Rampsbeck Country House Hotel

Rampsbeck served as a lycée for children of the French evacuation during the war, and you might have spotted it in some of the location scenes in Coronation Street, but there's no substitute of course for actually being here, and drinking in the luscious views over Ullswater and the distant fells. Continuity of ownership over the years has refined the experience to a high sheen, and Andrew McGeorge's cooking has rolled productively with the times. A liking for French modes still informs the menus, but the modus operandi is modern British in its creative juxtapositions and its ingenuity. Start with a bowl of cumin-foamed carrot soup. Following that might be osso buco terrine with gremolata, or seared scallops with Périgord truffle dressing. Main courses try out some clever ideas, such as macadamia-crusted best end of lamb with fondant sweet potato, or a combination of brill, salsify, pancetta and wild mushrooms, sauced with red wine and shallots. At dessert, the Valrhona chocolate and orange terrine with coffee ice cream and chocolate orange fondant won't lack for takers, but for lighter tastes, there could be Granny Smith mousse with cinnamon jelly and pear sorbet.