... However, my reviews also do include a degree of my life history, because I like to entertain, and because I like to write! I am confident that the majority of readers will enjoy what I have to say :o)
The Pheasant is an old coaching inn, and the building is over 500 years old. It was ... Read review
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This is a review of the “Pheasant” (sometimes known as the ‘Pheasant Inn’ as this is what it used to be called) which is a well-known restaurant and hotel near Cockermouth and Keswick in Cumbria. However, my reviews also do include a degree of my life history, because I like to entertain, and because I like to write! I am confident that the majority of readers will enjoy what I have to say :o)
The Pheasant is an old coaching inn, and ... ...serving traditional Cumbrian produce. The location is stunning, and it is situated near Bassenthwaite Lake. It’s on the A66, and well-signposted, so easy to find!
More information about the Pheasant can be found at their website - www.the-pheasant.co.uk where you can see some pictures and go on a virtual tour, and see a sample menu. You can aso find out about the surrounding area, and things to do while you are staying there. I would ... more
This is a review of the “Pheasant” (sometimes known as the ‘Pheasant Inn’ as this is what it used to be called) which is a well-known restaurant and hotel near Cockermouth and Keswick in Cumbria. However, my reviews also do include a degree of my life history, because I like to entertain, and because I like to write! I am confident that the majority of readers will enjoy what I have to say :o)
The Pheasant is an old coaching inn, and the building is over 500 years old. It was converted into an Alehouse in 1778. It is a traditional Cumbrian hotel, serving traditional Cumbrian produce. The location is stunning, and it is situated near Bassenthwaite Lake. It’s on the A66, and well-signposted, so easy to find!
More information about the Pheasant can be found at their website - www.the-pheasant.co.uk where you can see some pictures and go on a virtual tour, and see a sample menu. You can aso find out about the surrounding area, and things to do while you are staying there. I would certainly recommend visiting the Pencil Museum (sounds awful, but it is good), and the Cars of the Stars museum in Keswick, and the Sheep and Wool Centre which is just down the road.
Up-to date information about rates can be found on the website. A meal with drinks will set you back approximately £100, and bed and breakfast for two is currently £150.
This review is about my personal experiences of the Pheasant. However, I do feel that any words I can say will not do it justice, and it really is a place worth visiting if you are in the Lake District. Please note, you can visit the Pheasant for lunches, morning coffees and afternoon teas as well as for evening meals and staying the night. My experiences focus on dinner, bed and breakfast.
***Hubby and I – a brief intro***
Hubby and I met in our first year at university….we lived down the same corridor in our halls of residence. Initially I didn’t think much of him (don’t worry, he does know this) and it was January 2000 when we first spoke, in our local haunt “The Railway” (I could often be found passed out on the floor in there – the bar staff were used to me). On 14th February we were chatting on Yahoo Messenger (despite me being in room B6, and him in B12), and he invited me along to share a Valentines bottle of JD with him. A drunken water fight ensued and the rest is history (as they say!)
Anyway, full details of this will be found in my autobiography which I hope might be out in 2009. I must try not to lose track….this is essentially a review of the Pheasant Inn!
Although the run-up to the wedding nearly caused me to have a nervous breakdown, when the 22nd May 2004 (my 23rd birthday) came the day was perfect. My dress made by my mum (it had a moose on it and everything), my 7-tier wedding cake made by my dad, perfect weather, beautiful flowers in the church, my 4 lilac bridesmaids, and marquee in the garden. Not to mention the over 120ish family and friends who shared the day with us.
***Married Life***
We had a fantastic honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, it was the longest time we’d spent together since Uni. But after getting back, it was hubby going back to Bridlington, and me staying in Essex. It wasn’t ideal, by any means. It was not the start to married life that most people have. If you want to know more about why this was the case, an how we ended up here, you might like to read - http://www.ciao.co.uk/Everything_that_starts_with_W__Review_5620099
Finally, after the first 6 months of married life apart, we were together, and things have just got better and better since!
***Anniversaries***
Well, after a bad start to the marriage, I feel it’s even more important to celebrate anniversaries, now that we can really appreciate what we have since we live together! I have always got excited about my birthday, so even more so now that it’s our anniversary as well – double the celebration! People say to hubby “Well, at least you won’t forget her birthday”, but he wouldn’t be able to anyway since I start going on about it two months before and getting excited about my presents (even if I end up buying them myself!)
***Our second anniversary – and going to the Pheasant***
We are so lucky living where we do, but I didn’t want to come initially (didn’t want to leave my family and friends) and I was adamant that I was going to hate living in Cumbria – but I admit I was wrong – it really is a beautiful place, despite the rain! The sheep and mountains are just an added bonus – not to mention house prices being cheap!
Last year we decided to go to the Pheasant for dinner on the day as something special. We had tried to go before (and since), but had not booked far enough in advance. We pass the turn off to the Pheasant so frequently….in fact every time we venture out to Keswick, Penrith, or out of the county! We had heard from various people that it is an excellent restaurant, and we certainly weren’t disappointed.
As soon as we arrived we were aware that this was not like the more downmarket restaurants we’re used to. Our coats were taken from us, and we were taken into the lounge where we were given canapés and drinks while we ordered. When we went into the restaurant, the waiter carried our drinks for us.
The meal started with a pre-starter (something the chef was experimenting with), followed by a starter (I had the warm pigeon salad), soup or fish (think I had a mushroom soup), main course (duck with chocolate), and dessert. It was a stunning meal (certainly in my top 10 of meals I’ve ever had), although perhaps a few too many flavours in the main course (that’s the food critic in me speaking). The high level of cuisine is reflecting in the Pheasant’s AA rosette. We washed our meal down with a nice bottle of red wine, followed by drinks (soft drinks for hubby as he had to drive home). The whole meal including drinks came to £95. Yes, expensive, but still excellent value. It was worth it just for the treatment – being treated as valued customers – not something you seem to get in most restaurants.
As we left we enquired about staying the night and picked up a brochure. We pretty much decided then and there that the next year we would stay the night – that way we could both drink!
***Booking***
I booked via e-mail back in January, because I didn’t want to forget – for a weeknight it’s certainly not necessary to book that far in advance, although I would expect it is during the summer. The manager phoned me up to confirm, and he seemed surprised when I gave him my postcode. Put it this way, the Pheasant’s postcode is CA13, and ours is CA14. I decided that we would go on the Monday night, and that way wake up in the hotel on my birthday/anniversary. I received an e-mail confirmation, and put the date in our diaries!***Yesterday – 21st May 2007***
---Arrival and settling in---
We arrived at the Pheasant at 4:30pm. It was a good journey getting there (after all it is only 15 minutes away!) We were personally shown to our room which was named “Honister” (after the slate mine at a guess). There are 13 bedrooms, and they have a homely feel rather than that of chain and more commercial hotels.
The bedroom itself was nice, but I was particularly impressed with the bathroom which was huge. Bigger than ours at home. I always notice the pictures on the walls in hotels, and was impressed by the seven pictures in our room – views of the Lake District. There was a big bouquet of flowers waiting for us, sent by the in-laws to the hotel.
We contemplated having afternoon tea (which is served from 3:30 until 5pm), but decided against it (I had already had a large lunch at work for someone’s 40th birthday), and went to sit outside in the residents garden. The Pheasant has 40 acres of land, but there was a pleasant little garden, full of pansies and butterflies, and a resident cat who was quite friendly.
When the bar opened at 5:30pm, hubby sent me to get a bottle of wine. I opted for a Spanish Rose for £18 – not the cheapest, but certainly not one of the most expensive. The barman brought it out to us in the garden with a cooler, and glasses of tap water (which I’d requested).
It was lovely sitting outside in the sun (it was a gorgeous day), drinking our wine and talking. Hubby had noticed that there was only decaf coffee in our room, so a staff member brought him some coffee for us to take back to the room.
At 6:30pm we returned to our room and both had baths – we would have shared one, but I was a bit disappointed that there was no bubble bath or rubber duck (I’m sure I could have asked). I enjoyed my bath (even though I don’t really like baths) because it was just so deep, and much bigger than a normal bath. When I got out I put on the Pheasant bathrobe (very comfy), and watched Coronation Street on the flat-screen TV as I dried my hair and got dressed. It’s not a place where you need to be dressed up, but most people are fairly smart.
---The Meal---
We went downstairs to the lounge where hubby had a whiskey, and I had a glass of wine. We were given complimentary canapés – breadsticks, olives and mushrooms, and nuts, and ordered our dinner – we opted for the four course at £33.95 per person.
We had booked dinner for 8pm, (we probably ordered just before), and sat in the lounge until we were shown through to the dining room (about 10 minutes later). We were pleased to find we were sat on the same table as last year. Our pre-starter starters were brought out. Basically, the chef tries out new things, and they are the complimentary starters. It was thin strips of raw beef, which I did like, but I wasn’t sure about the yoghurt sauce at all, as that is not my kind of thing. The waitress then brought round little rolls, which were very nice.
As a starter I had scallops on cauliflower puree. Hubby had Gressingham duck with pineapple chutney. Both were served with salad, and both were fantastic.
The next course was either sorbet or smoked haddock chowder. We both opted for the fish which had a delicious flavour and just the right amount of sauce.
Main course I chose the trio of Wild Boar - belly, sausage and steak. The wild boar cracking was the best crackling I’ve ever tasted. The sausage was very meaty, but went well with the creamy mashed potato, and red cabbage. Now I’m not really a cabbage fan, but I did enjoy this cabbage – and hubby is determined to replicate it at home.
Hubby went for a mini shepherd’s pie and loin of lamb, served with potatoes and beetroot. Both dishes (in fact all courses) are served attractively. However, portion sizes are good, it’s not one of these minimalist places!
With our meals we drank a bottle of Chilean red – again, not the cheapest at £25. I really did enjoy it though – normally with wine I’m glugging it down, but I really savoured the flavour of this one. We also had a jug of water – I like it in a restaurant where you don’t have to ask for water, that it’s just there!
The one flaw was that dessert was either dessert or cheese and biscuits (although I’m sure you can have both if you ask). I had the sticky toffee pudding (which I seem to remember I had last year as well), and hubby went for the Cumberland Farmhouse cheese. The sticky toffee pudding was served with ice-cream, a couple of strawberries and a dollop of cream. I think it would have been sufficient just to have the ice-cream with it. The portion was big, and toffee sauce exquisite. After our meal hubby and I were both full!
---After dinner--- We retired to the lounge where hubby had coffee (I’m not a big hot drinks person), and chocolates.
Hubby bought a cigar which he had in the smoking lounge – for old times sake more than anything, since smoking soon won’t be allowed anywhere.
Then it was time for drinks in the bar where hubby discovered to his delight that there was a choice of 55 whiskeys! I stuck to a brandy followed by a Baileys, while hubby sampled a couple of the whiskeys – which range in price from £3 to £6.50 a shot, in age from 8 to 25 years, and from 37.5 to 61.9%. This is a whisky lover’s haven. Hubby had quite a chat with the barman and told him that they should really advertise the whiskey choice more on the website.
We paid for the drinks at the bar separately, everything else we’d been putting on the room tab. It was a really relaxing evening. There were some other customers, mainly older couples who were on holiday in the Lake District. We were the youngest there by about 30 years, but we were certainly treated with respect. There is nothing worse than being treated as inferior customers just because you are younger – at the end of the day we have money as good as anyone else’s!
We went up to bed at about 11am, to find that the hotel staff had been rearranging our bed covers, which I found a bit unnecessary.
***The night***
I had a good night’s sleep, although woke up at 4am to the sound of the birds. I didn’t mind that at all, it was a welcome change from the seagulls we hear at home. There was also the bleating of a little lamb (well, it might not have been little), but I had it in my head that there was a poor little lost lamb.
The bed was comfy – it was actually two singles pushed together, so was big. I don’t really like having sheets instead of a duvet, but that seems to be the case in lots of hotels, so only a minor niggle really.
***Breakfast***
Breakfast in the Pheasant is served from 7:30am until 9:45am. We had a fairly early start (for a day off work anyway!) and went down at 8:30am. Hubby had a bowl of cornflakes and coffee, while I rehydrated myself with the fresh orange juice. There was the usual selection of cereals, grapefruit (etc), fruit juices, and porridge available on request.
Assorted toast was brought out, and we both ordered a full grilled breakfast. This consisted of egg (fried, poached or scrambled), tomato, mushroom, fried bread, a fried apple ring, smoked bacon, sausage, lambs kidneys, and black pudding. Really it was one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had – having a breakfast cooked to order really does make all the difference. I’m not a black pudding or kidney fan, but I was determined to try everything, and I was pleasantly surprised. But really for me, it was the scrambled egg which made it!
Of course any combination of foods can be ordered for breakfast. There is also the alternative of having kedgeree, or kippers, or a cold meats platter.
***Settling the bill***
We left shortly after breakfast, in order to get home before the postman came with my presents (!) The bill came to £270, which included dinner, bed and breakfast (oh, and a copy of the Telegraph).
Not the cheapest night out, but we had a lovely evening and it was certainly money well spent. We have decided that it will become a bit of a tradition, and will almost certainly go next year for our anniversary.
In the meantime we have booked a table for 6 for a Saturday in June when my parents and their friends are coming up to Cumbria. With them footing the bill, hubby is looking forward to trying out some more of the whiskeys. We won’t be staying that night, so I’ll be driving home!
****The verdict****
In my opinion, the pheasant really is a lovely place both to eat and to stay. If you are a tourist it is in an excellent location for sightseeing in Keswick and Cockermouth (and you can even venture to see hubby and I in Workington if you so desire). It’s the sort of place that if I wrote poetry, that I would be inspired to write. I did attempt with hubby in the garden, but got as far as “The grass is green, and so is the chimney as it is covered in leaves” – so perhaps don’t think I have a talent for it!
It was a lovely birthday and anniversary celebration, and today I am just relaxing and enjoying myself (wearing my new moose slippers) – I’ve enjoyed writing this review and immortalising my experience! Oh, and not forgetting compliments to the chef and all that! I must also add that all of the waiting staff are excellent.
If you feel anything is missing, please do let me know and I will endeavour to add it!
