Menuwatch: The Pack Horse, Hayfield

16 June 2022 by

Heaped with critical praise, this Peak District gastropub goes all out on local sourcing, seasonality and sustainability, its food inspired by big-name chefs

The theme running through all the reviews for the Pack Horse in the Peak District village of Hayfield is one of warm welcome. The menus have been created by head chef Luke Payne, who fell in love with food while at university and was influenced by the River Cottage TV series that set him thinking about food from a sustainability perspective and eating with the seasons.

Payne says: "The main goal at the Pack Horse is to serve great food and drink, highlighting the excellent local producers in the Peak District and showcasing the very best of British ingredients wherever possible. We want to keep the pub atmosphere and maintain its place in the local community. The fact the food is great and a little different is a bonus."

Luke Payne
Luke Payne

Payne's skills are self-taught, driven by the chefs he loves. "It's enabled me to take all the best bits of every chef I admire and make my own style from it. Those early years of watching River Cottage provided a great foundation, and I really loved the French classics. When I discovered Adam Byatt, I was immediately hooked on his style of classical cookery driven by great flavour and technique, and Gary Usher and Rich Sharples at Elite Bistros have been a massive influence too.

"It's also hard not be inspired by the spectacular landscape around us. The rolling hills of the Peak District are enough to spark the passion of any budding chef."

The defining element of Payne's dishes is seasonality, and he says he ensures top quality by building relationships with local suppliers, such as Mettrick's Butchers. "John and Steve have run the family business for years and are passionate about animal welfare and locally sourced meat of the highest quality. They work with the best farms in the area and even have their own small co-located abattoir. It means we can say with some confidence that we really do have a small carbon footprint when it comes to our meat dishes, with some local lamb and beef having pretty much an eight-mile round trip from farmer, to butcher, to us."

Roasted venison rack with spiced venison faggot and celeriac purée, black garlic ketchup and venison mushroom sauce
Roasted venison rack with spiced venison faggot and celeriac purée, black garlic ketchup and venison mushroom sauce

The local lamb dish is a good representation of just what Payne is trying to achieve. "It's the finest High Peak lamb, outdoor-reared on the rolling hills around us, which produces a meat of intense flavour," he says. "Recently we paired it with some Jersey Royals fried in lamb fat, monk's beard – it's got a fresh grassy flavour – anchovies, spring peas and pickled morel mushrooms. The sauce is where I draw on my childhood growing up near the Romney salt marshes, where the sheep graze on sea vegetables all year round, producing an umami flavour and a subtle hint of the sea. We infused the lamb stock in the sauce with smoked dulse and kelp seaweed from Scotland to bring out that flavour."

The Manchester Egg (£7.50) is a bestseller: soft-boiled eggs, peeled and pickled, are encased in a mix of black pudding and minced pork, with a little sage and mace running through the mix for a gentle spice. They are then breaded and deep-fried to order, offering up a runny pickled egg yolk every time. Payne admits desserts are not his strong point but the pub nevertheless has a dedicated fan base for its salted caramel custard tart (which he credits to both Byatt and Usher). He adds that it took a good year of experimentation before they settled on the current recipe.

Manchester egg
Manchester egg

Payne and his partner (and Pack Horse co-owner) Emma Daniels have recently negotiated to go free-of-tie on their wines so they can really start thinking about food pairings and build on their wine supplier portfolio, which includes Boutinot and Liberty. From a beer perspective, they're working on a house brew with Glossop-based Distant Hills brewery.

Payne would also like to add a tasting menu. "We've done a few themed tasting menus, which proved a big hit. Given the current circumstances surrounding the price of food and increasing costs just about everywhere, it also appeals from a stock control perspective."

Yorkshire asparagus, poached egg and hollandaise sauce
Yorkshire asparagus, poached egg and hollandaise sauce

Running a pub means a varied clientele for Payne and Daniels. "It is literally open to every­one," he says. "Muddy boots, families, dogs, cyclists – we welcome them all. And the food is aimed at those who love to eat great seasonal food prepared with love and care. The Pack Horse provides hearty, rustic food, which is what a good pub should serve."

From the menu

Starters

  • Locally picked St George's mushrooms on toast, wild garlic, pickled walnut
  • Leeks vinaigrette, Whitby crab, crispy capers, chervil and dill (+£5)

Mains

  • Pork loin chop, charred white broccoli, Isle of Wight tomato and butter bean ribollita
  • Whole boned seabass, brown crab curry sauce, onion bhaji, mint dressing
  • Two to share: Mettrick's Derbyshire Angus T-bone, house fries, pickled onion rings, Café de Paris hollandaise (+£10pp)

Desserts

  • Salted caramel custard tart
  • Yorkshire rhubarb galette, tarragon ice-cream

Two à la carte courses, £32; three, £40

3-5 Market Street, Hayfield, High Peak SK22 2EP

www.thepackhorsehayfield.uk

Images: Natural Selection Design

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