The Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop was established by the Duchess of Devonshire in 1977 and its unique selling point is its focus on selling local produce and meat from Chatsworth farms and park.

Nowadays they claim to produce or prepare over half of all farm shop products on the estate and they push the importance of fresh local food.

The farm building started off as stables holding horses in 1920, before being converted into a home for Jersey milking cows in 1954. This ended in 1982 and the buildings became disused until its rejuvenation into a Farm Shop and Café today.

I thought it would be a fitting end to a morning at Chatsworth House if we ate lunch in its official Farm Shop, so we stopped in the free car park on a drizzly afternoon.

Located a five minute drive away from the main house; the café was packed when we arrived and we had to wait a few minutes before a socially distanced table was found for us. 

The building had been recently refurbished and had a fresh modern feel to it.

I did find the choice of deep purple sheepskin floating below the ceiling a little odd.

I ordered a Chatsworth Beef Burger (£12.50) – a hand pressed Rump burger in a brioche bun with relish, triple cooked chips and coleslaw. My partner ordered a Traditional Roast Lunch (£13.00) – a topside of beef served with a homemade Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables and gravy.

Not being a fan of chips I asked for a vegetable substitute instead. Apparently no one does this according to the waitress who told me my order caused quite a stir in the kitchen. What can I say? Potatoes sit heavy on my stomach.

The service was quick and our meals came in good time.

My burger was deliciously juicy almost to the point of dripping and paired well with the partially crunchy bun.

It was a really good burger.

The coleslaw and vegetables were fine but I’m not really a fan of creamy coleslaw.

My partner really enjoyed his Roast lunch as well, finding the beef super soft and the gravy pairing well with the pudding and vegetables.

Our meals were paired with some green tea (£2.50) and Elderflower Presse (£3.25).

We ended the meal with the Hot Dessert of the Day (£6.00) which was a slightly sharp ginger bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. 

It tasted heavenly. The soft creamy ice cream melted into the soaked bread pudding with the ginger adding an interesting bite to the dish. It definitely stood out as a dessert I’ve not tried before.

The Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop present its delicious food piping hot and beautifully presented. I enjoyed every dish and can easily recommend this café.