Great food but very slow service…read more We were on the last day of a very boozy weekend in the lakes and needed a good breakfast to help us along. We hid from the rain this little cafe and ordered some excellent fry ups. Two of us had the standard English breakfast while Dan went for the large version which contained a serious amount of meat. I really enjoyed mine. The line up was scrambled egg (you get to choose you egg type), sausage, bacon, black pud, beans, tomato, mushrooms, hash brown and toast. My toast could have been more toasted (it was still pretty much bread) but everyone else's looked good so I think it was a blip. I had a latte too which was good. It's waitress service to order but they were not in any rush to come over so if you are hungry I'd suggest heading up to the counter.

We came across this place during our last Lake District trip by seeing people walk around with…read moreboxes of scones and looking very happy ... So we asked, where did you get them? ... They pointed us to this lovely establishment :) The scones are to die for, made according to an old family recipe an they are truest delicious, I'm normally not a scone person but took a large box!!! :)

Excellent service, tasty food, delicious drinks & great prices…read more We highly recommend. We

Prebook in advance to avoid disappointment!…read more I booked this for our anniversary meal. Despite turning up on time we had to queue outside for at least 25 minutes with several others waiting for people to finish their meals. Once inside the waiter was super apologetic, and you could tell he needed a drink himself. The restaurant was very cosy with interesting pieces of art on the walls. A nice very traditional feel about the place. Anyway the starters consisted of various seafood and meat dishes to which you can size up as a main on average pricing of £7 to £15. I had the pork cheeks and himself the clam spaghetti. While we waited we were presented with canapés consisting of cheese and carmalised onions..the other truffle oil on crackers. These were a very tasty treat. The spaghetti was well made and the sauce light smothering the tiny clams. My pork cheek was super tender, and it lay perched on perfect mash, panchetta, black pudding, pickled onions in a tomato broth. Various bits of bread was also served to mop up this juice. Only criticism clam meat is sooo small in this country so not worth the battle against the shells for such a tiny reward. For mains I had the seafood special which was a bowl filled with mussels, clams, scallop, king prawns and longuistines swimming in a broth and fresh pasta. This was super tasty, cooked to perfection and presented nicely. My only gripe was I only had one at most two scallops. My other half chose the lamb which again was super tender, in a homely bed of mash, sauce and root vegetables. Super simple dish but everything was cooked perfectly. I was feeling quite full but the orange panacotta with orange sorbet was too tasty to miss. It didn't disappoint. Overall despite the disappointing beginning the service was impeccable and food really tasty. However I did expect a bit more in terms of creativity considering this was a Michelin star restaurant. Definitely worth a visit if you enjoy your seafood especially.

Worth a detour. Delicious home made light meals, cakes and soup, in a lovely converted barn…read more Outside there's a play area, more interesting than the usual. This place is attached to the Hay Close Maize Maze, open every summer, which you have to pay to go into.

On an overnight stay in Keswick, we booked a table for family of four in advance, after reading…read morereviews on this site. A newish restaurant in Keswick, the decor is modern, tasteful and minimal. The menu is small but very varied. In our opinion, the menu does not do the food justice as we were a little disappointed at what was offered. Our disappoint was short lived - homemade pate was excellent and a superb relish to accompany, very tasty moules and an excellent soup with good balanced flavours. The roast lamb was cooked just right with an interesting sauce/gravy. Salmon, again was cooked to perfection with an interesting twist of citrussy tart dressing that partnered well. Desserts were excellent. All the food was very tasty, just-right portions and served hot. Any niggles? Yes a few, -don't sit next to the cupboard (utility meters) since its VERY draughty! Same Lionel Richie CD 3 times over is a bit dull. Espresso needs working on - cups not warmed and very weak, I suspect grind too coarse and not tamped enough. Little things but they make a good eating out experience into an excellent one.

We arrived in Keswick on Sunday evening, hungry and not sure of what was around. We asked in the…read morehotel for a recommendation for fine dining and below, down to 'very good' and were told about an Italian place. However. just before that on Station Road is A Different Taste and one look at the menu told us enough this was GOOD. So, in we went, were met by the Chef and owner, Debra Brown. What a lovely lady! The menu is extensive enough to be interesting, yet not in any way overstretched. We ordered a bottle of Viognier, which was delicious; sweet start and a dry, peary finish. Julie ordered the Different Taste Chicken Special while I opted for loin of cod in a saffron sauce, which was very fine indeed. Julie's chicken was brilliantly balanced with tarragon; moist, succulent and moreish. My piece of cod passed all understanding. Delicious, perfectly cooked, seasoned and served. I don't normally do dessert, but this time well, the poached pears in saffron and lime were sublime! I really can't say enough good stuff here. We weren't expecting a meal of this quality in what is, essentially, a tourist town. But this exceeded all our expectations. So much so that we have rebooked for Thursday. A lovely experience, managed with grace, style humour and lovely food by Debra, Emma her daughter and all the staff, who all went the extra mile to make all the customers happy. Thank you one and all. See you Thursday, Nigel and Julie Bourne

We went on a tour of the distillery on a rare day off from work, and I'd highly recommend it. Our…read moretour guide Liz was fantastically passionate and enthusiastic, and the tour was informative and a lot of fun. We saw the mash tanks, the copper stills, and even got a peek into the warehouse where they were quite literally rolling out the barrels. The Lakes Distillery is housed in a renovated Victorian Farm, and the impression created is that no expense has been spared. It is a sensitively done and absolutely beautiful renovation, with fantastic attention to detail.This place oozes class and luxury. They know what they're doing these guys - their founder is one of the team who founded the Arran Distillery, and they have lured their master distiller, Chris Anderson, out of retirement on the Isle of Skye. I was really impressed with their environmental focus too, as they're making the place as 'green' as they can. The distilling process is entirely natural, using only grain, yeast and water, and most of they by-products are returned to local farmers to use as animal feed or soil improvement - lucky sheep! It's next to Bassenthwaite Lake, and the River Derwent runs alongside it. It's from this river that they draw the incredibly pure water to use in their spirits. Liz was explaining that there's a way to measure water purity on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the least pure. The water they draw from the river is point something - as pure as you can get really. And by jove, does it make a delicious gin! The tour ends at their tasting bar, and we tasted their vodka, gin and whisky. At the moment, their whisky is a blend - being a new distillery, their own whisky will take time to mature, so they're cracking on with other stuff in the meantime. I'd never previously tried a whisky in my life - even the smell of it - ugh! But I dared to try this one and was glad that I did - my verdict is that it is definitely drinkable. It seemed very smooth, and well, that's all I can say about whisky really, I'm no expert. I'm definitely more of a gin fan, and their gin is delicious. They source many of the ingredients locally, using the classic botanticals such as juniper alongside other local plants such as heather and meadowsweet - a true artisan gin. Fresh and clean, but not too astringent, it's very drinkable. If you're in the area, definitely pop in - there's a restaurant on site too. If you're not in the area, there's also an online shop in which their products can be bought. Good to know!

We went for a quick family dinner at the bistro. We opted for the Easter weekend pre-fix menu,…read morewhich was roughly £20 for three courses. I had the starter of squid, main of steak, and dessert of honeycomb ice cream, and enjoyed everything. Steak was cooked nicely medium and dessert was my absolute favourite. Service was also stellar. All came out promptly, and the servers were kind and efficient. Ambience was also very nice. Part of a broader distillery establishment, it can be a great outing even if not for the meal. I would love to return for the distillery tour -- a nice glass of gin and tonic by the lake would be magical.

Great little restaurant. Staff are super friendly and helpful and the food is good. We did dinner…read morebut they do everything from breakfast on.

The ambiance is cozy and has a a refined rustic aesthetic and feel. The staff were kind, sincere,…read moreand helpful. The food and drink were of great quality and well-prepared. I wish I would have discovered this restaurant our first day in town as I would have went back again.

The higher end of average cocktails, lovely staff, I didn't have cake, but they looked of a…read morepatisserie valerie type. There's outdoor seating, inside is a little dark, especially on a grey day. I think my main issue with it, is that it seems to attract a particular type of clientele (no offence to customers- bitchier versions of my Mother (also, no offence to my lovely Mother)) which can be a little off putting.

My wife (American) struggles to find any bartender who really knows how to make a dirty martini…read morehere in the UK. Finally, whilst vacationing in the lakes, we found the Fizzy Tarté which sells itself as a champagne and pastry bar, however... their cocktails are worthy of attention too. The service was certainly attentive and we enjoyed our short break from souvenir and clothes shopping (OK I was mainly there to carry the bags!) Pop in sometime and see if you can put the bartender to the test... I think you'd be pleasantly surprised!