Pentonbridge Inn

Pentonbridge Inn is a former coaching inn in the unspoilt wilds of North Cumbria, near the Scottish Borders. If that sounds a bit remote for dinner, it is the perfect place for a countryside getaway with snug and stylish rooms to stay over.

It is well worth the journey. Pentonbridge Inn specialises in highly seasonal complex dishes that taste as beautiful as they look.

Much of the produce is sourced very locally. They have their own kitchen garden a few miles down the road at Netherby Hall, and you’ll also find superb Cumbrian Texel lamb from the nearby hills or exquisite Scottish fish and shellfish from just over the border.

Pentonbridge Inn is a place to go now. It feels like a place whose time has come. It won its first Michelin star in April 2023 to go with its three AA Rosettes.

The menu is a set eight-course tasting menu with an optional paired wine flight. It changes almost all the time to accommodate the ripening of fruit and vegetables in the walled garden so you are enjoying each ingredient at its best. On your visit, you might discover dishes like vadouvan spiced halibut with asparagus and brown shrimp or rhubarb with coconut and gingerbread.

The descriptions are somewhat elliptical but the dishes themselves reveal far more with a finesse and depth of flavour you won’t find in many restaurants.