Good food, good wine and good company … The Hunting Lodge certainly provided the first two and my friends from the karate club in Barrow offered the last. 

With new owners, a new chef but many of the familiar faces busily and smilingly serving the table, the new menu was certainly fresh. The starters included deliciously and attractively served scallops and a gently spiced quail Scotch egg presented with rocket and swirl of sauce. The person who chose the rare steak found it succulently tender; the pie wonderfully tasty with a twist of puff pastry; and the fish had a crisp batter and was served with real chunky chips. The vegetarian options, initially, seemed a little disappointing and less imaginative but we were told that, with advance notice, some of the menu options could be adapted to make them vegetarian or vegan. So, the mushroom risotto was chosen as a vegan alternative and was surprisingly tasty, moist and sticky (sometimes risotto can be a bit dry, but not this one) with plenty of mushrooms. I didn’t have dessert (I was too full) but the sticky toffee pudding looked very tempting and I was told it was one of the best. The bread-and-butter pudding with custard certainly didn’t stick going down.

If you’re looking for an interesting menu served with an interesting twist, take yourself to The Hunting Lodge for a meal – don’t forget, if you have a vegetarian or vegan with you, they can choose from the existing options or have a chat, in advance, about what can be cooked in a vegan way.

Karisa Krcmar