Review: Rothay Manor, Lake District

A cosy boutique hotel set in the heart of the Lake District, with Great British Menu winner Daniel McGeorge presiding over the 3 AA Rosette fine dining restaurant

Perfect for: Romantic breaks and upmarket walking holidays

SLEEP: We stayed in the lavish Fairfield Suite, which consists of an en-suite bedroom, a cosy living room, and a dressing room cum study area. The lounge is decorated in whimsically patterned Melissa White wallpaper, while the bedroom features exposed beams, a palette of sage green and white, plus beautifully patterned soft furnishings. It also contains a vintage rolltop bath, where you can soak away the aches and pains of a day’s walking.

EAT: Head chef Daniel George recently won the Great British Menu for his classic British cuisine with Asian flavours, and has recently launched a tasting menu themed around the programme. It began with a trio of amuse-bouche, including a light sea urchin custard served in an eggshell and garnished with caviar, and was followed up by a delightfully delicate dish of tomatoes and burrata, garnished with wild garlic flowers and tomato essence.

Out of the main dishes, we particularly enjoyed ‘The Doctor’s Orders’, a course of brined lamb, deep-fried rosti and roast carrots, twinned with a full-bodied lamb dashi broth. And Dan’s winning dessert, ‘Give a Dog a Bone’ - a light chocolate mousse with a miso caramel centre and a chocolate shell, served with yuzu gel - was the perfect pairing of sweet, salt and sour. On another night we also partook of the hotel’s a la carte offering, sampling perfectly cooked veal sweetbreads with XO sauce and bone marrow jus, and light elderflower-infused scallops, as well as rare beef with aubergine involtini and charred shallots.

DO: William Wordsworth referred to the Lake District as the ‘loveliest spot that man hath found’, and we were captivated by the green, undulating fells and the glassy waters of Lake Windermere. Take a boat trip across it, or enjoy a spot of fell walking. Head to William Wordsworth’s Cottage in nearby Grasmere, where a newly opened museum will tell you more about the poet’s life.

Top Tip: Download the hotel’s maps and walking guides, which give you routes from the hotel ranging from 30 minutes to three hours. And bring your dog with you on the trip - the hotel welcomes them!