The Staff of Life, Ticknall, Derby www.thestaffoflife.co.uk

Went here on a sunny late Sunday afternoon, looking for a good real ale and possibly some lunch.

One of the four girls behind the bar in their twenties eventually decided to serve me, 1 pint of beer £3.80, that's taking the ####. I was in London 2 weeks before and paid £3.20 for exactly the same drink. On mentioning this politely to the girl, I got a snotty reply of WE DONT SET THE PRICES. Needless to say I did'nt stay for lunch and won't be going back.

On leaving, I went to a nice pub a mile and a half away in Melbourne and had a very pint for £2.60.

I'm not sure I can find too much to say about this place that is actually good. It looks nice if that helps. From there on in it degenerated into a complete joke. Bad food, bad service, bad attitudes and bad feelings all round. The menu reads well and the food is a polar opposite.

If I could describe the place it would be like a modern version of Fawlty Towers except there was no laughter. I gave it one star because this site insists on it but maybe it deserved two for actually staying in business!! That is some feat.

We waited 40 minutes for two bowls of soup, and then a further 20 minutes for the main courses. The steak pie was over cooked and the crust was a very dark brown. The roast beef was done to death, and the roast potatoes were so overcooked that normal cutlery made no mark. The gravy tasted instant. The service was poor, the staff stood behind us commenting loudly about their dinner being ready, took our plates whilst some of the party were still eating, and we had no opportunity to ask for dessert.

My girlfriend and I were looking for a pleasant country pub with a friendly atmosphere and freshly prepared food for a bank holiday Monday meal. We found a nicely set out, contemporary decor pub/restaurant down the road. However these are all the only good points. The starter (prawn+apple cocktail)took nearly an hor to come out and I had to chase it up at the bar. Mains weren't much better. Chips that had been reheated numerous times and a steak and ale pie sacrificed in the microwave, not to mention we saw the bar staff poking a customers jacket potato with their fingers in the kitchen, after he sent it back for being cold. Not impressed at all, won't be going back.