1863 With Rooms - Barton

The food is absolutely exceptional. We have eaten here on a number of occasions now, and i honestly can not fault it. All of the staff are also really nice and you receive a very warm welcome Service: 5 Location: 5 Hotel highlights: Luxury, Romantic, Quiet, Great value

A gourmet table and kitchen, the dishes are very fine, the chef's creativity is remarkable. To try ! Service: 5

Had three course menu for dinner. Incredible food, fantastic presentation, excellent service. A proper fine dining experience. Would highly highly recommend. No doubt we will be back. Rooms: 5 Service: 5 Location: 5 Hotel highlights: Luxury

Renowned for its vertiginous landscape and breathtaking views the lake district has always been a firm favourite for the outdoor type. But in recent times Cumbria has quietly built a reputation as a first class foodie destination boasting the most Michelin star restaurants in a county outside London. We were keen to try the ambitious 1863 in Pooley Bridge proudly named after the date it was built. The modern version was welcoming and well furnished with plenty of interesting memorabilia to browse between courses. The 7 course tasting menu started with the regular amuse bouche, tasty but not stunning and there was a suprise glass of bubbles with the wine pairing. The opening venison tartare was splendid, packed in flavour with a welcome hazelnut texture contrast. All courses were excellent but the star of the show was undoubtedly the Creedy Carver duck, perfectly cooked, well seasoned, a crispy skin and accompanied with duck leg wrapped in savoy cabbage and pumpkin seeds. The wine pairings were well matched although the Rioja Blanco, with the halibut; was perhaps slightly over woody for my pallet. If there was one criticism the sommelier needs some work, particularly if there is ambition to join the Cumbrian elite with a star. The closing expresso was weak and my Balvenie 12 was wrecklessly delivered with a lump of ice but overall an enjoyable fine dining experience and well recommended.

We really enjoyed our meal at 1863. Lovely welcoming staf and a delicious well presented lunch menu. Overall, great value.