at the heart of the Lake District National Park, William Wordsworth used the building to run his stamp distribution business - supplying the whole of Cumbria.
The small restaurant combines traditional and modern features with low ceilings, with white walls bearing modern paintings. Set across two floors, 30 people can dine in one sitting, eight for private dining.
The food at The Old Stamp House features lots of organic game and foraged ingredients, offering both an a la carte and a tasting menu.
Most popular on the menu are local cheeses and Herdwick hogget, with dishes such as potted shrimps with cauliflower, curry and mead sauce, Cumbrian gingerbread with panna cotta and ruhbarb, smoked Furness wood pigeon with beetroot, celeriac puree and pickled cherries, and Alston Moor red grouse with Scottish girolles and truffle jus.
Describing his vision for the restaurant, the chef said: "I want my business to be part of the community using local suppliers and craftsmen, retaining spend within the local economy. This place is a special and unique, moulded over thousands of years by the earth and by people. Our history and industry, including the quarries, farms and ports deserve to be recognized, preserved and protected, whilst allowing for continued, sustainable growth."
