Lake District National Park
in England

Base, helmed by Lisa and Rob Berry, is a pizzeria serving Neapolitan pizza to a hungry host of locals. A slow-rising, 48-hour-fermented dough is topped with fior di latte and a range of toppings before being thrown into a roaring wood-fired oven. A delicious taste of Italy, much closer to the English fells.

The Drunken Duck has all the hallmarks of a classic Lakeland inn – stone walls, crackling fires and just eleven rooms – but the kitchen is what stands out. The menu shifts with the seasons, yet comforting favourites like cider-braised rabbit pudding or braised steak with caramelised shallots and thyme mash remain reason enough to take the scenic route home.

Follow the spice route without leaving the Lake District at Gilpin Spice, where an open kitchen serves bold Pan-Asian plates inspired by the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and China. The colourful interiors match the menu’s energy, while different ways to dine – from the chefs’ counter to the private dining room – make it one for sharing.

A proper Lakeland pub with plenty of country character, The Hare & Hounds has been lovingly run by Ash and Becky Dewar since 2013. Set in a 16th-century coaching inn in Levens, the pub does comfort food, hand-rolled pizzas, local ales and a seriously good cocktail list, with five individually styled rooms upstairs for turning a pint into a proper stay. Muddy boots welcome.

Like the Herdwick sheep it takes its name from, Heft is firmly rooted in its patch of Cumbria. Chef Kevin Tickle grew up exploring, fishing and foraging the county, while his wife Nicola comes from a family that has farmed the Lake District since the 1600s. Set inside a 17th-century inn with five rooms in High Newton, it’s an ode to that deep connection to the landscape, with Kevin’s cooking shaped by what grows, grazes and can be foraged around it.

In the postcard-perfect village of Cartmel, Simon Rogan's three-Michelin-starred restaurant and Green Michelin Star pioneer is fuelled by its own nearby 12-acre farm, where chefs and growers work hand in hand to shape each season's menu. Stay the night in one of its characterful rooms scattered throughout Cartmel, wake up to breakfast at the Michelin-starred Rogan & Co, then spend the morning wandering the farm before returning home wondering why every hotel doesn't come with its own vegetable patch.

Forget white-tablecloth theatrics. At Lake Road Kitchen, James Cross lets the ingredients do the talking, drawing on a career spent at Noma, Per Se and La Pergola to create tasting menus that are quietly brilliant rather than showy. You might even find yourself inspecting every hedgerow on tomorrow's walk, wondering what he would've done with it.

Simon Rogan’s neighbourhood spot keeps things close to home, with a kitchen menuing the best of the Cartmel Valley. Much of the produce comes from Our Farm, just a mile away, where chefs and growers work side-by-side to decide what gets planted, picked and plated. Go for the set lunch, and ask what’s fresh from the farm that day.

If the period details, wallpapers and fringed cushions across its 23 individually styled rooms aren’t enough to convince you to book a night or two at Rothay Manor Hotel, perhaps Rowan, the hotel’s award-winning restaurant, will. Expect seasonal dishes made with local produce, best enjoyed after a day wandering the Lakes.

A family-owned Cumbrian pub set within the village of Skelton does what British pubs do best: hearty fare, well-pulled pints, and a terrifically cosy atmosphere. But unlike the village pub institutions, this one is a five-year holder of a well-deserved Michelin Star. Seasonal ingredients dictate the menu, though their assortment of pies – whether a traditional steak and local ale, or Torpenhow cheddar, leek, and potato – stealsl the show. The whole Dover sole, soaked in spinach and caper butter, is another standout. Don’t skip dessert; the puddings are the real treat.

Housed in William Wordsworth's former office in the heart of Ambleside, The Old Stamp House is chef Ryan Blackburn's ode to Cumbria. He draws on the region's rich culinary heritage (from Herdwick lamb and Morecambe Bay shellfish to forgotten recipes and wild-foraged ingredients) to create a tasting menu that feels as rooted in the landscape as the fells themselves. 

Hidden into the damson-filled Lyth Valley, The Punch Bowl is a 17th-century country inn made for post-walk unwinding. Set in the village of Crosthwaite, with picturesque trails on the doorstep and Lake Windermere just a 15-minute drive away, settle by the fire or on the terrace before dinner from its award-winning kitchen.

A bistro with beds on a 17th-century sheep farm, The Yan is what we would consider the perfect Lake District base. Seven individually styled bedrooms overlook the Central Fells, while downstairs, the rustic British bistro keeps things hearty. 

A one-stop gift shop, ethical clothing labels, a cabinet of antiques and homeware, an on-site cabinet maker and a reclamation centre, Yew Tree Barn is the definition of versatile. Though it’s the resident Harry’s Café, led by chef Scott Fairweather, that’s our main draw. Head for a two-course Sunday lunch – where the vegetarian butternut squash pie is a standout for non-meat eaters – or join the Friday night bistro, where seasonal fare leads the culinary charge.