The story
Allium at Askham Hall grounds its Modern British cooking in Penrith, Cumbria, an estate the Lowther family has cultivated since 1724. Head chef Richard Swale channels this deep agricultural heritage into a daily rotating six course menu. Every component traces directly to the property’s own kitchen gardens, upland grazing lands, and trusted regional producers. This dedication to provenance and technical precision recently secured a Very Good ranking from The Good Food Guide for 2026.
The kitchen treats regional British cuisine as a living archive rather than a fixed repertoire. An Askham garden salad layers crisp leaves with sheep’s curd, black truffle, and a sharp duck gizzard vinaigrette. Sweet Mull langoustines appear alongside red curry paste and roasted cauliflower, while autumn menus feature tender red deer accompanied by summer savory, beetroot, and elderberries. Desserts frequently highlight garden botanicals, such as a delicate geranium set cream balanced against early rhubarb.
Guests dine in an airy garden room appended to the original 14th century Pele tower walls. The wider space retains the comfortable wear of a lived in family home rather than a sterile hotel. Well worn flagstone floors lead past oversized sofas, towering bookshelves, and large ceramic jugs filled with fresh cut blooms. The layout encourages unhurried conversation and keeps the boundary between the kitchen and the dining floor comfortably thin.
A substantial leather bound wine list spans an alphabetical catalogue sourced from private collectors worldwide. Maître de maison Nico Chieze guides guests through flights that balance rare vintages with consistently reliable bottles at everyday price points. His team adjusts recommendations to match both budget and palate without ever making questions feel cumbersome. This measured hospitality ensures that exceptional British cooking always meets equally thoughtful service.
Recognition
Details
History
4 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Dining at chef Richard Swale’s Allium at Askham Hall is like being a house guest in a small château. The 14th-century Pele tower in the picture-perfect hamlet of Askham was, until 2012, the family home of the Lowther family. Sensitively converted for human-scaled hospitality, it remains family-owned and an integral part of the wider working estate. A hand-drawn sketch within the daily changing six-course menu illustrates the provenance of the vast majority of ingredients direct from their own perfectly tended market gardens, farms and upland game areas. Produce this fresh demands cooking of absolute integrity and authenticity, and this Allium is certainly one lily that needs no gilding. The result? Uber-local dishes of joyous celebration, technical excellence and maximum flavour. The Askham garden salad with sheep's curd, truffle and a duck-gizzard vinaigrette is a dish with nowhere to hide, offering simple perfection, leaf by carefully placed leaf. The bold approach to sweet Mull langoustines with red curry and cauliflower pays dividends, while tender red deer with summer savory, beetroot and elderberries captures the essence of this distinctive place on a single plate. A geranium set cream with rhubarb evidences a lightness of touch and preparedness to elevate humble plants to elegant status. Dining in the airy garden room, sensitively appended to the original castle walls, emphasises its proximity to the produce which is the bedrock of brilliance underpinning this 'charming experience'. To match the quality of cooking, an awe-inspiring leather-bound wine list navigates an A-Z of the world’s great wines from the private cellars of passionate collectors. Despite some unique rarities costing an average UK annual salary, there are many well-chosen options at prices accessible to ordinary mortals. All is lovingly stewarded by charming house manager/maître d'/sommelier Nico Chieze, who approaches customers of differing wine knowledge with equal grace and curates flights that cut through any complexity or concern. Some restaurants may appear arbitrary in their location, but Allium and its close-knit family at Askham Hall has deep roots into the local land, history and community.
Location
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