How is Chaddesden's Toby Carvery coping now self-service is banned?
Subscribe today to get the latest headlines straight to your inbox with our free email updates Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  Chaddesden doesn't know how lucky it is to have a Toby Carvery on its doorstep. It's one of the huge benefits of the area and the building is massive! You couldn't ask for anywhere better in Chaddesden to have it. One of the most popular restaurants in Derby (and all over the UK of course), our secret service spy nipped in to Derby's only Toby Carvery restaurant recently to see what the necessary Covid changes were and if they resulted in a loss of appetite for the Nottingham Road venue. Here's what our spy thought of their afternoon out, away from the laptop. Booking and entrance  Your spy followed the preferred Covid booking system for many restaurants these days by reserving a table online. The website allows you to pick lots of time slots at a period to suit you - obviously weekends will be more busier than normal but booking the table was quick and easy without any problems. You can also call the restaurant to book if you can't get online or just nip in but, if busy, you may have to wait.. Parking at the venue was easy enough with two entrances to the car park - one on Nottingham Road and the other on Chaddesden Lane. (Image: Derbyshire Live)  Speaking from previous experience, the car park can be quite tight when busy and you may have an audience (people drinking outside) if you are trying to get into a tight spot. But thankfully there were plenty of spaces when I arrived and it was rather cloudy so hardly anyone was out at the seating area. Once you arrive you have the normal Covid protocols of checking in using the NHS app or someone on the main desk can take down your details. Anyway enough about car parking etc. Let's get stuck into the food part! The Carvery  After I was shown to my table by the friendly staff, I couldn't wait to get a Carvery down me. However the new rules in place lead to a tinge of disappointment. But only a tinge as the food proved to be more than worth it. My drink arrived and I made my way to the start of the carvery queue. I waited around five minutes for the chef to appear (it was rather quiet at the time to be fair) and then I noticed the first big change. Usually the chef will sort your meat choice and Yorkshire pudding out and then hand over the plate for you to pick what you want. But now the chef will keep hold of your plate and will ask you what additions you want. This means that you lose a sense of control of how much you can put on a plate. It's not the end of the world - don't get me the wrong but still. (Image: Derbyshire Live)  One of my favourite Toby Carvery experiences is filling my plate with gravy. Sadly that, for now, is no longer an option. The chef will ask you if you want gravy and if so will pour it on for you. I remember thinking 'Oh I hope he puts enough gravy on, there's nothing worse than a carvery with not enough gravy!' Thankfully he did and I should imagine you can happily request more if needs be - but the change means you are left hoping a little bit. The problem is you are not in control of the amount you have on the plate and when it's done you then have to wait for one of the staff to bring it to your table. The good thing about this is you are no longer worrying about dropping it as you walk to the table!! But on the other hand you are left wondering how the plate it is going to be presented and if there's enough gravy! I went for roast pork, a small Yorkshire pudding (those big ones cover the entire plate which is not to my liking), mashed potato, peas, carrots - the business. It was a joy and much needed, especially as it was lunchtime after a busy morning. If I am being critical, I thought the roast pork lacked a bit of flavour and was on the dry side when compared to my previous visits. But other than that it was delicious. (Image: Derbyshire Live)  As you can see, nothing but a little bit of gravy was left on the plate. Yes of course, no doubt about it. YES! The staff are very friendly and always check to see if your visit is a good one. After the difficult period we've been living in recently, it was lovely to see them have smiles on their faces. The carvery and glass of coke cost me 10.54 - so, as per, hardly breaking the bank per head. Carvery 7.29  Drink (Refill) 3.25  Even before I left the venue I got a Google notification on my phone asking me 'How did you find Toby Carvery?'. Once again I was a very happy and full-up customer! I certainly didn't lose my appetite for the venue - I've been again since! Spy gives it 8/10. *The Derby Telegraph makes undercover visits to restaurants, takeaways and cafs with a view to providing a fair, balanced and accurate report on customer service and the food on offer. Our hope is that, for the sake of both the business owner and the customer, we can report positively about the places we visit. However if our experience is not 100 per cent positive then we are duty-bound to report on exactly what we find.