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Rothay Manor

Cumbria, Ambleside - Modern European - Restaurant - £££

Overall Rating: Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Very Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Good

*Aaron Lawrence (one-time sous-chef at The Samling) is now head chef, following the departure of long-serving Daniel McGeorge.* Ambleside has transformed itself into the gastro-honeypot of the South Lakes, and Rothay Manor (a whitewashed Georgian dwelling and one of the town’s most venerable hotels) is currently reaping the benefit of a recent boutique makeover. A three-course carte will come as a relief to anyone suffering from a surfeit of the tasting menus which are obligatory in so many high-end Lakeland dining rooms, though meals do come with all the fine-dining accoutrements of intricately wrought amuse-bouches garlanded with edible flowers, and expertly baked breads served with cultured butters. High-end ingredients are a given here. A starter of beautifully cooked lobster tail comes in a deeply flavoured bisque adorned with prettily carved carrot 'petals', typical of a fondness for the precision of Japanese technique. There are Asian flavours, too – ...

*Aaron Lawrence (one-time sous-chef at The Samling) is now head chef, following the departure of long-serving Daniel McGeorge.*

Ambleside has transformed itself into the gastro-honeypot of the South Lakes, and Rothay Manor (a whitewashed Georgian dwelling and one of the town’s most venerable hotels) is currently reaping the benefit of a recent boutique makeover. A three-course carte will come as a relief to anyone suffering from a surfeit of the tasting menus which are obligatory in so many high-end Lakeland dining rooms, though meals do come with all the fine-dining accoutrements of intricately wrought amuse-bouches garlanded with edible flowers, and expertly baked breads served with cultured butters. High-end ingredients are a given here. A starter of beautifully cooked lobster tail comes in a deeply flavoured bisque adorned with prettily carved carrot 'petals', typical of a fondness for the precision of Japanese technique. There are Asian flavours, too – an assembly of rosy-pink suckling pig with turnip and umeboshi is almost outshone by a stunning pork dim-sum dumpling on the side. Elsewhere, Scandinavian influences are evident in, say, a full-flavoured venison tartare with swede and rye. Each component has been chosen with full consideration for the role it will play in the overall flavours and textures to achieve the balance that is the hallmark of good cooking, whatever the nationality. There’s no denying that the food bears comparison with Ambleside’s finest but on our visit the atmosphere still had some catching up to do. Painfully slow service between courses allowed ample time to consider what it felt like to be in a gloomy wood-panelled room on a dark night, with tables set too far apart to create any sort of buzz. Summer evenings, with a view of the terrace and garden through full-length windows are, we imagine, a much nicer time to eat here – likewise Sunday lunch of roast sirloin of beef or stuffed leg of suckling pig.

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J Southern

5 March 2025

Eating at Rothay Manor for all four nights of our stay, showcased the restaurant’s strengths, as well as some (in my opinion) weakness.

The excellent value Signature Menu (£110 and £165 with wine) also...
Eating at Rothay Manor for all four nights of our stay, showcased the restaurant’s strengths, as well as some (in my opinion) weakness.

The excellent value Signature Menu (£110 and £165 with wine) also provided two of the five a la carte starters (two vegetarian) and two of the six main courses (again two vegetarian). While the cooking was very good, the restricted choice did become a little tiresome. There was an “All day dining” menu, which was available until 20:30, but...
Eating at Rothay Manor for all four nights of our stay, showcased the restaurant’s strengths, as well as some (in my opinion) weakness.

The excellent value Signature Menu (£110 and £165 with wine) also provided two of the five a la carte starters (two vegetarian) and two of the six main courses (again two vegetarian). While the cooking was very good, the restricted choice did become a little tiresome. There was an “All day dining” menu, which was available until 20:30, but we didn’t know if you could take this in the dining room. Perhaps we should have asked? The same “Chef’s Snacks and Amuse Bouche” were presented for all four nights before your three courses. To be honest, the snacks and Amuse Bouche were the stars of the show to some extent. A cod’s roe concoction in an incredibly delicate case and a slice of fondant potato (browned) topped with beef tartare. The Amuse Bouche was equally good and consisted of a thick-ish soup, with embedded, crispy croutons, lying on top of what seemed like curd cheese – delicious.

The talented chef isn’t from the “keep it simple” school of cookery. The “Butter poached cod, with crispy belly pork and trimmings” had a perfectly prepared tranche of cod, next to a formed “raft” of belly pork, topped with intricately prepared, tiny veg, sitting on top of some celeriac remoulade. It also claimed to have BBQ sauce but that was either lacking, or so bland as to be undetectable. The other fish course (Pan fried Halibut with mussels, leeks and pasta) differed from the course on the tasting menu, simply because it had four “spirals” of pasta, instead of the two on the signature menu. Again, the quality of the fish was beyond reproach (apart from one night where a little too much salt was used). Of the two meat main courses, my favourite was “Herdwick hogget, prepared three ways”. Really well cooked meat, delivering a real “lamb” hit. The accompanying red cabbage and rosemary jus were perfect. My wife preferred the “Greedy Carver duck” served with blood orange and carrot. Again, cooked and presented perfectly. We did not try any of the vegetarian main courses, but one night, my wife had the “Beer braised beetroot” starter, which she said was wonderful.

Desserts were the stars, to be honest. We tried all five selections, with the “Dark chocolate mousse” and the “Blackberry soufflé” standing out. One small (literally) complaint concerned the cheese course as an alternative to dessert. This attracted a £9 supplement, which I don’t mind paying for quality British cheese. However, the portions were microscopic. I cannot recall the names of the three cheeses I chose, but there could not have been more than 30g of each. The six crackers were from the excellent Peter’s Yard range. In fact, the rather stingy amounts for £9 put me off exploring the cheese range properly - with the £22 full cheese course option.

The wine list was broad in scope, and the markups were reasonable. Service was impeccable and professional, yet still possessing Lakeland charm and warmth (as did the room itself). I know the Lake District is peppered with talented chefs who enjoy showcasing their undoubted skills, and in offering a three-course alternative to the multi-course choices that chefs seem to love, can only be a good thing. However, I would have liked to see the tasting menu, offset with some simpler offerings, which could still have showcased the skills of the kitchen.
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VENUE DETAILS

Rothay Bridge
Ambleside
Cumbria
LA22 0EHGB

01539 433605

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OTHER INFORMATION

Accommodation, Separate bar, Wheelchair access, Parking, Electric car charging, Dog friendly, Credit card required

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