” section of the menu.
The concept is based on Spanish tapas but that doesn’t really do it justice.
Portions are larger and much more imaginative. The idea is that each of you orders two or three small plates to share.
Dishes include goat’s cheese and spinach bread and butter pudding, and Hillhouse Farm duck rillettes with sticky damson jam and sourdough crusts – perfectly prepared by head chef Ben Peverill.
It’s different and certainly adventurous but all comes together perfectly.
The Cow is the ideal base for exploring the Peak District – packed with walks, views and picturesque villages.
During our stay the annual Royal Shrovetide Football match took place in Ashbourne. Unlike a conventional football match the goals are three miles apart and thousands of people join in.
It’s a rough old game with, I was reliably informed, only one rule: “Thou shalt not murder.”
But the often-overlooked city of Derby is well worth a visit too. On a very wet day we found beautiful Derby Cathedral Bedrooms have cow art warm and welcoming. Its huge stained glass windows make it unusually light and open.
In one corner lies the Cavendish Chapel where all of the Dukes of Devonshire were buried until the mid 1800s.
Lack of space meant later Dukes were buried at the family seat of Chatsworth House instead. Also buried in the cathedral is the family’s matriarch Bess of Hardwick – Elizabeth Cavendish – a noblewoman who built Chatsworth after making a fortune from four marriages. An effigy of her lies in the family chapel.
Derby is also shopping heaven. Regeneration has created one of the largest shopping malls in the country – Intu Derby.
And don’t miss Bennetts, established in 1734 and one of the oldest department stores in the country.
Formed from two different buildings, it’s unique with secret corners, two large balconies and three staircases.
Unlike a lot of English cities, Derby is compact and easy to get around.
BRAINCHILD
It also houses a big selection of places to eat – from the 375-year-old Old Bell Hotel to the newly-opened Bear, brainchild of entrepreneur Craig Bunting.
Travelling in Australia, Craig, 33, came across coffee shops where all-day dining and socialising was a feature and decided to bring it to the market towns of the UK, starting in his home town of Uttoxeter in 2016.
His vision is just one more reason to visit Derby. And if you stay at The Cow you’ll remember your trip for heifer.