Derbyshire food bloggers Meats & Cheats review Chesterfield's Bottle & Thyme

Cool decor, exciting menus and of course…delicious food are the cornerstones of any restaurant thriving in today’s industry, especially with diners looking to snap the perfect picture for the ‘gram!

Enter: Bottle & Thyme. A beautifully designed restaurant in the heart of Chesterfield, offering a sustainable menu, ethically sourced coffee, thirst-quenching cocktails and live entertainment.

B&T is no longer Chesterfield’s best-kept secret, with customers choosing to make a visit their weekly treat.

If you ask someone to recommend a place to eat, you can always expect B&T to be in the conversation.

Restaurant owners, Gav and Hannah Grainger first opened their doors in 2016 and have a team who are quick to offer a friendly welcome upon arrival. There are drinks for everyone, whether it’s an extensive wine menu, cocktails, teas, coffees, craft beers and some of the best mocktails you’ll find in town, much like the ‘rhubarb and pear mojito’, that we sampled.

The rotating, seasonal menu is a great addition, with some popular mainstays such as the burgers and sharing boards being served throughout the year, B&T allow nature to decide what will be added to their ‘small plates’ menu, creating some truly exciting dishes.

So where did we begin with this sumptuous menu? By ordering almost everything from the small plates section…naturally.

We kicked things off with the ‘duck and black pudding bon bons’, served with a ‘sexy plum sauce’ and poached pear, for a naughty bite of bliss.

Next, we sampled the beautiful ‘hummus bowl’ with hazelnut dukkha and a huge wedge of fresh focaccia. You’ll see that the presentation is truly taken into consideration with these dishes as they look outstanding.

No rest for the hungry though, we moved on to ‘steak mac & cheese’, using rare bavette steak and a scrumptious Shropshire blue cheese that was to die for.

Two of the standout dishes were the ‘teriyaki pork belly bowl’ which was accompanied by a soy-marinated egg, cucumber, and rocket, creating an authentic taste sensation, as well as the ‘seared scallops’, which we found to be mind-blowing as it was dressed with marinated apple, bacon crumb, black pudding, and grape sauce. Possibly the most interestingly complex menu item as every mouthful was packed full of flavour.

Just when we thought we were full to the brim, we were persuaded to try two more courses and dessert, so we went all-in on the ‘grilled king prawns’, served with sourdough and zhug dressing and the ‘white market fish’, with ginger and squash puree, chilli, and crispy kale.

We didn’t need these extra dishes…but there was no way we would decline two more plates of heart-warming goodness!

Last but not least, we chose to share a slice of the fresh-made ‘strawberry tart’ and the mascarpone base to this dessert was a great way to end an epic banquet at Bottle & Thyme.

With their new summer menu right around the corner, as well as a new natural wine list set to make its debut, there really is no better THYME than now to check out B&T for yourself!

Small plates, BIG flavours! Go and get involved…and tell them we sent you!

To witness our epic meal at B&T, subscribe to our YouTube channel and see how good the small plates are for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbbswKQBGsp7bA70O_lbYnw

https://www.instagram.com/meats_and_cheats/