Fodor's Expert Review Old Stamp House

The quality of locally sourced and foraged food has been raised to a new level by this startlingly good restaurant, which, together with the Lake Road Kitchen, has given Ambleside unexpected status on the British gastro map. Chef Ryan Blackburn has created a menu anchored to Cumbrian traditions but at the same time mouthwateringly creative and contemporary. Look for hand-dived scallops with pumpkin, braised daube of beef with smoked celeriac, and Cumbrian gingerbread with rhubarb soufflé. The restaurant has an unprepossessing setting, down steps in a dim room, but there's history in the whitewashed, rough-hewn walls: Wordsworth once worked here as "Distributer of Stamps.” A tasting menu is also available at lunch and dinner.