Rothay Manor

Ambleside has transformed itself into the gastro-honeypot of the South Lakes, and Rothay Manor (a whitewashed Georgian dwelling and one of the town’s most venerable hotels) is currently reaping the benefit of a recent boutique makeover. A three-course carte will come as a relief to anyone suffering from a surfeit of the tasting menus which are obligatory in so many high-end Lakeland dining rooms, though meals do come with all the fine-dining accoutrements of intricately wrought amuse-bouches garlanded with edible flowers, and expertly baked breads served with cultured butters. High-end ingredients are a given here. A starter of beautifully cooked lobster tail comes in a deeply flavoured bisque adorned with prettily carved carrot 'petals', typical of a fondness for the precision of Japanese technique. There are Asian flavours, too – an assembly of rosy-pink suckling pig with turnip and umeboshi is almost outshone by a stunning pork dim-sum dumpling on the side. Elsewhere, Scandinavian influences are evident in, say, a full-flavoured venison tartare with swede and rye. Each component has been chosen with full consideration for the role it will play in the overall flavours and textures to achieve the balance that is the hallmark of good cooking, whatever the nationality. There’s no denying that the food bears comparison with Ambleside’s finest but on our visit the atmosphere still had some catching up to do. Painfully slow service between courses allowed ample time to consider what it felt like to be in a gloomy wood-panelled room on a dark night, with tables set too far apart to create any sort of buzz. Summer evenings, with a view of the terrace and garden through full-length windows are, we imagine, a much nicer time to eat here – likewise Sunday lunch of roast sirloin of beef or stuffed leg of suckling pig.