1863 Restaurant with Rooms — Restaurant in Great Britain

We visited 1863 on a thursday in March to experience their tasting menu and wine flight, and staying in Room 5. The welcome was warm and our dietary requirements for diner were rechecked at book in. We were also asked fill in a breakfast menu for the next morning.

The room was very clean, comfortable and nicely decorated (note - it isn't 'dual aspect', just a single window overlooking the car parking). Bathroom is nice, neat and well laid out with good quality toiletries. Bath robes were absent on arrival but remedied immediately by the front desk.

Dinner was excellent with individual menus provided, and they had been adjusted to accomodate both dietary preferences and wine types (my partner doesn't like red wine so she had white wines with each course). Each course was well presented (both in look and how it was described to us at the table) and delicious with excellent flavours and textures, from the amuse bouche to the petit fours. Timings were perfect - neither left waiting nor rushed.

The wine flight is worth the expense. You get wines matched to each course which enhances the experience at a price which is probably cheaper than buying the same wines by the glass. There may be a marginal saving by just buying a bottle, you are losing the integration of the flavours.

Breakfast the next morning was lovely, and the ingredients appeared to be nice quality and locally sourced. Your bill is presented to you at the breakfast table so you can look it over at leisure.

There is obvious care taken by everyone at all levels. All in all a lovely stay, and we shall...

Renowned for its vertiginous landscape and breathtaking views the lake district has always been a firm favourite for the outdoor type. But in recent times Cumbria has quietly built a reputation as a first class foodie destination boasting the most Michelin star restaurants in a county outside London. We were keen to try the ambitious 1863 in Pooley Bridge proudly named after the date it was built. The modern version was welcoming and well furnished with plenty of interesting memorabilia to browse between courses. The 7 course tasting menu started with the regular amuse bouche, tasty but not stunning and there was a suprise glass of bubbles with the wine pairing. The opening venison tartare was splendid, packed in flavour with a welcome hazelnut texture contrast. All courses were excellent but the star of the show was undoubtedly the Creedy Carver duck, perfectly cooked, well seasoned, a crispy skin and accompanied with duck leg wrapped in savoy cabbage and pumpkin seeds. The wine pairings were well matched although the Rioja Blanco, with the halibut; was perhaps slightly over woody for my pallet. If there was one criticism the sommelier needs some work, particularly if there is ambition to join the Cumbrian elite with a star. The closing expresso was weak and my Balvenie 12 was wrecklessly delivered with a lump of ice but overall an enjoyable fine dining experience and well...

Came here to celebrate our anniversary. We have really enjoyed ourselves and had a great time. We've ordered a 7 course tasting menu. Service was excellent, staff were very kind, explained all the dishes well. The whole experience took more than 3 hours and felt just right - not rushed and relaxed enough to have a chat between dishes.

Food was very good and it's hard to fault it, but since this is a fine dining restaurant I'll try my best. My favorite was the nordic halibut - so delicate, juicy and the sparkles of acidity coming through felt like fireworks in my mouth. I also enjoyed the first snack which I believe was a celeriac mouse with egg yolk and truffle shavings on top - divine. Other dishes were beautifully presented and well balanced and you could find everything you're looking for - sweet, salty, sour, crunchy etc. My one criticism would be the pork which I think needs more work. The portion is quite large, the flavors very bold and strong, fat was still a tiny bit chewy and it was quite salty as well. You really need a good glass of wine to go with it. The goosberry fool was really lovely but if you didn't tell me it had goosberries I couldn't tell you either. The main desert was wonderful - really good balance of sweetness and soureness. Beautifully built, the merangue so light and the the sorbet packed with flavour. Overall a great evening...