How could anyone have predicted how popular afternoon tea has become in the UK. It has gone from being a tradition of a certain class or age to a nationwide obsession. From cafes to hotels, even restaurant and bars, afternoon tea can be booked and served and really, it’s not a surprise it is so popular. This meal is made up of delicious cakes, scones, pastries and bakes as well as the nation’s favourite, sandwiches, a winner with everyone (no crusts of course!).

It’s time of the day most definitely adds to the special occasion nature of this dining experience. Mid afternoon, not lunchtime, not dinner, just sitting perfectly in the middle. It’s not a time most people dine in the week or even weekends. For that special occasion, celebration or when on holiday, the afternoon tea is the ultimate treat.

The Lake District and Cumbria has always been a firm lover of an afternoon tea but now there’s even more choice and most definitely some of the finest cakes and sandwiches around freshly baked and prepared using Cumbria’s plentiful larder.

One of the most popular places for afternoon teas in one of the most stunning locations in the Lake District is the Hunday Manor Hotel. Located between Workington and Cockermouth with sea and fell views, the hotel is a 365 day a year afternoon tea venue. In the summer take tea alfresco in the landscaped grounds with views over the Solway Firth and across to the Isle of Man. In the Winter get cosy in the bar, restaurant or even the inviting entrance with real fires and lounge seating. Afternoon tea is a celebration of quintessential English with a Cumbrian twist and at just £14.50 per person, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon with friends, family or with work colleagues. Served with tea or coffee or make it extra special with some fizz! To book afternoon tea in the beautiful Western Lake District at the Hunday Manor Country House Hotel visit, http://www.hundaymanorhotel.co.uk/food-and-drink/afternoon-tea

Fredericks Lounge Bar & Restaurant in the historic Cumbrian market town of Cockermouth has launched brand new food, wine and cocktail menus for the summer.

The new food menu offers alternatives to the popular dishes that draws people to this eatery in the centre of Cockermouth. Enjoy the ever delicious range of tapas dishes just with a few twists here and there, stone bake pizzas which everyone adores through to fresh and tasty mains.

One thing throughout the whole of the new menu is the emphasis on fresh, healthy offerings where the food of the Med features highly. Look out for the new Fredericks Super Food Salad consisting of Tenderstem broccoli, Kale, blueberries, dried cranberries, quinoa, sunflower seeds, roasted cashews, dressed with roasted garlic and olive oil dressing. Great and filling on its own but there’s also the option to add hot smoked salmon or grilled chicken breast to it. Enjoy this salad on both the lunch and main food menus. Another favourite is the Persian Lamb with chilli and cumin in a cream sauce served with rice and gluten free too.

Don’t forget, the Sunday Lunch either. Locally sourced joints with all the trimmings on a changing weekly menu served from 12 noon until it’s gone. A real town regular event and perfect for getting the whole family together.

Expect the same high quality wine selections which is even more exciting now that one of the new owners is an expert sommelier. Onto cocktails and why so many people visit Fredericks at a weekend. All handmade and featuring the all the traditional favourites as well as the on trend cocktails and mocktails. To give a Cumbrian twist, many are made using spirits including gin and vodka produced in the county.

Fredericks is open Monday – Thursday 12pm until 2pm/5pm until late, Friday – Sunday 11am – late. Book a table via the website (and view the full menus) https://frederickscockermouth.co.uk/ or by telephoning 01900 829299.

On the back of yet another great series of Celebrity Masterchef and on screens right now the equally as successful Eat Well For Less?, Gregg Wallace is as busy as he ever been and has even managed to get married too.

So it is with even greater excitement Gregg will return to the 1907 Restaurant at the Brooklands Hotel in Weybridge for the second year running for “An Evening with Gregg Wallace” on Friday September 16th.

Although there’s not a buttery biscuit base in sight, this evening is set to be another delicious food journey all freshly prepared by Head Chef Dean Williams at this 2 AA Rosette restaurant. Firstly a starter of Jamon Iberico with buttermilk panna cotta, bittersweet figs, fig purée, thyme shoots. This ham is the king of hams and the favourite of both foodies and chefs. For main course then it will be no surprise to those who have seen Mr Wallace on the television, lamb. The dish Lamb & Lamb Spiced cutlet, hay baked rump, purple sweet potato, confit shallot, glazed chantenay carrots. Gregg’s favourite course desert and echoing back to his greengrocer roots, “An Apple a Day” Apple & sultana cake, green apple sorbetto, apple drops, Calvados syrup followed by a thoroughly British cheese course.

The evening not only highlights Gregg’s passion for food through the menu choices but he will be announcing each dish and circulating around the tables chatting and getting foodie feedback. After dinner there will be a Q & A session followed by photographs.

The 1907 Restaurant in Weybridge within the Brooklands Hotel on the site of the famous race circuit is perfectly located to harvest the very best British, seasonal produce. As a contemporary brasserie, the 1907 Restaurant & Bar serves breakfast, lunch a la carte, a dinner a la carte menu as well as a bar menu.

For more information on reserving tickets for “An Evening with Gregg Wallace” visit http://www.1907restaurant.co.uk/whats-going-on. To stay the evening at Brooklands Hotel telephone 01932 335710 and receive a special rate of just £119 for a Deluxe room including breakfast based on 2 people sharing.

Hearing Stove, the new restaurant on the Langdale Estate, was opening but the three ever popular and distinctly different dining options, Purdey’s, Hobsons and The Terrace were closing to make way for it was a bit of a shock. Having visited though, it is yet another stunning and successful way this enterprise is moving forward.

The space is vast but very cleverly sectioned appealing to the varied visitors the Langdale Estate hosts daily. From business guests to couples on honeymoons, families from the lodges to those lucky ones staying at Brimstone, everyone can enjoy a space that’s suits them individually. For couples then the Wine Room was just perfect. Peaceful yet without the feeling your conversation was being overheard and first class waitress service including the topping up of wine and water. In the room next to us a group, gassing away in full flow yet us in the Wine Room couldn’t hear them at all. Going through to the bar and people on the high stools sipping cocktails. Head outside and there were couples and friends enjoying the last of the sunshine.

We had to start:
Prawn, lobster & crayfish cocktail – homemade fig jelly – avocado puree, the perfect, light yet decadent starter for the flatbread main.
Gin cured smokehouse salmon – 36 hour home cured & smoked Scottish salmon – 100% rye bread, caviar, capers, shallots. The salmon was the star of the show, a great texture and just the right amount of smoke.

And for mains:
Moroccan lamb flatbread – braised lamb shoulder with own special blend of spices, roasted vegetables and harissa, see below.
Pea & mint ravioli – fresh and flavoursome and the pasta was egg yolk rich and cooked perfectly.

We were both full to say the least but did manage to squeeze in a cocktail each, an Old fashioned and a super refreshing Bacardi mojito!

The standout dish was definitely the Moroccan lamb flatbread. The lamb melt in the mouth, just the right amount of charring on the roasted veg, fragrant with spice with a kick of harissa, the bread moorishly chewy and slightly crisp on the edges. With the name Stove and with the theatre of the open kitchen and wood fired oven at the heart of the restaurant, the flatbread exceeded expectations and we both agree we can see this and variations of it on the menu 365 days a year. Although we didn’t have any of the pizzas, if the flatbread is anything to go by, they will be equally as delicious.

What would we choose next time, now there’s a question, it was hard enough the first! At least 3 of the couples dining that evening we making plenty of “ooh!” “yum!” and “delicious!” noises when sharing the slow roasted locally sourced lamb shoulder. Coming complete with mash, roasted root vegetables, baby onions and a thyme and balsamic jus and served in a large stainless steel roasting tin, at just £30, it definitely seemed like an absolute bargain too.

So to sum it up, Stove has definitely lived up to and has succeeded in being “something for everyone all day and evening merging great indoors and outdoors spaces”.

http://www.langdale.co.uk/stove.html

It could be as a result of nearby Cartmel or just the growing popularity of Grange over Sands and the surrounding villages but the quality of food available is growing by the minute. New cafes are opening, new restaurants and it’s hard to get a bad meal in any one of the pubs or inns.

Grange becoming a destination for foodies has been confirmed recently by the intention of Booths to open a supermarket in the town. Sitting along with the fantastic independent suppliers and producers such as Higginson’s Butchers, the Grange and Hazelmere Bakeries and Choco-Lori the artisan chocolatiers.

When it comes to eating out then the choice is vast with the larger hotels such as The Netherwood and Grange Hotel open to none residents, pubs such as The Pheasant Inn down the road in Allithwaite where locally sourced food is the order of the day and in between bistro’s such as Lymehurst Bistro serving gastro pub favourites, grills and hearty salads. All this and let’s not forget just 2 miles away is Cartmel, we’ll save that for another blog post!

Travelling to Grange over Sands is a breeze being just 14 miles from junction 36 of the M6. Alternatively travel by train which takes just 26 minutes from Lancaster with Lancaster being on the West Coast Mainline. This largely coastal railway line is the ultimate way to arrive in Grange over Sands with stunning views all along it. Grange over Sands has good bus and cycle routes and services so if arriving by train, travelling during the stay can be done with ease.

For accommodation then Grange has some great hotels and bed & breakfasts in period properties typical of the architecture in the town. A hidden gem and with a vast and growing reputation for the large rooms and even more so for the high level of service and attention to detail, is Bay Villa B&B on Main Street. Rooms at Bay Villa start at £110 B&B. What to expect – A decanter of sherry, in room breakfast freshly cooked to order. Visit http://www.bayvilla.net or call 015395 36793

WARNING! – The following images will make you hungry!

The unobtrusive, hidden gem of a restaurant in the heart of Grasmere in the Lake District holders of 2 AA Rosettes for 6 years running, have commissioned some new and super tasty food photography.

The Dining Room within the Oak Bank Hotel in Grasmere village have been working with local photographer David Mclaughlin. The images represent what to expect from this award winning restaurant owned and managed by Simon and Glynis Wood and the continuity of quality, returning guests and diners have come to expect over the years.

Keeping as every chef and restauranteur should with the ethos of seasonality, locality and what grows together goes together. Each dish on the 8 course tasting menu is a journey and a delight or choose the 3 course menu, you’ll not be disappointed. Diners selecting this menu are still treated with canapes, freshly baked bread and an amuse bouche.

So with glowing diner and restaurant critic praise, The Dining Room Restaurant in Grasmere at the Oak Bank Hotel is a must visit this summer and in fact any season, the images say it all.
For all the images, sample menus and to stay over in any one of the 14 individually designed and furnished bedrooms visit http://www.lakedistricthotel.co.uk

Although most of us don’t need an excuse or incentive to devour some tasty beef, this week during Great British Beef Week there seems an absolute necessity.

The Lake District is home to some of the finest beef farmers in Britain along with plenty of talented chefs to cook it. Such a versatile meat to cook and create dishes from but flame grilled cooking techniques makes a burger or steak extra special. Stove, the brand new restaurant on the Langdale Estate have a Josper grill providing the ideal way to cook meat and especially steaks.

Choose from Fillet or Ribeye with all steaks sourced locally to the Langdale Hotel & Estate. More beefy deliciousness comes in the form of the Stove Burger with all the trimming, flame grilled too as well as a Cumbrian tradition, steak & ale pie. If you’re heading to Stove for lunch then this week it has to be the Pastrami sandwich. The pastrami is home made, cured and smoked at the Langdale Smokehouse near Wainwright’s Inn.

So head to Stove to experience this new restaurant and celebrate Great British Beef Week at the same time. Each of the dishes above are on the main menus so available daily. Visit http://www.langdale.co.uk/stove.html to view the full menu and make a reservation.

Spring is the time for new life, a new colourful landscape and for foodies, one of the most exciting and delicious seasons.

This is no exception in Cumbria where the fells meet the sea bringing in local fish and seafood as well as Cumbria’s famous lamb and beef.

And so one of, in fact to many, the founders of championing and promoting local Cumbrian produce the Westmorland Family, owners of Tebay Services and the Tebay Services Hotel have launched a new, fresh and exciting spring menu in the restaurant of the hotel.

Dishes on the new spring menu include Cumberland scotch egg with homemade piccalilli and West coast crab cakes with wild garlic and sorrel mayonnaise for starters and onto mains, Ribeye steak from our family farm, lightly smoked in house with herb butter, hand cut chips and spring slaw and an must try alternative fish for one of Britain’s most iconic dishes,, hake locally sourced from Ravenglass fisheries in a Cumbrian beer batter with hand cut chips, minted pea puree, pickled fennel and cucumber salsa.

The hotel restaurant is open every evening for dinner from 6pm until 9pm, non-residents welcome. If guests are staying at the hotel but arrive later than 9pm, the equally as delicious lounge menu is served until 10pm. To book a table and view the full menu, visit the Tebay Services Hotel website here.

Spring, the time for new life and definitely delicious new food and a great time to dine.

At the Riverview Restaurant at the Riverside Hotel in Kendal the chef team have launched a new menu keeping it seasonal and making the most of the fine band of farmers and producers available right on the hotel doorstep within Cumbria and North Lancashire as well as from the hotel groups own kitchen garden located in nearby Grange over Sands.

Just a few selected dishes to excite the taste buds include starters of Windermere Scotch Duck Egg – a soft boiled duck egg in Cumberland sausage coated in panko breadcrumbs with a watercress and apple salad with cider vinaigrette or Flookburgh Potted Shrimps with homemade cloud bread. Moving to mains and our picks include Braised Shank of Fell-Bred Lamb and you can’t beat a good steak and the locally source Cumbria Sirloin or fillet come with vine tomatoes, field mushrooms and twice cooked chunky chips. For desert then it has to be Sticky Toffee Pudding Butterscotch Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream, a proper pud for all seasons!

For a limited period to celebrate the launch of our new menu, pay for a starter and a main and be treated to a dessert absolutely free. The Riverside is a hotel in Kendal so stay the night too but the Riverview Restaurant is also open to non-residents also. Visit http://www.riversidekendal.co.uk/food/riverview-restaurant to view the full menu and to book a table.

Not hot off the press but hot out of the oven is the new menu at the Applegarth Villa Hotel Restaurant in Windermere devised by Head Chef John Kelly. The emphasis has always been in using as much of the wonderful local Lake District and Cumbrian produce as possible and the new menu continues this ethos.

The Applegarth signature Cumbria fell bred beef fillet is most definitely on the new menu as well as local Rose Veal. Cartmel oak smoked halibut is a twist on the normal smoked salmon. Along with the smoke halibut is a salmon steak dish, scallops and baked cod offering a super choice for fish lovers and what is very exciting about this new menu, the choice of vegetarian dishes. Not a single broccoli and cauliflower bake in sight, phew. John’s vegetarian dishes are packed full of flavour, full of nutrition and vibrancy.

The team at Applegarth Villa know many of their guests have food intolerances or health problems where certain food groups need to be avoided. As a result not only has Head Chef John devised dishes omitting diary and gluten for example but each dish is marked should it be vegetarian, gluten free or dairy free. 90% of the dishes on the new menu are gluten free this season.

The Villa Restaurant in Windermere occupies an enviable position being situated in a panoramic conservatory with views across to the surrounding Lake District fells. The restaurant is open to residents and non residents with two lounges to choose from to relax pre and post dinner and an extensive whiskey menu in The Villa Bar.
Located in the heart of Windermere, Applegarth Villa Hotel & Restaurant is an ideal to stay when exploring Windermere and the Lake District. Family owned and run and with high quality service and interior and the bonus of the 7 new luxury Windermere hot tub suites to now stay in.

Visit http://www.lakesapplegarth.co.uk/villa-restaurant/dinner-menu to view the new menu and to make a reservation.

Stove, the much anticipated new restaurant on the Langdale Estate which will serve the guests of the 4 star Langdale Hotel, Brimstone Hotel as well as the self catering guests and non-residents is set to open in April 2016.

To make way for this innovative new restaurant, the Langdale Estate have closed Purdey’s and Hobson’s Bar with the new development sitting on this site.
Far more than simply just knocking through these two previous dining locations, in true Langdale style this is a complete new build with both indoor and outside seating and state of the art yet evocative of the landscape interior and exterior.

It’s going to be all about natural materials in an aesthetic form carrying through to natural ways of cooking, a wood fired oven and using as much of the abundance of local produce the Langdale Estate has on its doorstep.

Food will be available all day, everyday from breakfast through to lunch and snacks and evening meals. Different locations of the restaurant will offer a quieter dining experience and the chefs table where diners can interact with the chefs is set to be a very exciting addition.

Brimstone Hotel guests can still choose to experience the new Stove as well as the choice of in room dining of a selection of the new Stove menu. Keep checking the Brimstone Hotel website here for further announcements or to check availability for the hotel. Remember, rooms booked 30 days or more in advance get treated to a 20% discount. http://www.brimstonehotel.co.uk/

Crowned best restaurant in the UK in the 2015 Good Food Guide for the third year running was L’Enclume in Cumbria’s very own Cartmel. What an accolade for Simon Rogan and his team at L’Enclume and what a buzz for North West regional food.

Also for yet again gaining a perfect 10 cooking score was aided by the level and quality of produce Simon Rogan sources and grows from Cumbria. Everyone knows of Cumbrian lamb as being some of the best in the UK but what about the rich diversity of this region with miles of coastline resulting in exceptional seafood and the wild herbs and fruits that can be found.

Cartmel has always been an extremely popular village, it just has everything you could ever wish for from a village. But this little village now has a thriving food culture (who hasn’t heard of Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding!) and not to mention the gaining popularity year on year Cartmel Races.

Now with L’Enclume firmly at Number 1 and the quality of food and service at such a high level, the popularity of this village will only continue to grow. Luckily for Cartmel, the village is surrounded by countryside and has a real sense of space as well as some stunning places to stay. This is especially the case of holiday cottages. Whether it’s a cosy retreat for two in the centre of the village or a large country house, there are some truly fabulous properties to hire so visitors can not just sample what L’Enclume has to offer but also the other restaurants and businesses in and around the village. For foodies, there are plenty!

But to top it all off Cartmel happens to be on the edge of the Lake District so not only can you enjoy the best food in the UK but also some of the best scenery, walking and countryside in the UK. Sounds like a number 1 destination all round.

Holiday cottages for 2 to 10+ people in Cartmel can be hired through The Lakeland Cottage Company, https://www.lakeland-cottage-company.co.uk/ where the cottages they market are most definitely also 10 out of 10.