Cumbria, Italian Restaurant Guide

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.

“In the area, Zeffirelli‘s is rightly celebrated” – this Lakeland fixture (est. 1980) has been a feature of the town centre for nearly 45 years and is part of a quirky site incorporating a cinema and jazz bar. “Although it‘s a vegetarian restaurant, often people eat there without realising there’s no meat on the menu! The food’s well-presented and doesn‘t make a big fuss about being vegetarian”. “With lots of friendly staff, it’s deservedly popular”.