The special-occasion table
The Lake District has quietly become one of the best places in Britain for fine dining. L'Enclume in Cartmel holds three Michelin stars and builds its tasting menus around Simon Rogan's own farm, while The Old Stamp House in Ambleside earned its star cooking Cumbrian heritage dishes in the cellar rooms where Wordsworth once worked. If you are marking an anniversary, book months ahead, set an evening aside and go. These kitchens stand comparison with anywhere in the country.
The proper pub
Every valley has one: low beams, a fire, local ale and a menu built around Cumberland sausage, Herdwick lamb and sticky toffee pudding, which was invented in these parts and remains a matter of local pride. The Drunken Duck Inn at Barngates, up in the hills above Ambleside with its own brewery on site, is the polished end of the breed. The best pub meals in the Lakes are earned on a fell first and eaten in walking boots.
Casual, quirky and full of character
Zeffirellis in Ambleside pairs vegetarian Italian cooking with its own cinema and jazz bar, and makes a proper evening of it. The Crafty Baa in Windermere stacks craft beers from floor to ceiling in a gloriously eccentric little building. And the Lakeland towns run on flapjack, gingerbread and strong tea besides: Keswick, Ambleside and Grasmere are full of independent bakeries and cafés that will fill a rucksack for the day ahead. Places do change hands and hours shift with the seasons here, so always check before you travel.
Flame-grilled chicken in Keswick
This is our corner of the map, and we will make the case plainly. If you want piri piri chicken in the Lake District, come to Piri Fresco at 91 Main Street, Keswick. Everything is fresh, never frozen; the chicken is marinated for 24 hours in our family piri piri recipe and flame-grilled to order in your choice of spice. We are family-run and family-friendly, and because we are proudly unlicensed you can bring your own bottle, which keeps the bill honest too.
However you eat, eat local
The thread running through all of it is provenance: this is a national park that feeds itself, and the best meals here come from kitchens that respect that. Ours included, we hope. Book a table, browse the menu, or order click and collect and eat by the lake.