INSIDER: THE LAKE DISTRICT The finest food and drink to be had in Cumbria
As in any popular tourist destination, food quality varies wildly in Cumbria. To eat well after a day on the breathtaking Lake District fells, follow our essential local guide words TONY NAYLOR
THE COTTAGE IN THE WOOD
Hidden in Whinlatter mountain forest near Keswick, there is a fairy-tale quality to this whitewashed 17th-century property. It even sits on Magic Hill, a spot renowned for its optical illusions. The sense of seclusion is blissful, but this restaurant with rooms is thoroughly plugged into the modern world. Owners Kath and Liam Berney are engaging foodie enthusiasts who love new-wave small-producer wines. Chef Rich Collingwood’s distinctive cooking – including dishes such as rabbit with curried granola, date, tamarind and pickled carrot and a North African interpretation of Cumbria’s iconic Herdwick hogget – confidently blends classical, molecular and new Nordic techniques, intense global flavours and incredible local produce. Dinner from £45. thecottageinthewood.co.uk SO, CD
L’ENCLUME
Simon Rogan’s two-michelin-star flagship in a former blacksmith’s in Cartmel is a world-class restaurant. Rogan’s early avant-garde ideas and theatrical flourishes have been folded into a more natural, ingredient-led style inspired by his 12-acre farm. The tasting menu is quite an experience. Recover the next day at the informal Rogan & Co, also in Cartmel. Tasting menu £145. lenclume.co.uk SO
BABA GANOUSH SOUP KITCHEN
The coolest kids on Kendal’s block, this takeaway café specialises in soups, jazzy post-ottolenghi salads and hip comfort foods – smoked bacon poutine, a gussied-up fish finger sandwich, spaghetti carbonara frittata – all boosted by chef-owner Nigel Platt’s commitment to proper cooking. Note: Baba will soon launch a new Sydney-inspired veggie brunch café, also in Berry’s Yard. Dishes from £4.50. baba-ganoush.co.uk CD, CE, KF
OLD STAMP HOUSE
A prominent sketch of a ram from nearby Yew Tree Farm onxtxhxexwxxaxllxoxfxthis Ambleside restaurant is emblematic of chef-owner Ryan Blackburn’s love of Cumbrian produce. His signature dish, hogget three-ways with mushrooms, artichoke and potatoes cooked in rendered fat is soul-stirring. Blackburn will soon open the casual Kysty (meaning ‘fussy about food’). Mains from £24. oldstamphouse.com SO, CD
THE BEER HALL
A kind of boho trading estate in Staveley (home to art galleries, bike shops and the ace bakery-café More?), Mill Yard also counts Hawkshead brewery among its tenants. Its buzzing brewery-tap bar serves A1 craft ales (try the NZPA), alongside unusually good beer bites, from sticky BBQ ribs to a tellingly cheffy cheese soufflé. Small plates from £2.50. hawksheadbrewery.co.uk CD, CE
FOREST SIDE
With its bare tables and aproned waiting staff, Grasmere’s Forest xxxxxxxxxxxxx Side is a modern take on the country house hotel. Like the decor, chef Kevin Tickle’s Michelin star food blends classical and contemporary ideas. Foraged ingredients (used in a sensational mushroom broth, for instance) and vegetables grown in the kitchen gardens feature prominently in elegant dishes such as Tickle’s salt cod, kohlrabi, capers and lovage cream. The £35 ‘bait’ lunch is a steal. Dinner from £60. theforestside.com SO
HAZELMERE CAFÉ & BAKERY
Cumbria has endless quaint tea rooms, but this Grange-oversands find has a notable contemporary vigour. An awardwinning tea specialist, the Hazelmere serves numerous rare leaves with its afternoon teas and its lunch dishes such as potted Morecambe Bay shrimps or Cumberland sausage ‘n’ mash. Alternatively, grab a sandwich or cake (do not miss the Yorkshire curd tart) from the deli-bakery. Light meals from £6.95, afternoon tea from £14.95. thehazelmere.co.uk CD, KF, CE
THE PUNCH BOWL INN
This handsome Crosthwaite inn has been setting standards ever since Steven Doherty, former head chef of Le Gavroche, put it on the map in the 90s. The kitchen’s locally sourced cooking – try the twice-baked Lancashire cheese soufflé or braised beef and mash – has a real touch of class. Mains from £14.95. the-punchbowl.co.uk CD
LAKE ROAD KITCHEN
Noma alumnus James Cross has brought the famous Copenhagen restaurant’s ethos to Ambleside. He uses only seasonal, northern European ingredients, many of which he grows or forages. Creatively, however, Cross is his own chef. From a whole fried cauliflower with Finnish viili yogurt and pine to the mindbending beef he ages for up to 300 days, the food served in Lake Road Kitchen’s wood-lined dining room is flavour-stacked and revelatory. Dinner from £65. lakeroadkitchen.co.uk SO, CD
THREE HARES
Sedbergh sits on Cumbria’s Yorkshire Dales border. Thanks to Nina Matsunaga’s inspired cooking and baking (and her partner James Ratcliffe’s fastidious sourcing), the modest Three Hares – more café than restaurant – has a mighty rep. From a breakfast of homemade blood cake and fried eggs to a sensational lamb faggots and mash, everything shines. This summer, the duo will open the nearby Black Bull Inn. Lunch from £3.50. threeharescafe.co.uk CD, KF