Askham, Penrith, CA10 2PF
Harden's survey result
Summary
“The most incredible wine list – in the league of the best three-star restaurants, with the added advantage of being relatively reasonably priced” is “coupled with a five-star level of food” from chef Richard Swale (who has held a Michelin star since 2019) at this dazzlingly good operation. It occupies a Grade I listed mansion dating from the 1200s, which has been inhabited by the family of the current owners since 1724. Converted to a restaurant with rooms in 2013, it offers an “amazing all-round experience”: “we had a stunning 1952 Pomorol, and then sat in front of the lounge fire with a gentle Cognac!”
Summary
This Grade-I listed mansion (a restaurant-with-rooms since 2013) has associations with poet William Wordsworth (the aristocratic family who still own it first cheated, then supported the poet) and sits amidst fine Lakeland scenery on the Lowther Estate. RIchard Swale’s well-regarded cuisine here is “superb” (“the individual flavours in every dish are just so perfect”) but he has his work cut out eclipsing the “extraordinary wine list which is on every level like a connoisseur’s emporium”. It may be the “largest wine ledger you ever see”, although part of the selection is “definitely unaffordable for most of us”, with numerous vintages over £1,000 per bottle and some approaching £30,000. “There is, however, a reasonable choice for those who do not want to go to town” and “the sommelier is helpful and – given the amount of choice – definitely needed!”.
Summary
“The restaurant and grounds are stunning, but it’s the food that you remember most” at this “fabulously atmospheric” old mansion in a “sleepy corner of Cumbria”, owned by the aristocratic Lowther family (whose forebears cheated and later supported the Lakeland poet William Wordsworth two centuries ago). “It’s the centrepiece of a foodie-friendly village, where both pubs are excellent” – The Queen’s Head and George & Dragon, both also part of the Lowther estate. The highly rated tasting menu uses “high-quality local produce” to “wonderful” effect: “from the cod boudin, the Cornish crab with lovage, the duck and turnip, the seatrout in larch, on to the amazing local fell lamb, every taste was a revelation of what a great chef can do to some simple ingredients, to elevate them to an amazing intensity…”
Summary
Talk about ticking the boxes! Set in beautiful Cumbrian countryside, check… “historical” mansion that looks a bit like a castle, check… wonderful grounds with kitchen garden, check – this Lakeland hotel makes a marvellous and “romantic” destination, and boasts a “fantastic restaurant in the old hall” serving Richard Swale’s highly accomplished cooking, with the option of a tasting menu format. And as of October 2019, Michelin star, check…
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Allium at Askham Hall?
Owner's description
Award-winning Askham Hall has recently been transformed from a stately family home into a unique and contemporary retreat. A grade I listed Pele Tower dating back to the late 1200s, it has been in the Lowther family for over 200 years. Set in the unspoilt Eden Valley, with stunning views and offering a new style of hotel for the lakes - a restaurant with rooms in an outstanding historic building.
It follows Charles Lowther's transformation of his award-winning sister establishment the nearby George and Dragon country inn, specialising in delicious produce from the family estate. The antithesis of the traditional country house hotel, Askham Hall is a bohemian-style home from home set in the heart of an incredibly productive area for wild food. Head chef is Richard Swale, originally Cumbrian but whose menus are inspired by time abroad. Offering an imaginative and creative dining style, using fresh seasonal ingredients sourced from Askham Hall itself, the surroundings fields and woodland and the 800 year old estate.
The restaurant 'Allium at Askham Hall' achieved a Michelin star in 2020.
The creative, unpretentious style is repeated in the house. Charming original features compliment modern furnishings. With three beautifully remodelled dining areas, 19 luxurious, individually designed bedrooms, and a hot tub/ sauna with an outdoor pool.
The grade II listed terraced gardens full of stunning features, including a 100ft long herbaceous border.
A wedding and party barn, garden pavilion and a newly refurbished Medieval hall are also available.
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always | £125.00 |  |
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| Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
Restaurant details
The chef
Richard Swale
Richard grew up in this area of Cumbria and has a deep understanding of the seasons, wild foods and produce that grows here from his childhood spent out shooting in the woods, fishing on the river Eden and looking after his own rare breed chickens which he is bringing to Askham Hall. Having developed a passion for cooking at a young age he has spent the last 12 years working away from the area honing his skills and developing his cooking style.
He spent 4 years working with equally renowned chefs John Burton Race and Anthony Demetre In London. He also spent 2 Years in France and had various placements around the world including a stint at NOMA in Copenhagen and also with the famous 3 Michelin star French chef Marc Veyrat in Annecy who specialises in mountain plants and herbs.
Since then he has gone on to refine his style, and now back in Cumbria and settled in Askham, he is rediscovering his connection with the ingredients he grew up with. Using the techniques he has learnt on his journeys, he is now bringing out new interpretations on the way ingredients are used.
Richard has been head chef at Askham Hall since we opened, he works closely with the gardening team to continuously develop and extend the kitchen gardens at Askham Hall to grow the wide range of seasonal produce we use in our menus.
Richard was awarded his fist Michelin star in 2020, where he received praise for his 'innate understanding' of house to use the ''fantastic produce'' on Askham's doorstep.
Askham, Penrith, CA10 2PF
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 7:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
