The story
Restaurant Auction House, at 1 Cornmarket in Louth, runs a modern British kitchen that earned a Good rating in the 2026 Good Food Guide. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from the same compact space.
Gareth Bartram cooks here on his own, after making his name at Winteringham Fields. The kitchen moves through the day, from breakfast and light bites to cocktails and dinner. Michelin has listed the restaurant as Recommended for 2026.
The sample snack list includes a Lincolnshire Poacher tartlet with pickled walnut ketchup and citrus cured chalk stream trout with gooseberry and dill. Small plates have included chorizo with crushed peas, house ricotta and preserved lemon. Larger plates have included BBQ beef picanha steak with peppercorn sauce, Roscoff onions and horseradish cream, and grilled catch of the day with sauce vierge. Dessert has been sherry trifle with Anabel strawberries, vanilla and elderflower.
The bar and the small first-floor dining room both draw strong support from locals. The wine list is short and well priced, and a former Winteringham Fields sommelier sources unusual bottles from a shop in Hull. Breakfast dishes include a Benedict, a grilled smoked kipper and French toast.
Recognition
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Details
History
Chef Gareth Bartram made his name at Winteringham Fields but now he is flying solo at this pint-sized spot in Louth, which has ‘brought something refreshing and inspiring’ to the town. Both the bar and the dinky dining room on the first floor are well supported by the local populace, who appreciate the fact that this dynamic, welcoming space ‘evolves seamlessly throughout the day’ – from breakfast and light bites to cocktails and dinner. Snacks open the show (perhaps a Lincolnshire Poacher tartlet with pickled walnut ketchup), while ‘beautifully executed’ small plates bring temptation in the shape of, say, chorizo with crushed peas, house ricotta and preserved lemon. Among the larger plates, the catch of the day with sauce vierge or BBQ picanha steak with peppercorn sauce, Roscoff onions and horseradish cream show off the kitchen’s classic skills, while sherry trifle with Anabel strawberries, vanilla and elderflower brings proceedings to a seasonal conclusion. The succinct, well-priced wine list is a real highlight, with a former Winteringham Fields sommelier sending offbeat bottles from their shop across the Humber in Hull.
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