Fine Dining in the Lake District
THE best place to stay in the Lake District if you want fine dining and Michelin stars doesn’t even have a restaurant in the evening. We are proud to claim that our location at the Cedar Manor gives you access to the very best cuisine that the Lake District can offer. And, of course, we do serve the most amazing breakfasts and afternoon teas right here. There are so many restaurants in and around Windermere that our guests actively want to go out and find somewhere different each evening when they stay here. Our exceptional landscape and abundance of locally sourced produce sets the scene for foodie excellence.
Michelin Stars Near Cedar Manor
But what we want to show you this time is just how close you are to the very best. Because Cumbria now has 13 Michelin-starred restaurants – and there’s a new kid on the block with a Michelin Bib Gourmand as well. Several are easily reached from the Cedar Manor, so these are the ones we’re recommending.
The Cream of Cartmel
The cream of Cartmel
L’Enclume in Cartmel really is a creme de la creme, Simon Rogan’s golden globe on the food scene in this lovely village with three Michelin stars. It’s just a half hour drive from here, for some a regular favourite, for others a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Simon Rogan says: “Ingredients that change with the seasons inspire my menu development and ensure a truly traceable dining experience reflecting my farm to table philosophy. Farm-to-fork has always been at the heart of what we do and that continues to this day. Every dish on the menu begins life at our farm where we learn from our head grower what is at its peak. Or an ingredient from the wild or one of our fantastic local producers.” You must plan ahead and book well in advance, so when you book to stay with us, book your table at the same time.
Also in Cartmel, housed in a pretty cottage by a stream in the village centre, is L’Enclume’s laid-back cousin, Rogan and Co. Simon Rogan's relaxed neighbourhood restaurant was first awarded its Michelin star in 2018, and continues to offer a casual dining experience while retaining the unparalleled precision and creativity of Simon's distinctive culinary style, using exceptional Cumbrian, as well as home-grown, ingredients that are harvested in their prime. This is contemporary, inventive and seasonal British fare served in an intimate setting. Again, you must book in advance. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Astonishing Ambleside
Astonishing Ambleside
Once dubbed the anorak capital of England, Ambleside is now the heart of fine dining in the Lakes. Just ten minutes away, Michelin stars shine bright, including another standout duo on the fine dining scene.
Ryan Blackburn has retained his Michelin star for The Old Stamp House, so named because this is the building where the poet William Wordsworth worked as a distributor of stamps (the legal kind, not postage stamps). So it’s steeped in history while leading the way in modern dining. Ryan and his team specialise in local rare breed meats and locally foraged goods. Dinner is called A journey around Cumbria and might include Yew Tree Farm Herdwick hoggett (two year old, with a richer flavour than lamb but not as strong as mutton). You might find shrimps from Morecambe Bay, and Cartmel valley roe deer. There will be local ales, of course, and their wine list includes a diverse and eclectic range of vineyards that directly complement the seasonal dishes.
Just next door is The Schelly, Ryan Blackburn’s more relaxed diner which now has a Bib Gourmand award. It’s a small-plates casual dining place, named after a rare freshwater fish, found exclusively in local lakes: Brothers Water, Haweswater, Red Tarn and Ullswater. Ryan calls this fine dining without the faff. The Bib Gourmand is not quite a star, but most definitely not a consolation prize, a rating that recognizes friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices. The Schelly menu is designed to be shared and offers you the opportunity to try as little or as much as you want; you won’t be judged.
And just across the road is another exceptional Michelin-starred restaurant, Lake Road Kitchen, understated, unfussy, an inconspicuous frontage that thousands of hikers walk past every day without a second glance, but with the sort of rave reviews that make you want to reach for your diary and phone at once. Yes, booking well ahead is essential, as it is for all our recommendations here. Under the guidance of chef James Cross, the menu showcases bold, innovative flavours and an intimate dining experience. There are 5, 8, and 12-course serving menus available as well as expertly paired wines. The result is dishes that are complex, creative and contain impressive depth of flavour – years of culinary experience are evident in every mouthful.
And nearby, just off the main road back to Windermere, is yet another Ambleside Michelin star, The Samling. This time there’s overstatement and drama where one of the finest views of Windermere provides the backdrop to one of the finest menus in the area.
In response to the dramatic landscape, executive head chef Robby Jenks is developing and refining menus based on the core ingredients in each dish, and where possible these come from their own greenhouse, gardens and woodland.
Grasmere Gothic
Grasmere Gothic
Grasmere, 25 minutes along the road from us, is the location of Forest Side, and another Michelin star. And here again they select the freshest locally sourced seasonal produce, which is then paired with an exclusive wine list featuring small organic and bio-dynamic wine producers. It’s set in a fairytale Gothic mansion in beautiful grounds in the heart of Wordsworth country. And William Wordsworth, who was an early environmentalist, would be proud of the ambitions here, where the team is striving for a more sustainable and organic food chain. The end result is nothing short of exquisite.
Windermere Wonderland
Windermere Wonderland
And while you’re now totally spoiled for choice of fine dining in the Lakes, we have one more Michelin star restaurant very close to us here in Windermere, Source, at the Gilpin Hotel. It lies just ten minutes’ drive south, above the Beatrix Potter village of Far Sawrey, and once again you will be transported into a culinary wonderland.
The restaurant is set over a number of intimate dining rooms. Each course, said one visitor, is a magic trick, designed to make you gasp at how good it looks, then gasp again at the flavours. Exec chef Ollie Bridgwater (formerly of Heston Blumenthal’s three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck) oversees the team creating an exceptional and fun dining experience. Once again, you’ll need to book ahead. The other Michelin stars in Cumbria, not so easily reached from Windermere, are Allium at Askham Hall, Cedar Tree at Farlam Hall, The Cottage in the Wood near Whinlatter, The Dog and Gun at Skelton, Heft at High Newton, and the Pentonbridge Inn near Longtown.
Award-Winning Breakfasts at Cedar Manor
But the last word is for the first meal of the day back home at Cedar Manor. Our breakfasts have won awards and non-residents are warmly invited to join us. To make a booking, please ring 015394 43192.