The story
Punch Bowl Inn sits beside the church in Crosthwaite, LA8 8HR, a short drive from Kendal, and serves Modern British food that earned 2 AA Rosettes in 2026. The building dates to 1829, when it also worked as a blacksmith's shop, and it has since been renovated into a country inn with rooms.
The menu stays close to home. Mirk Howe Farm, run by the Punch Bowl, supplies damsons, rhubarb, beetroot, artichokes, lettuces, carrots and Cumbrian lamb. Wild garlic, watercress and elderflower are gathered from the surrounding countryside. Other ingredients come from nearby suppliers, including Lovingly Artisan bakery in Kendal and Cartmel Valley Game.
The twice-baked Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire cheese soufflé has been on the menu for almost 20 years, and Tom Parker Bowles singled it out in a 2024 Mail on Sunday review. Dinner also lists Cumbrian lamb loin with a mini shepherd's pie, and roast Atlantic cod with a butter bean and chorizo cassoulet. At lunch you will find beef-battered haddock and chips alongside a Cumbrian beef fillet. The Good Food Guide's 2026 entry also mentions the lemon tart, served with damson sorbet.
A traditional bar, a casual dining area with a sofa by the log burner, a more contemporary restaurant and a heated terrace all share one menu. Almost one hundred wines are listed, with a leaning toward artisan producers, and wine pairings are offered across the menus.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
A serene village in the verdant Lyth Valley, complete with a pretty church and rolling hills, is home to this upmarket hostelry. Originally a blacksmith's forge at the beginning of the 19th century, its old bones make for a magnificent country inn, where beams and slates, real fires and real ales feel right at home across several spaces. It's been a dining destination for several decades and continues to deliver a menu that keeps its feet firmly on the ground, with produce from the owners' farm ensuring that food miles are kept to a minimum. Lancashire cheese soufflé with caramelised red onions is a cross-border favourite, comforting and rich, or you could try a lighter option such as beetroot and pomegranate salad with goat's cheese and raspberry vinaigrette. Cumbrian lamb arrives with a miniature shepherd's pie, while fish might feature pan-roasted cod with cider and mussel sauce, plus a serving of mash to soak it all up. During the week, lunchtime brings similar dishes, with the addition of pub staples such as fish and chips or local wild boar and damson sausages (with mash and gravy). Those damsons also appear as a sorbet with the Punch Bowl's renowned lemon tart. Sunday lunch (a weekly changing blow-out) brings roast beef sirloin with Yorkies and seasonal vegetables (some courtesy of the owner's farm). Well-chosen wines from £27.
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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