SquareMeal Review
Bronze Award
Set in its own 67-acre estate overlooking Windermere, this white-painted house immediately signals its ambitions with a striking modern interior and vivid displays of contemporary art – it’s also reaping the benefits of a substantial refurb that has added a new kitchen, wine cellar and chef’s table to the hotel’s many assets. The cooking is fiercely on-trend, with new Nordic nuances and a larder of seasonal ingredients deployed for top-end dishes such as Penrith chicken with ‘hen of the woods’ mushrooms, nasturtium oil, nasturtium root and charred watercress. Elsewhere, Lakeland lamb loin is paired with confit neck, potatoes in lamb fat, pickled squash and anchovy, while smoked eel is torched and served alongside eel jelly, caviar, Samling-reared mangalitsa pork, Caesar-dressing custard and Japanese cucumber. Desserts are equally modish, and the wine list garners plaudits galore. With the development kitchen now in full swing, plus a progressive garden, livestock, and even a seed exchange project, this has the makings of a seriously self-sufficient project.