Harden's survey result
Summary
Scenic battlements on the roof and exotic topiary in the surrounding manicured gardens set a grand scene at this Grade 1 listed mansion – dating from the 1200s and owned by the family of its current owners since 1724 (who converted it into a restaurant with rooms a dozen years ago). Head Chef Richard Swale presents a six-course tasting menu for £140 per person. The wine list is the preserve of ‘Maître de Maison’ Nico Chieze and is a prime feature – “a truly outstanding wine list which is a real labour of love” presented as “a great bible… you need to allow time to look at it all”.
Summary
Proceed from one of the cosy lounges to dinner in the intimate dining room, complete with open kitchen of this accoladed Lakeland destination, which sits inside a picturesque Grade I listed mansion dating from the 1200s (occupied by the family of the current owners since 1724 and converted to a restaurant with rooms in 2013). Chef Richard Swale presides over a seven-course tasting menu for £125 per person, although he does well to outshine the “huge book of a wine list” – “an amazing selection for all tastes and budgets”.
Summary
“The most incredible wine list – in the league of the best three-star restaurants, with the added advantage of being relatively reasonably priced” is “coupled with a five-star level of food” from chef Richard Swale (who has held a Michelin star since 2019) at this dazzlingly good operation. It occupies a Grade I listed mansion dating from the 1200s, which has been inhabited by the family of the current owners since 1724. Converted to a restaurant with rooms in 2013, it offers an “amazing all-round experience”: “we had a stunning 1952 Pomorol, and then sat in front of the lounge fire with a gentle Cognac!”
Summary
This Grade-I listed mansion (a restaurant-with-rooms since 2013) has associations with poet William Wordsworth (the aristocratic family who still own it first cheated, then supported the poet) and sits amidst fine Lakeland scenery on the Lowther Estate. RIchard Swale’s well-regarded cuisine here is “superb” (“the individual flavours in every dish are just so perfect”) but he has his work cut out eclipsing the “extraordinary wine list which is on every level like a connoisseur’s emporium”. It may be the “largest wine ledger you ever see”, although part of the selection is “definitely unaffordable for most of us”, with numerous vintages over £1,000 per bottle and some approaching £30,000. “There is, however, a reasonable choice for those who do not want to go to town” and “the sommelier is helpful and – given the amount of choice – definitely needed!”.
For 35 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Allium at Askham Hall?
Askham, Penrith, CA10 2PF
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £45.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Askham, Penrith, CA10 2PF
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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