New £1m restaurant set to open at major regeneration scheme

Wavensmere Homes has struck a deal with The Fulton Partnership, which will see one of the pepperpot buildings at the £175m Nightingale Quarter Scheme in Derby City Centre transformed into a café, bar and restaurant.

Called The Pepperpot, the venue is scheduled to open in August. The venue will be open seven days a week, serving gastro-style food with locally-sourced ingredients.

The Pepperpot restaurant will be at the front of the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary redevelopment, where restoration and construction work is currently in progress. A bijou cocktail bar and cafe will feature within the historic building conversion, with an air-conditioned glass box extension housing the main restaurant to the rear. Wavensmere Homes and The Fulton Partnership are collectively investing more than £1m in the project.

The Pepperpot will be The Fulton Partnership’s sixth venue in the Midlands. The group is best known for The Butchers Bar and The Westgate Suites Wedding Venue, which are both in Long Eaton. Stables Hotel and The Bowling Green Inn are located adjacent to each other in Ashbourne, while The Saracens Head Steakhouse is in Meir, Stoke on Trent.

Graeme Fulton, owner of The Fulton Partnership, said: “The Pepperpot will be our first ever city centre venue, which we’ve been on the lookout for for some time. At Nightingale Quarter, we will have the rare combination of; a stunning historic building; well over 1,000 residents living in the same development; and a superb location, only a short walk from the Derbion shopping centre and Derby train station.

“Ahead of the August opening, we have appointed Matthew Guy as the head chef, and he is currently sourcing the best ingredients from local suppliers for our extensive breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. The menus have a strong emphasis on quality and choice. We’ll be recruiting and training local people to work with us and look forward to getting to know all the neighbours already living here.”

Remediation and construction work started at The Nightingale Quarter in late 2020. During the past three years, over 80% of the 925 homes have been bought. Five phases of the project are currently under construction by Wavensmere Homes, enabling 486 of the homes to be completed this year. The 18.5-acre site includes the restoration of several landmark buildings and monuments from the 130-year-old former hospital.

James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “The synergy we have with The Fulton Partnership is very strong and we are thrilled they have chosen to replicate our Nightingale Quarter branding for The Pepperpot restaurant. The interior design has a cool art deco feel, which will create a place that everyone will enjoy spending time in. This venue will become the heart and soul of the community here.”