10 of the best pubs for eating out in Cumbria and the Lake District

Cumbria and the Lake District is well known for its beautiful landscapes but seemingly less known for its food. Yet the region home to more Michelin starred restaurants than anywhere else in the UK outside of London, as well as having some excellent pubs (some of which have Michelin stars, too). We’ve travelled the length and breadth of the Lake District National Park – and the wider county of Cumbria – to identify some of the best that the region has to offer. Heft, High Newton Heft is owned and run by Cumbrian-born chef Kevin Tickle (formerly of The Forest Side) alongside his wife Nicola. It was awarded a Michelin Star in 2023 and is known for its refined, locally-foraged fine dining menu. It’s a venue that operates as a dual-concept establishment: a casual, dog-friendly historic village pub bar alongside a more formal fine-dining restaurant area. We visited for Sunday lunch and had the sublime, melt-in-the-mouth 24oz dry aged beef rib (which serves two), served pink, with thyme roasted Roscoff onions, wild mushrooms, ramson béarnaise, accompanied with herb and garlic potatoes. Alternative options included whole plaice roasted on the bone in dulse with BBQ’d pak choi and a light ...