A FOOD REVOLUTION
STEVE HOWARTH VISITS A FABULOUS CUMBRIAN INN WHERE THE FOOD IS ON ANOTHER LEVEL
JUST 17 miles north of Carlisle, in the remote and beautiful Scottish borders region, there is a bit of a food revolution going on. Husband and wife chef duo Jake and Cassie White are shaking up Cumbria’s dining scene at the recently relaunched Pentonbridge Inn, in the small hamlet of Penton.
The pair have come from two Michelin starred restaurant, Marcus at The Berkeley in London, where they were head chef and pastry chef respectively, to give food fans a superb dining experience at this extended top quality restaurant with rooms.
As well as working under Marcus Wareing, Cassie also spent time at Hélène Darroze’s eponymous twoMichelin starred restaurant at The Connaught and prior to that they both worked for Tom Aikens, as well as at a variety of establishments in England and Australia.
Pentonbridge Inn is their first joint venture where they both head up the kitchen. The main dining room has 45 covers and a separate pub area boasts roaring long burners and a comfy and welcoming atmosphere.
Guests can enjoy a five course tasting menu, with canapés, priced at £60, or there is a set menu which my wife and I went for as the food being served on an adjoining table looked so good.
I tucked into a delicious crab starter while my wife had veal, which was followed by a monkfish dish for me and pork for her with an Orkney island scallop in between courses.
And, as you would expect from two such accomplished foodies, it was all delicious - washed down with an excellent Italian white suggested by the helpful and friendly waiter.
After enjoying a rum baba, mascarpone chantilly and poached pineapple and brown sugar custard tart with banana date and salted caramel we retired to the adjacent cosy, dog-friendly bar for a nightcap - made all the more comfortable by the snowstorm going on outside.
The majority of fruit, vegetables and herbs come straight from the 1.5 acres of Victorian walled gardens and greenhouses at nearby Netherby Hall, which Jake and Cassie have been cultivating, alongside the hall’s head gardener. Local game is also well represented on the menu when in season and meat is sourced from Lake District Farmers and Millbank Venison, with fish coming from the Solway Firth.
The Pentonbridge Inn has nine stylish, comfortable designer bedrooms fitted out to a very high standard using natural materials such as timber, slate and stone with velvet, tweed and wool textures and soft natural colours. Our room also had superb views over the snowcovered countryside.
The luxurious bedrooms are split between the main building and an adjacent converted barn, and all boast luxury features like stand alone roll top baths, DAB radios, Egyptian cotton sheets, fresh coffee, fresh flowers and fluffy towels, and ours also had a TV which rose electrically from the end of the bed - very posh.
Further self-catering accommodation will soon be available at Netherby Hall, only four-and-a-half miles away, which has been recently renovated by Gerald and Margo Smith, who own both the hall and inn. They plan to run a shuttle bus between the two, so guests can dine at the inn and diners can visit the extensive walled garden.
Sadly the arctic weather meant a planned bracing walk to take in the stunning countryside had to be cancelled - but that meant more time to enjoy a delicious full English breakfast before we sadly, all too soon, had to say farewell to the Pentonbridge and battle our way home through the snowdrifts.