Regularly pass by and will return. A very nice atmosphere which is just as my wife and I like it: candle lit, romantic, cosy and welcoming - no tv's, no sports no flashign games machines. Good food too.

Lovely puds and the rest was a great way to celebrate 22 years of marriage. We both work odd hours. me at the univeristy and him in a hospital, so our dinner ended up haveing to be on a Sunday night. This filled me slightly we dred as I was expecting an empty dining room with tumbleweed rolling through it! To the contrary the Ben Jonson was ticking along nicely. Apparently it had been a busy day, but the staff were still very friendly and helpful. All there recommendations turned out to be good ones including the bottle of english wine with our food. Our thanks to them and the chefs for making our wedding anniversary meal a lovely one.

Sunday lunch was awful. The place was empty which was A clear sign and I wish that we just walked out. The meat was overcooked, the gravy was not home made, the yorkshire puddings were not cook properly so very eggy inside more like an omelette and there was only two types of veg - carrots and cabbage. Total waste of money and we will never return.

We had high hopes for The Ben Johnson. Unfortunately we were very let down. We shared some so called fresh bread which was stale and definately not fresh served with cheap butter. To follow we both asked if we could have fish cakes as a starter, they weren`t happy about this but gave them to us in the end. The fish cakes were more like potato cakes with very little fish in them and served with a average tartare sauce and leaves. For mains we both had steak which were NOT a medium rare more of a medium to well. Even I can cook a steak correctly! The chips were over salted as well. We reluctantly had a cheese plate to share which featured Oxford Blue cheese which we ended up having a confrontational argument with the waitress who would not believe that Oxford Blue was made in Derbyshire, so it is not local. She still insisted it was. I think this pub could be a very nice place to dine with friends if they learn to cook......If they were abit more happier........And if they educate their staff better on local produce. Until then we shall dine somewhere else.

I don't know if the last two went to the same place as us and the rest of the reviewers or if perhaps RoseGill and Jackreviews were having a bad day. We found the food to be good, the surroundings good, the service good and we thought that it was great value for money. What more do you need!

Not very nice anymore. Skimpy portions & lack of atmosphere. I agree with Jack that there are better places to go in the area. I don`t think we will return for quite a while.

The pub is nice! However I found the staff to be very rude and grumpy. The food is average. Definately not worth going out of your way for. There are an abundance of quality eateries in the area, so if you want somewhere for a treat go elsewhere. But if you want to be ripped off and leave grumpy - come here!!

Great to see a ‘proper’ pub nicely busy so early in the week. Always a nice experience when we come here. Good food and service. Lovely chips. Already looking forward to next time!

Had a lovely meal, service was excellent.
Will defenitely come back again.

I agree with teddybear. My wife and I have been going there for months and it has been the same owners for a long time now. We have a roast perhaps every other weekend, and the beef is always our choice. It's from a local rare breed herd and if they have the steak on you should try that because it's one of the best around. The burgers good too. In fact all the beef is as it from the same animals! I'm surprised Mr C doesn't complain about the colour of the waiter's shirt.

Sorry Mr C,

I disagree with you. The food is superb, and, unless you have an over-sized stomach, the portions are ample. Besides, is there a set rule for the thickness that any joint of meat is carved to? I certainly am not aware of one! As for disguising the amount of potato by dicing it, or the thickness of the meat by drowning it in gravy, well I have never heard of anything more ridiculous! . . . If you require huge portions to satisfy your obviously huge appetite, then I suggest you stick to one of the 'Hungry Horse' venues or maybe a 'Harvester'.

The food in here is immense. You will struggle to find a better pub that serves food.