There’s no doubt that when the weather in Cumbria is good, the county comes to life and shows off its good side. Unfortunately, like a teenager, it’s also prone to major mood swings. Most days the beautiful start preceded a developing carpet of cloud and the scenery gradually became more mopey under the inevitable drizzle.

Final day of my stay in west Cumbria and the day was off to another beautiful start. Bright blue skies and little wind meant it was perfect timing for a walk north over the cliffs from St. Bees village to St. Bees’ lighthouse. Unfortunately it was late enough in the year that most of the birds that flock to the cliffs had already left. No worries, a cliff walk of about 4.5 miles round trip was still the perfect way to work up an appetite before lunch. The afternoon plan was a quick visit to Carlisle (again) so The Pheasant Inn was a good stopping off point en-route.

The Pheasant Inn in Dubwath is a former 17th century coaching inn towards the north end of Bassenthwaite Lake. As the A66 between Keswick and Cockermouth has been improved, the Pheasant Inn has ended up in a tranquil loop off the main road. The only occasional disturbance is the odd car on its way to Wythop Mill or the Forestry land on the hills behind the inn.

The main restaurant menu is relatively brief but sounded really good. Unfortunately the restaurant is closed at lunchtime with the focus turned to the bistro in a much more informal space.

Breads brought to the table were a combination of slices of crusty baguette and multigrain bread. The multigrain bread with sesame, sunflower seeds and oats was wonderfully nutty.

Pork crackling, sold as a snack while choosing food, was served with a hot Bramley apple sauce. The cool crackling had a strong crunch and combined with the subtly cinnamony sauce for a comforting start to the meal.

The starter was twice baked goats cheese soufflé with spinach, beetroot and walnut salad. The soufflé had a good strong goat’s cheese flavour that combined well with the earthy beetroot and walnut.

Main course was calves liver with creamed potato. The liver was offered pink or well done and I opted for pink, a first for me. This is not a criticism because unfortunately the slightly gelatinous texture was not right for me. Tastewise, the liver was lovely and the supporting ingredients combined to give a nice whole. The sherry vinegar sauce with its sweetly tart edge was excellent. The presentation of onion as a marmalade worked well with the liver. Crisp green beans provided refreshing crunch to balance the richer components. I’d happily eat this again but would definitely need the liver to be cooked more thoroughly.

Desserts were listed on a small flip blackboard brought to the table. The lemon posset was served with homemade shortbread, strawberries and raspberry sauce. It was topped with mint leaves and peanut and ginger snap disc. Cooked strawberries lined the base of the glass and the posset was sufficiently tart that it needed the sweetness of the berries and sauce. The dessert was simple and tasty, a good way to end things.

Overall verdict.
Lunch at The Pheasant Inn was a positive experience. Food was of a good standard and all in a nice setting.

Would I revisit The Pheasant Inn?
Based on this meal, The Pheasant Inn definitely merits another visit. I would be very interested in trying out the restaurant in the evening.

Overall Rating - 3/5