The Blue Jay

The Blue Jay, a family pub with carvery in Derby

The Blue Jay is a pub in Derby that presents itself as a place for families to eat out, built around a menu of real pub food and a traditional carvery described as available daily. Alongside the kitchen, the bar lists a range of cask ales, wines and cool draught beers, plus soft drinks, teas and coffees. The pub describes its atmosphere as friendly and family-oriented, aimed at drinks or a meal shared with friends or relatives.

Food: carvery, pub classics and Sunday roast

The traditional carvery is the establishment's best-known offer and, according to the pub, is served every day. The wider menu covers pub classics, lighter bites and desserts, and the pub states that there is something for every taste across those categories. A separate Sunday roast menu is also promoted as the centrepiece of the end of the week.

Drink and the bar

The drinks side combines cask ales, a selection of wines and draught beers served cold, with soft drinks, teas and coffees completing the offer. The pub's own presentation suggests two ways of using the bar: standing for a chat or settling into a comfy chair with a pint.

Facilities and practical details

The pub lists the following facilities on its site:

• Beer garden
• Dog friendly
• Electric car charging
• Cask ales
• Car park
• Accessible access
• Amazon Lockers
• Accessible parking

Dogs are welcome specifically in the bar area, a policy the pub explains by saying that pets go everywhere with their owners.

Rooms and overnight stays

The Blue Jay also offers accommodation. It presents itself as suitable for a quick stopover on a business trip, a weekend with friends or a break with the family, and states that booking direct guarantees the best rates for the stay. For larger groups, the pub directs enquiries to the Marston's Inns Group Bookings page.

Events, app and promotions

The pub promotes a Marston's Pub App as a companion for what happens at the venue, citing live music and quiz nights among its programming, together with food and drink deals and an Order & Pay function from the table. It also invites visitors to sign up for a list that delivers exclusive offers, priority event invitations and news by email.

Among the promotions shown on the site at the time of writing this profile were a limited-time 40% discount on mains requiring a code obtained by signing up, a festive menu offer with a £10 voucher for bookings made by 31 October 2026 to spend on a later visit in November or January, and a Halloween campaign. The pub also advertises a Hawkstone beer as new and exclusive to the venue.

Part of the Marston's network

The Blue Jay operates within the Marston's group: its contact address uses the marstons.co.uk domain, the app it promotes is the Marston's Pub App, group bookings are handled through Marston's Inns, and the site links to other Marston's pubs.