Ulverston Restaurant Guide

“I think the best meal I’ve ever eaten” – Simon Rogan’s converted blacksmith’s workshop in a beautiful village to the south of the Lakes nowadays carries the weight of anticipation brought about by the third Michelin star that it acquired in 2022, and on most accounts “the drive is well worth it” to sample such “ridiculously good” food that “lives up to all expectations”. At the heart of the experience is a fifteen-course tasting menu for £265 per person (at lunch there’s a shorter selection for £125 per person). It’s finely wrought cuisine, with an emphasis on ingredients from Simon’s ‘Our Farm’ project nearby, and “the intimate nooks and crannies to hide away in and the quiet efficiency of the unrushed service makes it a place where time freezes” (“add in a room for an overnight stay and you have the best romantic getaway”). Sommelier Jordan Sutton is “fantastic and the wine pairing really complements the meal beautifully”. Is there a catch? Perhaps. Although ratings are still enviably high, complaints about value are also steadily rising here. (“A real sense that I was paying over the odds for the three stars. For my partner and I to be offered a glass of Champagne on arrival to mark my 50th to then be charged a huge amount per glass was a low point.”)

“Exceptional all-round” – Simon Rogan’s development kitchen to fuel his Michelin three-star with new dishes is a super-intimate experience of just 6 covers, and by definition aims for diners whose enjoyment derives from interacting with the chefs; exploring the sourcing (much of it from Simon’s nearby ‘Our Farm’ smallholding; and dissecting new ideas that push culinary boundaries). By its very nature, it doesn’t inspire a huge volume of feedback, but all that we have says it lives up to the renown of one of Britain’s most highly regarded kitchens. At dinner, the price of a meal is £265 per person.

“Just the right balance of superb food and unrivalled service” maintains high ratings for Simon Rogan’s less formal venue in a beamed cottage just around the corner from L’Enclume, where many visitors also stay the night. The Tyre Men have felt it necessary to bless it with a star, but it’s a step-down ambition-wise (and price-wise) from its famous sibling – lunch is a three-course selection for £49 per person, and dinner six courses for £95 per person.

2022 Review: This “delightful tea shop, delicatessen and tea merchants on the main route into Grange” is “every bit as good as Betty’s” – say fans of its “home-made breads, pastries and cakes to die for”. “Large windows give great views across the ornamental gardens”, and “there’s a real buzz from the coming and going of locals, visitors and efficient, knowledgeable staff”.

“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”.

This striking Art Deco building was brought back to its former glory in the late 2000s after falling into disrepair and today its dining room is “one of the loveliest places to enjoy a romantic dinner over tables facing out to the sea”. While most attention goes to the exemplary afternoon tea (comprising “perfect sandwiches, delicious scones and cakes”), there was also praise this year for some other “delicious” cooking.

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.

“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”.

“Tiny restaurant that has been providing good-value fish cookery in Windermere for over 10 years”, where “excellent seafood including oysters” is backed up by “friendly service” in fairly “basic” surroundings.

This famous Lakeland watering hole, a 17th-century inn at a remote crossroads with views to distant Windermere, has long been a favourite for hikers, tourists and locals (including Tom Barnes, former executive chef at L’Enclume, who has been quoted tipping its “cosy” interiors, “beautiful food and amazing beers” – the latter from its own microbrewery). The robust meals are priced to a pleasingly straightforward formula: at lunch, starters are all £15, mains £25, sides £7 and puds £14; dinner is £45 for two courses, £65 for three courses, coffee and petits fours.