Wow, I can't believe it's been three years since the last review of this place. Hopefully that…read moremeans it's being kept a secret...in which case I'm going to be found majorly guilty of breaking the silence. On the recommendation of a friend who lives about half an hour from Ulverston, we reserved a table for four here and wandered down from Virginia House Hotel (http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/virginia-house-hotel-ulverston) where we were staying. From the outside it looks just like your typical whitewashed country pub. Though I'd hardly call Ulverston town centre bonefide 'countryside', the place still had an immediate charming effect on us as we approached. Once inside you're met with a pub-sized 'shrine' to the town's most famous son. Photos, screen shots, figures and memorabilia from Laurel & Hardy's history on the screen are everywhere. It gets the set-up just right - managing not to look like an obsessive fan's homage to Stan, but just enough to pay tribute to his fame. The sizeable bar has at least six handpulls on at any time. Most are from the local area but their range stretches further afield aswell. What was great was having the option of getting a tray of three thirds in case you couldn't choose between them. The menu is pretty comprehensive and we saw the portion sizes were, well, sizeable, so opted for mains and desserts. I had the 10oz sirloin steak cooked medium rare and it was incredibly juicy. The stars on the plate were the onion rings though, beer-batter crispiness - sheer heaven. Lots of chunky chips and coleslaw with salad (you could opt for potatoes and veg instead) and then it was on to the puddings. Ice cream flavours that we'd never heard of before. Coupled with sticky toffee pudding I had 'Thunder and Lightning' flavour. I'll keep what it was like a secret so you have to try it yourself ;) Lovely, friendly staff, great ales and immense food. It certainly wasn't 'Another Fine Mess.'

The Stan Laurel Inn is a good all-round local pub. Paul and Trudi have had it for two years…read more The food is scrumptious. On Friday I had a big piece of fish in crispy beer-batter, with chips which I could tell were home cut, and extremely tasty mushey peas. That was the special for a fiver. They get their ingredients from the best greengrocer and butcher in town. Given the name there is a fair bit of Laurel and Hardy memorabilia in the bars. The pub is Thwaite's, but always has six real ales including from the nearby Ulverston Brewery. They also do bed and breakfast for £30 p.p. per night.

We ate in the river room and ate from both the river menu as well as the Swan pub menu…read more The bread and olive plate complemented our Malbec wine , Which was excellent We had The scallop appetizer which was tender and cooked perfectly I had the lamb, which was cooked exactly to my liking It was presented on a bed of mashed potatoes and a side of cauliflower It all tasted quite fresh The dessert berry crumble is pretty simple nothing special in creativity. But I was very happy with how unsweet it was (that's a compliment ) Ice cream tasted much better than your average store variety It would've held its own as a scoop in a cup. The young staff was fairly inexperienced and Service it seemed They were working hard and were pleasant and how they like refinement I love the atmosphere and the energy that they brought This is a great place to bring a date or a lover for a weekend

The Swan Inn is on the edge of Ulverston, but difinitely worth the walk…read more The landlord of The Swan is serious about real ales and how he keeps them. The pub is regularly in the CAMRA Guide. Last time I went in there were eight real ales to choose from. Access to the pub is via a ramp or steps, and the garden is reached by a slope to the side gate, but there is no disabled toilet.

Friendly local pub full of character with the accent on a raft of real ales, bottle beers and…read morewhiskey. It is also a micro brewery so there will usually be either a Tigertop or Foxfiield beer. They serve home cooked food from lunch time until 7pm. Beautiful sunset views of the Duddon Estuary and Black Combe from the front windows. If you are travelling by train Linda and Stuart will let you know when the last one is due so you can leave it to the last minute to depart. Alternatively you can take advantage of their bed and breakfast facilities. Outside seating area. Occasional speciality beer and theme weekends.

My husbands family lives in a walking distance to this Pub so whenever we visit them visiting this…read morepub is a MUST. Laid back atmosphere, very "homey", lots of brew and cider choices. I never like their beer or ciders, but its because I am not used to room temperature "flat" beer (i like it bubbly and cold) but my English husband LOVES their beer selection, which attracts big crowds as the pub is located next to the train station. Even though they don't have draft beer, I like they do have lots of bottled choices. When I visit I always find a bottled beer that suits my palette. They serve good food and do a great job with their cooking creativity. I once tried their peppered mushroom soup which was outstanding. We will be back next year:)

Terrific pub , tons of seating , good beer selection and deserved reputation for good food & the…read morebest in the area pub quiz each Thursday

Ulverston has so many pubs, it can be hard to keep up…read more We visited on a Saturday night - turns out a Saturday night in Ulverston is hip, hop and happening at the Farmers Arms. It was packed to the rafters; not exactly the atmosphere we were looking for, but when last orders are 11-12pm, you have to stick it out. We managed to find a table towards the back of the pub, away from the speakers, and settled in for a few drinks. The music was ramped up in volume quite dramatically at one point, but when that means the whole pub (and I mean everyone!) joins in with Living on a Prayer, who cares? Group karaoke is the way forward. I've heard good things about the food and was happy to spend my time here, though it's not a great advert for a night out in the middle of the Lake District!

Stumbled into this warm and inviting pub on the way home from a weekend away…read more Right away we knew we'd struck gold. The staff were very welcoming and the menu varied and exciting. I settled for a Steak and Ale Suet Pudding... before it even arrived I knew I'd be in for a treat, everyone around us were eagerly tucking into there dishes. When our meals arrived we were not dissapointed, the puddings was cooked to perfection, the vegetables were obviously fresh. Pub food: but done excellently, fairly priced, warm welcoming staff and environment. A Must!

This is our favorite diner and social bar throughout the UK. My wife of 40 years, (Linda originally…read morefrom Yorkshire) and I frequented this pub mainly on Fridays and weekends while doing our postgraduate degrees at Lancaster University. In fact, my first date with Linda was at the plough, in August of 1974. We were students then, so had a tight budget, so we kept our appetite under control and enjoyed the best Fish and chips, Cumberland sausage, meat pies and mushy peas.... Linda and I got married in 1976, 3 months after our getting our PHD and Masters degrees respectively; we worked in three Continents Europe, Middle East (Asia) and America. We always had a soft spot for the Plough Inn at Galgate, it remained as one of the best places we got to know. Having lived in Michigan USA (since 1985) with our three children, my daughter Carol turned 18 in 2004 so we decided to take her on a pilgrimage to the plough Inn since the legal drinking age in America is 21. We invited a few of our friends from all over the UK for a reunion after 30 years and had a great time (picture attached). Carol, my daughter started where her parents left off. We enjoyed every minute of being there and the food was as expected, second to none in England. Life was great and our memories are only kept at this pleasant location that gave us Boddingtons and Lagers to forget about the week's science overload doing Biochemistry; Of course, there were times that we only had Shandy and Lager & Lime on Saturdays because of a typical Friday night student pub-crawls on campus . In summary, never hesitate about the Plough Inn, Food, scenery and friendly staff will impress you. We are retiring by the end of this year and we will be visiting our favorite spot for probably the last time. Congratulations to the Plough for maintaining our memories by having such a wonderful business. What else does any man want? A good wife for over 4 decades and great food all found at the Plough Inn!

CAMRA award winner 2008. Awesome beers on tap (currently sipping a Caledonian Chocolate Drop, which…read moreis a cracker) and right on the high street in Kendal. Great place to escape while the other half buys more unnecessary outdoor clothing and shoes! Though a bit tatty and dated inside and boasting only a half-hearted 'beer garden' it feels like a 'proper' pub, with decent music in the background, 'man chat' at the bar and a right fine selection of booze. Bottoms up!

The Shakespeare is situated in the heart of Kendal,close to amenities, five minutes from the…read moreBrewery Arts Centre, the shopping centre, and the bus station . A winner of the CAMRA Pub of the Season award, up to six real ales are available, as well as a full range of brewery lagers, bitters, ciders, and wines. The pub is a cosy traditional venue which boasts sofas and comfortable seating, pub games including darts, pool, and dominoes. Round the back you'll find outdoor seating and a secure private car park. Also provides traditional pub food and en suite accommodation

The views alone would get this place a good rating, even without the friendly staff and good…read moreselection of local ales! We stopped here for a rest during our jolly around the Langdales and it was the perfect place to stop and enjoy a nice drink in the sun. Food going out looked great and my girlfriend has been here before and said it's great. The ales on tap are varied and all from local breweries which is another plus point. My favourite bit though is the dog section - they have a dog menu! You can order things like doggy beer which comes with 2 sausages - so bring your K-9 pals with you! We got lucky with some fantastic weather which meant the outside Ice-Cream stand opened up and that looked great as well! All in all a lovely spot!

I ordered a meal of Cumberland sausage and in season green vegetables. The sausage was good, but…read morethe vegetables were almost non-existent consisting of four green peas and some lettuce. I am still not sure whether the lettuce was meant to be decorative or to be eaten. No dressing came with the lettuce. In short, I paid too much for this mean that came with no substantial vegetables. The service was very friendly and good.

I have spent a lot of time in Cumbria and continue to return to Old Farmhouse. The food and…read moreservice is the best in the area. I highly recommend the Cumberland Sausage and Black Pudding mash potato. Very Very Good.