COMMENTS MADE

• On Cottage in the Wood Hotel:

  Posted on 30th of June 2007

  At the end of July we holidayed for a week in the Lakes and half way through had the pleasure of finding the Cottage in the Wood Restaurant. Kath made us very welcome, calling us by name and remembering us every time we visited; we enjoyed the food so much we ate there 3 times. We found the cost of the meals very reasonable but in addition I thought the food was second to none. I applaud their use of local, fresh, in-season ingredients and (surprisingly for me) particularly liked the lamb which was baked in a piece on the Sunday. I can honestly say I have never tasted lamb like it since I do not like lamb fat and even the best lamb sometimes tastes ‘muttony’ to me. I like the idea of having a no or limited choice menu partly since I find it difficult to choose but mainly because you know if there is a large choice it must come mainly or entirely out of the freezer and unlikely to be fresh or local. Also, something that is frequently forgotten, a meal is a complete experience and must be balanced; I do not want 3 or 4 disjoint courses since each dish must complement the others across all the courses. I have said for some time ‘when did quantity get confused with quality?’ When we eat out I enjoy eating the ‘continental’ way of 2 or usually 3 reasonably sized courses, feeling pleasantly replete at the end of the meal. Too often the typical starter is so large it is difficult to eat a main course and certainly not a desert unless large quantities are left on the plate which I personally find offensive. Eating a meal at Cottage in the Wood is a wonderful experience; I am not a gourmet but I do know what I like. I truly hope that I will be their way again - and soon. If I am, I will visit the Cottage in the Wood Restaurant even if it means going out of my way to eat at this wonderful restaurant again