Restaurant at Overwater Hall

In a remote part of the often crowded Lake District sits Overwater Hotel, with stunning views of Skiddaw and outlying hills. The Hall is a gracious country house hotel where those small difficulties that intrude elsewhere are ironed out and personal service is paramount.

The dining room, with its cool décor, demands certain standards and smart casual dress-code is requested to do justice to the occasion. There is a marked tendency towards a simplistic approach to the cooking, A popular starter is the Scottish smoked salmon and Cumbrian black pudding in a filo pastry case with rocket and chard, poached quail's egg and tarragon hollandaise, set on a wholegrain mustard cream. A parfait of chicken livers with cinnamon, port and thyme comes with toasted brioche and red onion and apricot marmalade. Real traditionalists may want to linger over a plate of hors d'Oeuvres or savour a generous bowl of Solway lobster bisque.

Main courses start with the Fish Selection, as ever dependent on the market or what the local fisherman catch on the Solway. The lobster is renowned, sautéed with brandy and served in a filo case with mild English mustard and coriander sauce, glazed with parmesan cheese and served with char-grilled asparagus. Red mullet and salmon make frequent appearances. The butcher's block offers local venison, pan fried rack of lamb and barbary duckling, and the meal concludes with a good selection of desserts, or a stab at the local cheeses.