Harden's survey result
Summary
‘The Dog and Gun Inn is not a ‘fine dining establishment’ confirms the website of Ben Queen-Fryer’s Lake District venue which goes on to note that it’s “a family-run business and families of all ages are welcome to book and dine with us” (including dogs in certain areas). Diner feedback confirms “there continues to be excellent food at this friendly, unpretentious Michelin-starred pub, where owner Ben is very much hands on and does most of the cooking”: “tasty and different dishes, in good sized portions”. Top Menu Tip – “Don’t miss his soufflés!”
Summary
It might look like “an old-fashioned, wood-lined pub room”, but Ben Queen-Fryer’s five-year old is in fact “a food paradise in the heart of the Lake District” that “deserves all of its accolades”. “A warming log fire and warmer welcome” abet cooking “with flair and invention” (“amazing what a one-man kitchen can produce”). You are not prisoner of a tasting menu here, with three courses for £68 per person available alongside a longer tasting option for £89 per person.
Summary
“Another ex-boozer I remember from adolescence, with patterned carpets and glowering locals now replaced by worshippers of the Michelin divinity” – and by all accounts Ben Queen-Fryer’s gentrified rural gastroboozer (est. 2017) “merits the star” it has held since 2022. “The food never disappoints with quality, quantity and interest” – all the more impressive given that this is a one-man band.
Summary
“Amazingly good cooking in a proper pub” makes Ben Queen-Fryer’s five-year-old venture, “deep in the countryside near Penrith”, a “rewarding detour” for anybody passing near the Lakes on the nearby M6. “Everything is cooked on the premises by one-man kitchen, chef Ben”, and it’s all “really interesting, very reasonably priced, and with a good selection of wine”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Dog & Gun?
Skelton, CA11 9SE
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner | £69.00 |  |
|
|
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 89.00 | Dinner only | 1 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Skelton, CA11 9SE
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 5:15 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 5:15 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 5:15 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 5:15 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 5:15 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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