Cartmel Fell Restaurant Guide

A “pleasant, dog-friendly country pub with good food in a warm setting” – the secret to the success of this Georgian coaching inn, located in the picturesque Winster Valley, and long run by the Edmondson family (latterly sons Craig & Shaun). If you overindulge, there are nine bedrooms to sleep it off in, or else make the most of the leafy locale by staying in their more recent ‘pods’, which are set on the grounds.

“Consistently brilliant!” – Behind the white-washed walls of this rural pub-with-rooms, Kevin & Nicola Tickle’s Lakeland venue has a high level of culinary ambition, especially in the evening when a set lunch (for £49 per person) gives way for a 10-course set dinner for £120 per person. “Surprising ingredient combinations, (sometimes VERY surprising!) are well presented and full of differing flavours and textures, all of them very local and fresh” and there are also “some off-piste wine choices”. “It’s a challenge to serve each course to every table, at the same time, but they manage in a very professional way without any delays” – diners “love the friendly, happy service” style. There’s also “a great dog friendly bar with excellent pies, snacks, and good local beer”.

“An offshoot of L’Enclume” – the Lake District’s most renowned chef, Simon Rogan, presides over this scenically located dining room – part of one of the best known hotels in ‘The Lakes’ and whose conservatory situation and outside terrace aim to make the best of its superb outlook over the surrounding hills and of Lake Windermere. Chef Mark McCabe provides both a ‘short’ (for £79 per person) and ‘full’ (for £125 per person) menu – both are “well-priced sets considering the quality of the dishes”. The aim is not a replication of L’Enclume; the food is “innovative, but not excessively elaborate” providing “top-quality local produce and excellent service in a beautiful setting”.

“A real treat for overly stressed adults looking to unwind!” – the “high class” dining room of this “lovely” Lakeland hotel provides a very accomplished all-rounder. “Food is very well-prepared by a big brigade” under the watchful eye of chef Ollie Bridgewater who joined in 2023 after a ten-year stint at the Fat Duck. The front of house team are “genuine and caring” and present the “innovative cuisine, with key foundations in sourcing and tradition” and producing a “great balance of dishes”. There’s also a “very good wine list with some not overly expensive, extremely good wines”.