Myself and my husband were looking for somewhere nice to eat in Ambleside. We were sure what we…read morewanted and stumbled across Sheila's Cottage. We hadn't booked prior as we just thought we would see what we could find. The staff were lovely and happy to seat us. The interior was decorated really nice and had that homely feeling. The food was brilliant! Loved it all. I ordered the butternut squash risotto for mains and sticky toffee pudding both were lovely I would recommend these!

Great food, in a town without a lot of great choices…read more We ate here after a long day of hiking - our original plan was to have dinner at a pub but none of the pub options in Ambleside looked remotely appealing and Sheila's Cottage did. It was a great decision. The lamb was the best I've had in a long time (be aware it takes the kitchen about 35 minutes to prepare), and my partner's risotto was excellent too, if almost too creamy. Someone else in our group had the penne pasta entree, which I didn't try, but they were happy with it as well. Service was friendly too.

Delightful setting, lovely food, friendly staff.read more

This place gets four stars for the banter with the bar man. In terms of the bar itself, there's…read morenothing overt that sticks out to make this place unique -- it's cosy enough, with a fireplace and candles etc, but it's small and the decor doesn't say a great deal. You may notice it's got quite a local vibe too, since on our visit there were a few loud-to-rowdy locals crowded at the bar. Not that they were unfriendly, but for a single gal it could be intimidating to muscle in between 'the lads' in order to purchase a beverage. They have a cocktail menu, which is what we were after at the time, so I approached to see if we could knock up a few drinks. I was hankering for a straight up daiquiri, but this wasn't going to happen in Ambleside. He did, however, gladly make my Dad his very first white Russian -- which he loved. Happy days! Especially as that wasn't on the menu. For me, I had one of their in-house cocktails, which was strong, super sweet, and about 3 of my 5-a-day (it was loaded with fresh strawberries). That alone was enough to make me forgive Ambleside for the lack of proper cocktails. He blended it with ice, filled it with rum, and although it was slow to drink (ice cream headache central) it was delicious. Really decent lad behind the bar, and of course, plenty of lagers and such to choose from. They do food as well, I believe, but I've not tried.

The drunken duck is a favorite of our friend who has come here for 40 years, starting with golf…read morebuddies, then with family and best of all to celebrate weddings, and great moments. Relax here, the staff is ready to make this luxury even better with whatever you need! Directions to many local hikes or hot coffee on the picnic tables. So much fun to have, there are gardens, strolls, patios and quiet libraries too. This is the most beautiful place I've ever stayed because I can get some rest, unwind and enjoy the great outdoors. Yesterday there was a local marathon- yes!- great runners charged past into the local town of Ambleside. Hikers and dog lovers are here too. National parks close by... what a get-away we are having!!

Such a charming pub and inn right in the middle of the Lakes District. There's a glorious view…read moreoverlooking the mountains right in front of the venue (with picnic tables if you'd like to sit and enjoy it with a pint). Brunch, lunch, dinner, and bar snacks are served at the Drunken Duck, and I'd only really recommend booking for dinner. The beer and cider are mostly local I believe. We did the curry bowl to share (vegetarian and VERY tasty - kind of wish I could get the recipe), scampi, fries, and tartare sauce (those fries are to die for!) and the lamb kofta, hummus, flatbread, and mint yoghurt (great for sharing and noshing). There's plenty of parking on the side of the inn. The inside is decorated beautifully (very insta-worthy), so maybe consider renting out for an event. And yes, you can bring your dog to dinner/drinks.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at The Old Stamp House. We walked through the busy noisy streets of…read moreAmbleside under grey clouds -- and stepped into a different world: quiet, peaceful, calming. We had three attentive servers who guided unthought a special lunch. The courses included two appetizers of duck liver and a rabbit roll; small shrimp in cauliflower puree; bread and butter; local mushrooms with spelt and egg dusted with black truffle; poached trout with pickled artichoke and a trout roe sauce; loin of local deer with sausage and micro greens and an incredible side dish of venison shank encased in celeriac puree; and carmelized rum tart with blackberries. My favorites included the stewed venison shank with celeriac puree-- the venison was intensely flavored. The setting was calm. The service was excellent. A wonderful lunch !

Fulfillingness First Finale…read more You know wot!?, having just spent the last few weeks in some of the more popular big city destinations, where people flock like lemmings, it is brilliant to be in the wilds again. So good not having to step over crashed out crackheads or be subject to street detritus holding out a hand asking for a few pounds in an attempt at psychological manipulation.Fuck that shit. This is the Lake District with its mountains, valleys & rivers and herds of wildlife and I had spent the day walking the Fells before yomping it back in to Ambleside for dinner at the Old Stamp House with its William Wordsworth heritage "I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills" Two low-ceilinged rooms feature exposed beams and slate floors. The natural flavours of Cumbrian ingredients are championed in concise menus which showcase modern cooking. They serve seasonal food 'Insired by Cumbria'and sourced locally wherever possible. I was here when it first opened 5 years ago and chef Ryan Blackburn has gone from strength to strength since his time as head chef at "The Cottage in the Wood @ Whinlatter". Your bill here will be relative to the food you have been served. Quality will always have a price but I have yet to think that the price is OTT. People travel all the way from London just to eat the "Herdwick Hogget" speciality. Fed, watered and suitably satiated by a bottle of Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot, I made my way back along the winding lamplit streets and through the door of the cottage before crashing facedown on to my featherdown four poster. Bliss. I could almost be back in the Shire in Hobbiton ...

This is a new restaurant to the last time I was in Ambleside and it caught the eye of my friend and…read moreI as we were walking back to the YHA. We crossed over to take a look at the menu. It isn't a huge menu, but we liked the look of it, so we thought we would come back for dinner. When we came back sometime after 7 p.m. there were two ladies at a table in the window, but basically we had our choice of table. My friend had the Tattie Pot and his fiancee and I had the Wild Game Pie. I chose to have mine with mashed potatoes and veg, while she had mushy peas instead of veg. The food certainly looked good. Phil didn't like his food in the ramekin/casserole dish, so he dumped it out onto the plate. The pastry on the pie was a bit thick because it took me awhile to get into the main part of the pie. There was not a lot of filling and it was hard to taste the meat as it seemed like the spices had overpowered the meat itself. I have had rabbit and venison before, but I have never had pheasant and I was looking forward to tasting it, but it was a bit useless to try and figure it out. I will say that their mashed potatoes were fantastic. They were creamy and lovely with the gravy. Helen agreed with me on the pie. Even though we were stuffed, we couldn't pass up dessert... so Phil had the Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding, Helen had the Grasmere Gingerbread Cheesecake, and I had the Cartmel Sticky Chocolate Pudding. All of them were good, and I was completely content with mine. I love their Sticky Toffee Pudding and it is unusual for me to order the steamed Chocolate Puddings because I find them just too much, and while this one was rich, it was just right. I was trying to analyze the flavour... use of dark chocolate maybe... whatever it is, I love it. I think we all agreed that while we might not come back for a main meal, we'd definitely stop in for a pudding!

Super interesting bar we stumbled on just due to its location! After a nice walk along Rydal water,…read morewe found this right at the entrance to the walk. Thought it'd be nice to sit down before catching the bus back to Ambleside. There's indoor and outdoor seating, and all with a lot of character. The whole bar is themed around the badgers that live around the area. There's a real commitment to the theme in the decor! But there's also a lot of other kind of historic pieces and elements incorporated as well. I was tickled to see they literally have a badger live feed on their website, where I guess you can watch them feed the badgers that come out at dusk. Or see this in person there! I enjoyed my pint of Lancaster Blonde as well.

Excellent pub grub. Great selection of beers. Kitchen closes at 7:30. Sticky toffee pudding is…read moreworth the calories. Excellent flavor. Unique toilets

Stopped in here for a night on the way to Scotland. Tom, on the front desk to great care of us…read morechecking in and getting us oriented. The lodge/cabin was clean, well layed out and inviting. We opted for the casual menu for dinner as we had two kids with us. We started with the charcuterie board which was excellent as was the beetroot started which is served with goat cheese. For the main course we has the salmon which was excellent, fish and chips, burger and mushroom pasta were very good. We returned for breakfast of traditional fare which again was excellent. We only had one night here due to our schedule but we would go back...

Holbeck Country House and Spa is a luxury hotel overlooking the beautiful Lake Windermere, the…read morefells and mountains, which all looks spectacular especially at sunset. Nothing beats, watching the sunset over the lake, relaxing and sipping tea, after you have had your pampering! So make sure you have had a spa and massage treatment just before the sun sets. We were booked into the fabulous Lady Lonsdale room for our Spa Heaven break, with its high ceiling and a large comfy seating area with two sofas, and a fantastic view of the lake and fells. The hotel has Michelin starred dining. A three course dinner, starting off with canapes in the Lounge, which were really nice and tasty and ending with petit fours and coffee. The service was impeccable and friendly. However, the lighting in the restaurant was quite low, so you could not see the food very well, but it all looked delicious and well presented. It was nice that each course was introduced. My choc desserts were sublime though with a small souffle, and other choc delights. Overall the fine dining experience was, fine, I have had better. Since this was fine dining, one felt one should not take photos, so I had to surreptitiously do it, without flash, so not to spoil the ambience, but with the very dim lighting, it was a quite difficult task! The next morning, you can then enjoy the Michelin starred breakfast. I had the full English, although nicely presented, was not piping hot, the way I like it. The eggs were freshly fried so nice and hot, but the rest of the breakfast, the bacon, the black pudding, mushrooms and sausages were warm as obviously pre-cooked, and the tomatoes were only lightly grilled, so was cold. Unfortunately the toast was no better, it was cold by the time it reached us so was quite hard, almost like eating a biscuit. I like my butter to melt in the hot toast, and this did not. But all the food tasted country fresh. We took a short walk after breakfast to explore the lovely grounds, and the gardens. We followed the stream some way past the tennis court, but did not go all the way down to the Lake and Marina, as it was a few miles and we ran out of time ;-) Overall, the stay was very pleasant and relaxing. The staff was also friendly and helpful. An extremely nice treat for our special occasion. I was well spoilt! Windermere is so beautiful even in the mist! It finally cleared around lunch time, and the sun came out, so we took the hour and a half cruise round the lake from Bowness Pier, 7 minutes drive from the Holbeck Gyhll, and I learnt that it is the largest lake in England. The cruise only took in half of it, stopping at two piers which you can disembark and board again. The water was so, so clear and smooth, I was mesmerised, I could stare at it all day sitting on the boat, floating along the lake, soaking in the warm sun. Lovely!

On a recent trip to Manchester, my luvley wife, daughter and I went on a coach trip with a group of…read morefriends to Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District. Though it was a cloudy and breezy day, the temperature was quite reasonable for walking the hilly streets and popping in and out of all of the shops. Such a lovely town. With all of that walking, we quickly burned off our light early morning breakfast and stopped in at a patio bar on the main street for a couple of glasses of bubbles and a soda for our daughter while we decided what to do for lunch. I had done some research on the several chippies in town, looking to go beyond the normal fish and chips to scampi and chips. I read that the best scampi is had with full tail langoustine, and that some "scampi" actually contains fish pieces. I asked the bartender her opinion of the best shop in town, and right away she mentioned one that I had read about, Vinegar Jones. In fact, it was right up the street. We made a bee-line for the shop and so had a lot of others as the line snaked out the door. Wanting our fix bad enough, I got in line and ordered fish for the ladies and scampi for myself while my luvley wife and daughter headed upstairs to see if there was seating available, despite the sign on the counter that read "Upstairs Full". They found a table just in time so as I paid for our order, I was told it would be delivered upstairs shortly. The upstairs room is smallish, but had comfortable seating and a nice view out over the main street. Our orders arrived quickly, and the large pieces of fish were ever so gorgeous, piping hot and glistening on beds of chips. It tasted so fresh. But the star of my show was the scampi, full tail tasty nuggets of beauty. With little packets of tartar sauce and a full bottle of malt vinegar in hand, we were in chippy heaven. We had two other meals of fish and chips during our stay in Manchester, but none matched the quality and fresh taste of Vinegar Jones. Cheers!

Friendly, welcoming staff were more than happy to educate an American on the finer points of…read moreBritish chippie offerings. I was well fed and happy! No complaints. Definitely want to visit again next time I am in the Lake District!