Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel

Once owned by Lord Lonsdale, the first president of the Automobile Association (stand to attention please!), this Arts and Crafts house is positioned above Lake Windermere with a sightline that includes some of the most famous peaks in the Lakes - Scafell Pike, Coniston Old Man and the Langdale Pikes. The views outside are impressive, but the hotel itself is no shrinking violet, with acres of handsome panelled walls, stained glass, rich rugs on burnished wooden floors, and furnished with a good deal of country-house chic. Diners are treated to the views, plus rich-red walls, oak panels, and a terrace that delivers the magnificent vista on a plate. The suitably refined and elegant space is manned by a service team who do justice to the surroundings. David McLaughlin has been leading the kitchen team for a decade, delivering dishes which reflect his classical training and show a bit of a contemporary flair. There's a real local flavour, too, with good use of regional produce and the natural ebb and flow of the seasons. Cartmel Valley smoked salmon with pickled beetroot and horseradish crème fraîche is a straight and true first course, or go for warm salad of Périgord quail with white grape and Sauternes dressing. Attention to detail is evident from the presentation on the plate to the just-so timing of the cooking. Main-course roast squab pigeon comes with confit cabbage and Madeira sauce, while wild sea bass is roasted and served with aubergine caviar and red pepper sauce. To finish, vanilla-poached pineapple with coconut sorbet and banana beignets is an exploration of tropical flavours.