I had looked at Sharrow Bay, when planning a trip to the Lake District with my parents a few years back. I’d ruled it out based on cost and the fact that fine dining isn’t really my Dad’s style - bless him. 

For our wedding, Brad’s sister booked us a night in the George Hotel which is only a short drive from Sharrow Bay, so we booked in for a romantic dinner. It was the closest Brad and I have had to a relaxing holiday we’ve ever had ever. We caught the train up at an very uncivilised hour on Saturday before spending the whole day doing nothing much at all, went out to dinner, slept in late, relaxed in a cafe, then caught the train back down to London. Bliss!

After a short drive from the hotel, we were ushered into what appeared to be a rather plush country hotel. We were showed to the sitting room. I went for a glass of Billecart, Brut Réserve (£15.25 per glass) and Brad went for a local ale. We were served a lovely amuse-bouche of Ham Hock Terrine with Celeriac Remoulade. After finishing our drinks, we were ushered into one of the opulent dining rooms where an elaborate selection of cutlery awaited.

We decided to go for the six course tasting menu, as I wasn’t quite up for the challenge of the 10 course meal. My first course was a Breast of Smoked Duck, Spiced Poached Pear, Cashel Blue Cheese and Walnut Dressing. On the sommelier’s recommendation, I opted for a Riesling (Blue Slate, Dr Loosen, Mosel 2009 £7.15). As much as I love both duck and blue cheese, I have discovered that smoked duck isn’t my thing and even the melted cheese on top didn’t improve matters. Brad’s Braised Pigs Cheek, Sharrow Black Pudding, Seared Foie Gras and Apple & Sage Sauce served with Rioja Blanco (Castillo de Clavijo, Barrel Fermented, Alberite, Spain 2008 £7.25) was a much better option with an incredibly generous portion of foie gras and melt in your mouth pig’s cheek. 

For the next course, I opted for a the Soup of the Day, which if I recall correctly was Butternut Squash. The soup was smooth, rich and creamy - perfect on a cold winter’s night, although somewhat homespun in style. Brad opted for the Fillet of Plaice with Braised Leeks and Truffles served with Sauvignon Blanc (Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand 2009 £10.90). Brad didn’t seem overwhelmed with the fish but neither of us are fans of poached fish. 

Next up was a Sharrow Fruit Sorbet, although unfortunately they neglected to tell us what fruit it actually was. It was possibly clementine flavoured but we forgot to ask. You can see from the picture that the serving bowl is wonky, from what I recall of our conversation with the waiter it was due to their age and the material that had been used to make them so long ago. 

Brad plumped for the Tournedos of Scottish Fillet Steak, braised Ox Cheek, roasted Shallots, marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Burgundy Sauce served with Carménère Gran Reserva (Los Lingues single vineyard, Casa Silva, Colchagua, Chile 2008 £8.95). This was probably the highlight of the meal for Brad and he especially liked the breadcrumbed ball which was filled with tender meat. My Fillet of Sea Bass with Wild Mushroom Fricassée, buttered Spinach, Parsnip Purée and Scallop Velouté served with Chablis (Domaine Françoise Chauvenet, France 2009 £9.80) looked a little disappointing but was actually wonderful. I particularly liked the mushroom served in the delicate pastry cup sitting above the fish in the picture. The fish itself was well cooked, with a lovely crunchy buttery skin. 

Sharrow Bay is famous for being the birthplace of Sticky Toffee Pudding, so Brad insisted on trying Francis Coulson’s Famous and Original Icky Sticky Toffee Sponge served with Cream for his dessert. It was a generous portion and an excellent rendition of the British classic. I almost wished I’d ordered it too but I was very happy with my choice of Vanilla & Cashew Nut Parfait with Caramelised Bananas in Rum. It was quite a sweet dessert but I thoroughly enjoyed nutty parfait with the boozy bananas. 

I neglected to get any pictures but we also had a Selection of Great British Cheeses each. I thought the selection was a bit small (compared to somewhere like Le Gavroche) but all were of good quality. Although we would have liked either a dessert wine or port, the sommelier who had done such a good job of recommending wines was nowhere to be found. It seemed like he was stretched a little thin between the two dining rooms.  

We were ushered back into the sitting room, where we were served Coffee and Petit Fours, again on elegant China and silverware. We were also given our bill, which came to £220 including service. I loved the feeling that you were dining in an elegant English country house but sometimes the food and service wasn’t as good as I expected. It’s definitely worth a visit but stick to a la carte and definitely get the sticky toffee pudding for dessert. 

Sharrow Bay
Lake Ullswater, Penrith
Cumbria, CA10 2LZ
Phone: +44(0)1768486301
http://www.sharrowbay.co.uk/

For the first time in six years of living in London, both my parents came to visit me. My father, despite being almost 60 had never left Australia before. It was my Mum’s third visit to London, having previously lived there in the 1970’s and spending over a month with me in 2005. She was my original inspiration for the big move, having spent most of my childhood poring over her travel scrapbooks.

If you’ve noticed a slow-down in the blog posts lately, it’s because we’ve been up to a bunch of stuff and I’ve been run off my feet. Here’s what we got up to:

• A walk around Hackney, London Fields, Victoria Park and Regents Canal in order to keep them awake after they arrived at 6am (Yes, I had to go pick them up!)
• Lots of London sightseeing, they did an open top bus tour, went on the London Eye, saw Tate Modern, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
• Went to see Australia perform dismally on the first day of the second test, held at Lords Cricket Ground. We did lunch in style with a three course picnic with wine and cheese provided by Villandry. Ashes Flickr Set.
• Drove up to the Lake District, staying in Avon Wood at Windemere Lake. Lake District Flickr Set.
• Spent Dad’s 60th Birthday at Beun Ayre restaurant, Broadway Market. I don’t think I’ve ever seen steaks that big before in my whole life.
• Mum and I went to the V&A Museum of Childhood, located just in Bethnal Green whilst Dad went to see the Imperial War Museum by himself!
• Went to the Dove Club’s Belgian National Day Celebrations at the Dove in Broadway Market. Proceeds went to St Joseph’s Hospice located in Mare Street.
• Mum and Dad travelled on the Eurostar to Belgium. From there, using their Eurail passes, they spent time in Brussels, Gent, Luxemberg, Basel, Zurich, Munich, Innsbruck, Florence, Pisa, Bologna and Ancona before catching a Superfast ferry to Patras. They then had to endure a seven hour train journey to Athens!
• Brad and I met Mum and Dad in Athens before catching a ferry to Naxos, the largest island of the Cyclades for three lovely nights. Lots of sightseeing, sitting on the beach and greek food. Highly recommended. Flickr Set.
• Mum and I went to The Sanctuary spa in Covent Garden for an evening spa, massages, facials and thai foot therapy. Bliss!
• Went to the Saturday Market held on Broadway Market in London Fields. Top marks but now my Dad thinks I’m a bit of a hipster.
• Drove my Dad to Silverstone Raceway, for his 60th birthday present, which was a 2 hour driving experience in a Formula Ford. The smile on his face after was worth every penny. Flickr Set.
• Mum and Dad went to the Science Museum, originally to check out the F1 exhibition that was on but it turns out their permanent collection held a lot more interest.
• Attended the Smarkets Launch Party. Congratulations Team Smarkets!

The day after the Smarkets Launch Party, it was back on a plane (feeling rather shabby if I’m honest) to Perth via Kaula Lumpur. It’s been another whirlwind week catching up with family and friends, as well as walking my dog Brandee. I wrote this en route to Sydney, where I had a few days there with Brad’s family before flying back to London via a stopover in Hong Kong.

You know what they say, no rest for the wicked!