SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel — Restaurant in Great Britain

We visited Source to celebrate my partner’s 50th. We always treat each other to a Michelin star meal on our birthdays, as well as anniversaries and other special occasions. This was our first visit to Source.

The GOOD: The food was excellent; the quality of the ingredients and the skills in preparing and assembling the dishes resulted in small but perfectly formed courses which ranged from the just great to the truly sublime.

The BAD: The portions were incredibly small. This allowed for the chef’s skills to be showcased in constructing the most delicate of minuscule courses, but we left very hungry. We were also baffled the first 3 courses (of 10) were actually one course consisting of a trio of canapés (that would normally come before the actual courses). I wouldn’t have minded paying more for slightly larger portions for at least some of the principal dishes (John Dory, Cumbrian beef). The cost of producing this meal is mainly in the time and skill needed, which would be the same if they offered marginally larger (20-30%) meat and/or fish for an extra £20-30. We’re healthy, active, slender individuals, we weren’t expecting to pig out on 10 large courses. But we’re both over 6’ and the meal was clearly sized for the frail 4’6” 90-yo lady at the next table.

The wine pairings were mediocre. All wines were extremely young, and - especially with some dishes - something older would have been more apt. I suppose we should at least appreciate the consistency between the minuscule portions of food and the tiny amount of wine we were served. Again, we weren’t looking to get drunk; I’m usually the one asking the sommelier to limit the wine I get poured as I’m a bit of a lightweight… not this time!

The setting was a cacophony of questionable choices in an environment which would have otherwise been delightful. We were sat next to a fake fireplace which wouldn’t have been out of place in a suburban all-you-can-eat carvery. The many artificial flower displays - albeit of good quality - were also out of place at a restaurant serveing such (tiny) exquisite food (FYI, flowers at the entrance were real).

The UGLY: The service was even more disappointing. The attitude displayed by the sommelier and one of the waiting staff was poor and - frankly - uncalled for (FYI, we never “triggered” with comments on the small pours). Several times we received the wine after the food, which was completely unacceptable. Also, for the beef, we were provided with non-matching glasses for the same wine (shouldn’t have been hard to get right as it was only 2 of us)

As we always treasure our visits to special restaurants, I like to take pictures of the food; I’m aware it’s uncouth, so I do it quickly and discreetly. I love looking back at these pictures and remembering the food, flavours and experiences. But clearly one of the waiting staff was extremely unhappy with this habit of mine; she remarked disapprovingly several times, which made me very uncomfortable (it reminded me of the 2022 movie “The Menu” where the pretentious staff forbid customers from taking pictures of the food…) In fairness, I must say a different member of staff was extremely accommodating at the start, so much so that she disclosed she’s a photographer herself. Unfortunately she disappeared early and we were left with the very icy waitress who did not approve! We’ve had questionable attitudes elsewhere in the past (Alain Ducasse’s venues in Paris spring to mind…), but you don’t expect to be looked down upon in a Lake District restaurant. We expect professional service which is also warm and welcoming, but we most definitely did not get that after our lovely photographer waitress left us.

In CONCLUSION: I'm afraid I can’t recommend Source. By the time the more “substantial” courses arrived, we knew there was a major problem with the portion sizes, we disconnected from the whole experience and started discussing what we’d order once back at our hotel. Some of the staff spoiled the evening for us, and some cheap elements of the decor really let the place down....

We had high hopes, but unfortunately were let down.

Service challenges:

This was largely driven by negative experiences with the bartender and one of the senior front of house staff. The rest of the staff, especially Matthew, were very lovely and helpful.

After arriving, we were escorted to the lounge for a drink. The bartender came over to take the drinks order and one of our guests ordered the margarita, but wanted it stronger, so with an extra shot of tequila inside it. The bartender looked annoyed that he was being asked to modify the drink and refused saying he was legally not allowed to put an extra shot into the drink. This is untrue as the UK regulation for Standard Pours and Measures does not cover this request. And given it was the very first drink of the night, the "serving responsibly" clause does not apply either.

When the senior front of house staff came to take our food order. When being asked to select between the 6 course and 10 course, we asked him what the differences would be between the 2. To which the unhelpful and serious reply was "4 courses" and then went on to explain the maths of it. Rather than explaining what dishes we would be missing out and giving us some meaningful guidance about which one to consider.

Having just been to L'enclume, and other Michelin star restaurants, where you can select between wine pairing options for e.g. a standard wine pairing Vs a premium wine pairing. We asked the same waiting staff member if there were options for the wine pairing. To which he looked annoyed and said "There can only ever be one wine pairing".

So we were off to a terrible start.

The meal:

The food was largely enjoyable and of a high standard. However, At £95 for a 6 course tasting, we left hungry.

The main of the beef was a tiny tiny portion, it was just one small medallion sized piece.

We have definitely had better 1* 6 course tasting menus for £65. So, this was poor value for money.

At the end of the meal, we went back to the lounge for our cheese course. We wanted to order some port with it, but we couldn't find the port in the sweet / fortified wine section. So, when the same bar tender came to take our order, we asked if they had port. He looked at us as if we were stupid and said "Well you need to look at the Bar menu".

Disappointed overall as we were really looking forward to the meal. As a result, we wouldn't be recommending...

A mixed bag.

Random gripe: Initial emails from the restaurant suggest your booked time allows for 30 minutes in the lounge, but the final email sent a day before arrival contradicted this. Comms need to be consistent on this.

Food: Started fairly average for a restaurant of this quality, building into very good by the John Dory fish course (beautifully done with fresh garden peas and asparagus) and really strong by the desserts (cracking rice pudding / sesame dish - easily 2* quality). However:

In a £120 tasting menu, you can’t serve three canapés as three of the ten courses. These should be served separately to the menu and given to both 6 and 10 course diners. Same goes for petit fours - where are they? Fine to do a bread course; but don’t serve it with the lobster. We were 5/10 courses in within 30 minutes of arrival! Way too fast. When we asked the kitchen to slow down they were obliging however and got the pacing right thereafter. A bit of a shame to not have a birthday recognised that was mentioned twice before arrival - sticking a candle in something (petit fours cake perhaps?) or a piped chocolate plate is an easy win.

Service: Staff were all very friendly, but some training needed. Took 15 minutes to be asked for an aperitif. Cutlery missing for certain dishes. Somm absolutely nowhere in sight after wine was ordered (we had to pour our own most of the time). I do feel bad for him as he was doing a lot of serving - would suggest hiring a second somm and keeping that team separate. No offer of a cheese course which apparently exists and we would have taken.

Atmosphere: Pretty lacking due to multiple room structure. With diners being moved through so quickly (why? There aren’t two seatings and the wing we were sat in was almost empty by 9pm) we felt quite lonely by the end, albeit servers were friendly and became more attentive at that point.

Overall: 7.3/10. We had a lovely evening and this is a classic 1*, but feel no need to go back. Source needs to be careful as some talented cooking is being let down by haphazard service (and meanness on the menu items that are the easy crowd pleasers at the start and end...