Pheasant

The Pheasant is country hotel tucked away off the main road near Bassenthwaite and is full of charm and friendly fires. But if dining in the bar or bistro, don't necessarily expect value for money. Apart from the very smart, separate restaurant, this is not much more than an over-priced bistro pub, with city prices. One of our party had the pork escalope, which looked generous, but was in fact 3 thin, dry not tender escalopes on warm potatoes and green beans. I had one of their "specials", a rack of lamb. The accompanying veg was delightfully designed on the plate, with a delicious jus, but it would hardly fill you up after a walk on the fell, let alone satisfy your 5-a-day. The liver was over-cooked and bordering on hard and since when did two small lamb cutlets qualify as a rack of lamb? Most chefs and butchers would agree that 4 to 8 ribs make a half or whole rack of lamb. Maybe The Pheasant is breaching Trade Descriptions... as the wine, too, on the Bistro menu was a 2009, but turned out to be 2 years 'younger' (a 2011) at the same price.
When pointed out to the staff, they said: "We can't control what we're sent" as if that was an adequate or suitable reply. It's not all bad, the Cumberland and Venison sausage duo was delicious, but be warned, the bottom line, not the customer, comes first. With starter, main and desert, expect to pay around £27 - 30 per person, without sides (£3), drinks or wine (£16.50 upwards) and tea or coffee (£3). And no apologies!