The Tickled Trout Archives - Destination Chesterfield

Chesterfield gastropub owner to appear on ITV show, James Martin’s Saturday Morning

31st March 2025

A Chesterfield gastropub owner is set to showcase a taste of Derbyshire to the nation this weekend, as he appears alongside James Martin on his Saturday morning cookery show.

Chris Mapp, owner of The Tickled Trout in Barlow, will be cooking for fellow guests on the ITV show in this weekend’s episode (Saturday 5th April).

The Tickled Trout prides itself on creating delicious dishes using locally sourced produce. In 2024, the venue received an AA rosette and was awarded Best Pub Restaurant Chef in the UK, at the Craft Guild Of Chefs Awards ceremony.

Speaking on his TV appearance, Chris said: “I know James and have done demos with him presenting, but to be on the show was surreal, it was so exciting. I must say that the whole crew and James himself were just fantastic and friendly, so they helped calm the nerves a lot. I also travelled down with Alysia, the Yorkshire Forager, she is a close mate of mine, and that was a huge relief she was there to help me through it.”

To get viewers’ taste buds tingling, Chris prepared one of his signature dishes on the show: “I did our already-famous spiced cod scotch egg with curry mayonnaise, my homage to Cornwall when I was there with Paul Ainsworth. James is such a brilliant professional, it’s very easy being with him, he makes it go extremely smoothly. There’s always room for a chuckle as well during filming!”

Chris believes the show will help to put Barlow and Chesterfield on the map as a place to enjoy quality cuisine, adding: “The show has over 1.5m live viewers, plus those watching on catch-up, which is huge. I am sure it will put Barlow and Chesterfield on the map and I am hoping it helps the pub as well. I can envisage already that the lads in the kitchen are going to be making hundreds of scotch eggs!”

The Tickled Trout is currently under refurbishment, but is set to reopen with an exciting new look this April. Keep up to date on the pub’s social media channels.

Find out more about The Tickled Trout here, or visit the restaurant’s website: https://www.tickledtroutbarlow.com/

Looking for more great places to eat and drink in the Chesterfield area? Check out our list of 50 top places to try in our town.

The Tickled Trout supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Tickled Trout provides hundreds of lunches for students at Chesterfield summer school

5th August 2021

North-Derbyshire restaurant, The Tickled Trout has provided 140 lunches for summer school pupils at Outwood Academy in Newbold.

The initiative is the latest in a line of kind community efforts from the Barlow-based gastro-pub, after staff provided doctors, nurses and carers at Chesterfield Royal Hospital with meals during the height of the covid-19 pandemic.

Chris Mapp, who owns and manages the restaurant said: “We just want to do our bit to help people in this really troubling time. I hope that by providing these lunches, it can help the students get a bit more out of the summer School.

“Having been in the academy, I am aware of the culinary talent of the students already there. It really is exceptional. Some of the dishes were brilliant, especially Mia’s dessert which I would quite happily serve in the restaurant. I am excited to work with the students more and see them progress.”

Chris also runs an education programme with the school through his restaurant, to help students improve their skills, and to identify students who could become future apprentices and embark on a career in the sector.

Rob Southern, Head of School at Outwood Academy Newbold, said: “We are delighted and grateful that Chris has stepped up to do this for us. Everyone is aware of how difficult it has been the last 18 months, and it really is a time for people to come together and work together.

“At Outwood, we believe in working with our community to the benefit of our students and this partnership is the perfect example of this. Working closely with someone as talented as Chris will be the opportunity of a lifetime for some of our students.”

The Tickled Trout supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.