Last week we moved to Belper which, if you didn't know, is a nice market town in the middle of Derbyshire. Luckily for us it's a bit of a foodie gem, stuffed with nice places to er, stuff your face. Not that that's the most important thing about a place, obviously, but it does help.
Easily my favourite of them all is Fresh Basil, a deli on Strutt Street. It's tiny and unpretentious, with friendly staff, a reasonably priced menu and stacks of gorgeous fresh and baked produce on display. While I wish I had the budget to stock up on their parma ham and foccacia, I'm happy enough to munch away on a red pepper and goats cheese salad and admire the lovely stuff piled enticingly all around. Can't wait to try their all-day breakfast too, which recently won an award for the best in Derbyshire. And it's walking distance. Believe it or not I'm not on their payroll, though if they'd like to add me to it in exchange for cheese, I'm open to negotiations.
On the next street (it's only a small town you know) sits Liquid Treasure, alcohol specialist. When I first went in last year, I did that aimlessly-picking-up-attractive-looking-bottles thing and found myself suddenly being interrogated (in a friendly way!) on my favourite cocktail. Clearly the owners are passionate about nice things to drink and the small team of staff know plenty about wine, spirits and ales. It's one of the best stocked shops of its kind in the area, but it's sadly way beyond my budget at the moment. At least when the lottery win happens I'll know where to go for the champagne.
We've actually moved a bit further away from Croots, an excellent farm shop/deli/cafe combo in nearby Duffield. Oh well. It's worth the extra couple of minutes in the car though - another independent haven of tasty stuff. Again, not very pocket-friendly but nice for a treat. Perhaps the nicest things they sell are frozen half-baked pastries. Buy them by the bagful then get out a couple on a Friday night, let them rise overnight in a warm place and bingo, fresh and ready to bake croissants and pain au chocolat on a hungover Saturday morning. Bliss!
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