Heft — Restaurant in England

The ambience and food were great. The service was good too We had the tasting menu at £85 per person and it was as expected, unusual, tasty and fun. As ever with these detailed, if not, flamboyant, descriptions of each course, the 'script' is rattled off quite fast and it's hard to hear, let alone remember it. I would like that 'script' put on the menu to really appreciate what I'm eating here as I appreciate it's hard for the staff repeating them hundreds of times to not get into a overly fast patter. The offer of an additional course - some freshly foraged mushrooms, for another £10 was...a good way for the restaurant to get another £40 out of us and whilst like everything that course too tasted great...£40 more in my book isn't worth it. An additional cheese course was £16 between two. The cheese and highly seeded cracker sheets were lovely but in future I'd pass on that and stock up elsewhere and get a lot more for your money at home afterwards. Service was at times a touch slow and they were full and it didn't really matter except our taxi had arrived to take us home 3h after we arrived and we needed another half an hour really. We did in fact end up eating the cheese and crackers at home! All payments are taken at the bar so there was a bit of a bottle neck there with customers wanting to pay at the same time. A service charge had been added to the bill and I'm not keen on that. I would have happily added it though. We had pre-dinner drinks, two bottles of the middle priced wine, a half bottle of dessert wine and two glasses of sherry and our bill was £135 each With £60 return on taxis it was an expensive night, but we'll remember it for a long time. If you're in the area just go. If you want to limit your costs,...

First, please understand, this isn't a "standard" pub. Kevin Tickle is without doubt one of our favourite head chefs. We've followed him since he started at the Forestside in 2014. We were massively eager to try his new project at heft along side his wife Nicola and can truthfully say it doesn't disappoint.

The service at the front of house is some of the best we've experienced. From the moment you sit down, the staff are attentive without being intrusive. There is no upsell on wine or other drinks and it's totally up to yourself how much you consume.without feeling pressurised, yet if you require another drink it's as simple as a slight nod of the head. The tables are not overcrowded either. One comment I would say is a slight background music may help the atmosphere a little as it can be quiet at times.

The food is exactly what you would expect from Mr Tickle. Inquisitive, fresh and challenging whilst being presented in an exquisite way. The flavours are well balanced whilst being intense when they should be. For example if the portion is small the flavour is intense without being over powering. Only course I wasn't keen on was the radish course. There was enough depth of flavour but with that said, my wife thought this was delicious.

Looking forward to returning once the rooms are ready on site to stay and experience the evening meal in a relaxed and attentive atmosphere.

Well done Kevin and Nicola. I suspect it won't be long until you have claimed that michelin star if you can continue...

This afternoon, my friends and I treated ourselves to a stunning lunch at Heft, where the beauty of the Cumbrian landscape merges seamlessly with the elegance of the dining space. The bar area at Heft deserves its own accolades; definitely a retreat that invites guests to linger over their drinks.

Our adventure to Heft started with Uncle Juan’s rosti, paired perfectly with sour cream and pickled onions—a playful start! Next, the mushroom, egg & cheese crumpet arrived, each bite bursting with warmth and comfort.

The journey continued with a thyme custard infused with onion broth, alongside confit enoki mushrooms. We then savored the smoked golden beetroot with buckwheat and watercress pesto, a dish as beautiful as it was delicious. The seabream, glazed with mead and served with Roscoff, charred greens, hay, and ramson sauce, was incredibly satisfying.

Dessert brought a joyful surprise with “When Daisy met Bramble,” a sweet homage to the local flora, followed by a luxurious praline, pine & mascarpone choux au crhaquelin.

We concluded our visit with a selection of fine cheeses accompanied by rhubarb chutney, truffle honey, and crackers.

We plan to return soon to delve into the roast dinners and perhaps even the full 10-course menu.

Thanks to the staff for making our experience so...