Where the Lake District Comes to Table

“A night to remember, for all the wrong reasons. Welcoming and warm arrival, but upon being shown in to the Rose room, which is fabulous, we were hit by a pungent smell of vomit. Not a hint, but so strong that as much as we wanted to stay, we asked to be moved. The Walnut room was nice. Pre dinner drinks, the sommelier served us the house champagne and English fizz. Both flatter than a pancake. On asking, nicely, if he felt they were acceptable, he said not all champagne are sparkling. Which is true, but these glasses came from bottles clearly opened some days ago. That said, two new glasses appeared and guess what, from fresh bottles they tasted and presented as expected. Four course meal was served by a great team, food was good, but not michelin starred. What should have been a memorable wedding anniversary evening was far below what we expected. We are happy to pay a premium, but not for this.”

“Beautiful hotel and restaurant. The food, service and venue are all amazing. We had the 6 course menu its definitely worth the money. The flavours, presentation and quality of the food is exceptional.”

“RESTAURANT ONLY REVIEW I do not usually leave one star reviews, but what happened here needs to be shared so others are aware. To begin with, the restaurant does not currently reflect Michelin star standards. The food was alright but the portions were extremely small, and the overall quality did not match what you would expect from a place carrying that rating. The main issue, and the reason I am writing this, is what happened to my wife and me on arrival. While I was parking the car, a member of staff took her jacket. He was openly rude and impatient with her for no reason, which created an uncomfortable atmosphere on what should have been a simple, enjoyable birthday lunch. When the jacket was returned to us, it had been torn. This was a designer jacket that cannot be repaired. The damage happened because it had been forced against a metal fixture instead of being placed on the clear hanger that is built into the jacket. This level of damage does not happen through normal handling. It shows a complete lack of care. We immediately made staff aware. They apologised and told me the manager would contact me. No one ever reached out. For a place operating at this price point and claiming Michelin status, that lack of responsibility is unacceptable. To be clear, I am absolutely justified in making this complaint. A staff member damaged an expensive item of clothing, there was unnecessary rudeness, and the promised follow-up never happened. When guests hand over belongings to staff, they should be handled with care. When something goes wrong, the minimum standard is to take responsibility and follow through. I would strongly advise anyone against giving staff anything valuable to look after. If something is damaged, there seems to be no accountability. Some staff were friendly, others seemed poorly trained, and the food did not live up to its reputation. Combined with how the situation was handled, the entire experience fell far below what you would expect from a restaurant of this level. I will never return, and I will advise others to stay well away from this place.”

“The Forest Side will always hold a very special place in our hearts — we got married here last year and it was out of this world, so returning for our anniversary felt like coming home. We stayed again in Rose (my bridal suite), which was so emotional and brought back wonderful memories. The 8-course tasting menu was absolutely incredible — every dish beautifully executed and full of flavour. Paul and the team, along with Michal, looked after us so well again, and Jess and her team made us feel completely relaxed and cared for. The level of service here is warm, genuine, and effortless — they are a true credit to this hotel. This place is now our home from home, and we can’t wait to return every year to relive the memories and create new ones.”

“Beautiful venue for our daughter’s wedding. Every thing was perfect. The staff were excellent, very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. The bedrooms were very spacious and clean. Special thank you to Jess, for making Tracy & Darryl’s wedding perfect, and stress free. xx”