Castleton’s 1530, a cosy Italian-style eating establishment in a beautiful 16th-century building, has been awarded a Gold Seal in the Fine Dining and Restaurants category in Good Food Awards 2023/24.
The Gold Seal is reserved for restaurants with consistently high customer ratings and votes over three years.
Alicia Shearer, who moved to Derbyshire from Australia and runs the restaurant along with her partner Tim Stoddard, said: “It was definitely surprising. We don't actively search for these kinds of awards. We just wanted to have a small restaurant which would be a little community hub. And now we ended up with five different awards in the last few years.”
What makes the restaurant, which first opened its doors in 2010, unique is the unusual menu – meals are inspired by Italian cuisine but feature many imaginative specials by Tim.
Alicia said: “I call Tim a filth wizard because he comes up he comes up with some really innovative, imaginative dirty food. He always tries to push his creativity. The village is fantastic, but it has got six great pubs, so there is a lot of competition. We are trying to make sure that we offer something different.”
Among Alicia’s favourites are a pork belly sandwich with ‘cheese brulee’ and the ‘Cheeky Ozzy’ – a side dish featuring french fries, beef cheek, mozzarella, garlic mayonnaise and a fried egg on top.
But 1530 has something for everyone – with pizzas, pasta dishes, steaks, vegan food, brunches, Sunday roasts, desserts and more.
What Alicia loves about 1530 apart from food is the great team of people as well as a unique mix of customers.
She said: “This is a beautiful part of the wrold and I love the locals. The tourists are wonderful and we have some who always come back year after year. But the locals that come in and visit us every week or every month, keep us going when it is quiet. They create a real sense of community.”
5. Team work
Alicia, who used to work in hospitality before moving to England, said that what she loves the most about her job is team work. Pictured is manager Harry Griffiths. Photo: Brian Eyre
6. Imaginative, innovative food
The menu is inspired by Italian cuisine, but Tim often unwinds his creativity when putting together new dishes. One of the side dishes the restuarnt used to serve was called The Cheeky Ozzy - it included french fries with beef cheek, mozzarella, garlic mayonnaise and a fried egg on top. Photo: Brian Eyre
7. Pork with 'cheese brulee'
Another imaginative dish that Tim created was a pork belly sandwich with 'cheese brulee' - a special runny cheese mixture. It was served with french fries with bacon. Photo: Brian Eyre
8. Unique pastas and pizzas
Award-winning 1530 also serves pizzas and pasta dishes. But they are not basic or boring in any way. One of customers' favorites is the Salty Italian - a pizza with prosciutto, anchovies, olives, capers, and parmesan. Photo: Brian Eyre