Bright sunshine, occasional rain showers and daffodils billowing in the wind – spring is here! In the kitchen that means that The Lounge on the Green chefs are excited to get their hands (and knives) on the bounty of fresh ingredients that are delivered to us every day from our fantastic suppliers. The dishes on our Spring menu feature the finest seasonal produce around and give a nod to the lighter days and warmer weather (while still featuring a couple of more hearty options – this is Cumbria after all!). From beautiful spears of bright green English asparagus finished with generous dustings of umami-rich parmesan and shaved truffle, to plump, pearly white scallops with rich pork cheek and kale, as well as our Cumbrian Lakeland Beef dish sourced from our brilliant artisan suppliers 54º North and desserts featuring fruit plucked straight from the hedgerows, the menu offers a real taste of the season, with a refined, fine dining finish. Don’t just take our word for it though; sample these delights for yourself – click here to make a booking. If you fancy cooking up a seasonal feast of your own at home, spring lamb is a great place to start. Here are James’s top tips for cooking perfect roast lamb. • As always, buy the best quality meat you can afford and you’ll be well rewarded when it comes to the taste. • Take the joint out of the fridge at least an hour before you want to roast it – this gives it plenty of time to come to room temperature, meaning it will cook more evenly. • Flavours and aromatics make a difference – the delicate taste of young spring lamb works well with classics such a fresh rosemary and garlic, while a hint of lemon zest will cut through the richness of the meat brilliantly. • Obviously how you want to cook your meat is up to personal preference – we like our roast lamb blushing pink-in-the-centre, but whatever you decide make sure you leave the cooked meat to rest for 30 minutes before carving. • Don’t forget about the accompaniments! You can’t go wrong with crisp and crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the centre roast potatoes, punchy mint sauce and piles of seasonal greens, but for something a bit different, Middle Eastern-inspired, cumin-spiced couscous studded with juicy apricots, toasted pine nuts and plenty of fresh parsley is a great alternative.

We’re very proud to say that we’ve been shortlisted for the Restaurant of the Year award at the prestigious Cumbria Food Awards 2022, and are in esteemed company alongside The Cottage in the Wood in Keswick and Cartmel’s L’Enclume. A celebration of the restaurants and chefs, hotels and independent retailers, local producers and artisans that help make the food scene in the Cumbria region so special, the awards are a real highlight on the foodie calendar. This year’s event takes place on the 3rd March – we’ll keep you posted with the results! Check out all the finalist here

Part of the fine dining experience is knowing that the ingredients served are of the freshest and highest quality, and earlier this month the chefs and I enjoyed a rare trip away from the kitchen to learn more about our supplier; Hodgson Fish in Hartlepool. The initial offer of a tour came complete with an extremely early boat trip out on the north sea, sadly my sea legs were running late that particular morning! We arrived just in time to see the boats coming back into the fish quay and the team unloading the catch of the day. Away from the usual heat of the kitchen, Tony (Head of Sales) Dave Price, marketing "the price is right" showed us where the fish is skilfully prepared by the filleters and kept on ice. There’s a huge amount of hard work that goes into catching, landing and preparing fresh fish, which I hadn’t fully appreciated before. It’s also made me realise what great sustainable options we have to use in and around our local waters. It’s great to bring this back into our restaurant and know exactly where the fish comes from. The family run business started in 1916 and now employs over 500 people, delivering fish all over the North of England every day. Harry, our commis Chef joined us for the tour and is currently studying at Carlisle College for his NVQ level 3. “It was a great opportunity for me to go and look around a working fishmonger, it’s really made me see what great produce our supplier offers. I have a lot to tell the other students now back at College” You can find Hodgson fish on our menus this month; beetroot cured salmon, and pan seared Hake with squid ink risotto. Our salmon is cured carefully over three days to achieve a perfect balance of flavours, we also add dill which cuts through the saltiness to soften the taste. Book a table