Nice one squirrel

Lake District restaurant that serves it named best in world

A BRITISH restaurant with grey squirrel on the menu has been named best in the world.

The Old Stamp House, Ambleside, Cumbria, won the top Fine Dining Restaurant title in Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards.

Once the 19th century office of poet William Wordsworth, the Michelin star restaurant saw off stiff competition from others in countries such as France, Italy and Brazil.

Opened by brothers Ryan and Craig Blackburn, the £95-a-head dinner tasting menu is based on “a journey around Cumbria”.

Themes include The Lake featuring Arctic charr cured in seaweed and The Fields, which lists “black pudding bon bon, duck liver and grey squirrel”.

One reviewer posted: “Who would have thought grey squirrel could have been like this?”

Tripadvisor said: “The

Old Stamp House Restaurant celebrates the food and cultural heritage of Cumbria. The restaurant is revered for its intimate, unique setting and tasting menu.” The UK also bagged tenth spot on the world’s best restaurants list with another Michelin star spot, Paul Ainsworth at No 6 in Padstow, Cornwall. And in a new UK Hidden Gem category, modest Mediterranean diner La Fiesta in Doncaster came tops, followed by

Muse Brasserie in Cheltenham, Glos, and Coventry’s Taste Vietnam.

The rankings are based on tens of thousands of ratings left by travellers from across the globe on Tripadvisor’s review pages.

The website’s vice president Lauren Murphy said: “Like searching through a big menu for the perfect meal, recommendations can be helpful in decision making, and our community’s guidance makes choosing restaurants easier.”

You’re probably wondering how squirrel tastes. Apparently, it is like a cross between rabbit and chicken. But be warned, it may contain nuts…