The Plough at Lupton

Occupying a stretch of anonymous Lake District A-road, this once-crumbling boozer has been given new life following a painstaking 12-month refurb. Stripped beams, reclaimed furniture & wood-burning stoves now share the sprawling interior with grey-wash walls & strikingly smart wine caves, while the menu is a similar mix of old & new. Time-honoured starters are ousted by voguish ‘small plates’ of smoked mackerel pâté with pickled cucumber, crispy whitebait or courgette fritters with Lancashire cheese, although mains are more traditional when it comes to content & pricing – staples such as whole grilled plaice, half a roast chicken with dripping fries, or beef & stout suet pudding barely trouble £11. Five real ales at the bar & the greenest of Lakeland views outside make the prospect of staying over in one of the luxury bedrooms even more tempting.