The Old Stamp House Restaurant — Restaurant in Great Britain

We can not rate or review the food as we did not stay to eat... these are the reasons why!!! We had booked a table at lunchtime at the Old Stamp House, this was one of our highlighted meals whilst on holiday in the Lake District. This was also our 20th Wedding Anniversary celebration meal, which was completely ruined & marred the day & the end of our holiday. On arrival at the restaurant we were confronted by a very cold, rude, arrogant & self absorbed Head Waiter/Waiter/Co-owner (we later found out he was the brother of the Head Chef) We were made to feel very unwelcomed & insignificant by him from the moment we set foot in the building, his first reaction to us walking in wasn't to say "hello" or "welcome" but instead he just checked his watch to see what time it was... not a great first impression from the Front of House team (we arrived 10 minutes early for our 12.30pm reservation) He then proceeded to ask us what name the reservation was under, once we had told him our surname he proceeded to scold us by saying "they had been trying to ring us as they like to talk to the customer prior to them dining at the restaurant" as you can gather we hadn't answered the phone call... this abrasive manner & the way it was delivered made us feel like naughty school kids... not how you want to be made to feel when dining out & trying to celebrate a special occasion!!! We were then shown to our table & our coats were taken, the same waiter asked us if we had any allergies to which I replied "no" & my husband replied "he could not eat shellfish" to which the waiter replied in an abrasive tone "most of our menu is fish" "I'll go & speak to the Chef" my husband was left embarrassed & feeling he had to justify that he had an allergy to fish & once again we were both made to feel like naughty school kids, he then came back to us after speaking to the Chef & saying to my husband that the Chef would do him the vegetarian option to replace the fish option. We then ordered some drinks & again this server seemed to be talking down to us, we decided whilst these drinks were being made that we would not be stopping as we had endured enough of the abrasive tone & being spoken down to... really, really poor customer service skills from this front of house server who talks down to customers with a superior, holier than thou attitude, a lot of training needed to get this particular individual up to scratch for a Michelin star establishment. Myself & my husband have both worked in catering establishments for most of our life's with one particular restaurant going for a Michelin Star, we have also dined in such establishments many times & have never been treated with such disrepect or contempt. We were both left upset, annoyed & angered that our special day had been ruined & what should have been a lovely, enjoyable dining experience was far from that. Our experience of the Old Stamp House was not a very nice one & we can only judge it on what we experienced. Much work needed with Front of House, sooner rather than later & maybe before your Michelin star that you've worked so hard to get... gets...

We were first to arrive on the evening of the 4th of January 2023, needless to say it was not long before all tables were occupied in the wonderfully cozy and yet elegant establishment. We were cheerily greeted and shown to our table where we found a personalized letter from chef Ryan, the envelope sealed in wax, what a touch. We selected a delicious Pinot noir of Australian-(Victoria) origin and a delicious Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Firstly I must congratulate our service team who were knowledgeable and very attentive without ever imposing on our special night. Secondly the culinary journey we then began was one never to be forgotten. Described as a journey around Cumbria we were treated to some of the finest cuisine I have every sampled. I have had the pleasure of eating in around 50 Michelin starred restaurants globally, Old Stamp House is up there with the highest achievers. Black pudding bon bons, duck liver, arctic char, last wolf beer bread, scallops, chalk stream trout, Cumbrian red deer, and a brace of desserts to die for. I would happily add full descriptives for each dish however I simply do not have time. Needless to say this evening was faultless. Food treated with kindness, elegantly plated and powerfully loaded with flavors that send the taste buds into a frenzy. Personally I could live on the scallops with potted shrimps and spiced mead veloute and the Cumbrian red deer which was cooked with the touch of a genius to perfection. Chef Ryan is an exceptional talent who clearly pours love into his food in torrents matched only by the torrential rains Cumbria is enduring this week. When a chef can experiment to this level of perfection we can only applaud his brilliance. Thank you for a magnificent experience at...

What an eventful weekend we have just had spent with lovely friends.

Our very first time in a Mitchelin star restaurant. It took us on a culinary journey (and it was a journey) we will never forget.

Old Stone House, which is located in the charming town of Ambleside, gave us the finest cuisine we have ever sampled. Whether you are a foodie or not you can not fail to be impressed.

When shown to our table a personalised letter from the chef, Ryan Blackburn, was waiting for us, sealed in wax, what a very special touch.

Everything is freshly cooked, locally sourced ingredients all carefully crafted (works of art and I would go as far as to say masterpieces). Service second to non (even the head chef and owner Ryan comes to the table which was a welcome personal touch).

It was a lunchtime booking but walking into this hidden gem of a restaurant you would actually think it was evening with the intimate ambiance, the lighting and the beautiful table candles (which weren't actual candles, just exquisitely made pieces of art made in a way that reflected the light to resemble candlelight).

We all enjoyed each delicious course that came along, accompanied by a very nice Rioja wine. I was excited to see bone broth on the menu - it's a low carb / intermittent fasting favourite that I actually haven't tried before. It was as delicious as I had anticipated. Who would have thought something so simple could be so damn tasty 😋

After the most amazing dessert we decided to push the boat out and ordered a selection of local cheeses to share, which came with home made biscuits - we paired the cheese with an aged tawny port.

What a wonderful experience.

Our first Michelin Star restaurant but hopefully...