Glowing report for the Sun Inn, Kirkby Lonsdale

Reason enough to head to Kirkby Lonsdale and taste what’s on offer.

For the first time, the historic market town pub has made it into The Good Food Guide and it also puts in an appearance in Relish North West, a glossary of fine dining with original recipes from the region’s top chefs and restaurants.

This 17th Century inn has undergone an eight-year makeover steered by owners Mark and Lucy Fuller and the end result is a stylish new restaurant, set aside from the bar area which has lost none of its traditional charm and where you can also eat off the same menu.

Rumour has it that the 11 guest rooms above the pub and restaurant are sumptuously appointed and well worth a stay if only to sample the award-winning sausages from Kirkby Lonsdale’s own butcher at breakfast.

Handmade furniture courtesy of Lucy’s father and chairs rescued from the Mauritania passenger liner adorn the restaurant.

In fact the tastefully decorated AA Rosette eaterie would sit comfortably in a top-end big city hotel.

The decor gives you a great first impression, but then the service and food are more than a match.

Individual courses are priced at £6.95 for a starter, £18.95 mains and £6.50 for dessert, and the quality, presentation and service make it worth every penny.

Or even better value is the three-course option at £29.95 per person with a pre-dinner nibble included – £24.95 for vegetarians with a taster soup.

The menu, which the chefs change regularly, offers locally-sourced ingredients such as Herdwick hogget – a sheep native to the Lake District – and from further afield, Argyll Smokery salmon and trout.

Each dish is presented like a work of art and looks as good as it tastes.

To start us off, we had Cornish mackerel and goat’s cheese brioche.

My cod loin main course came with avocado relish, chorizo crisps, salt cod brandade, tomato salsa and sea leaves – an interesting combination of tastes which complemented each other.

For dessert, I opted for the cheeseboard brought to the table and featuring a varied selection of very tasty British and Irish cheeses.

For his main, my husband Alan went for Goosnargh chicken accompanied by fondant potato, braised leeks, cherry tomato and spinach and finished off with a “gorgeous” gooseberry Bakewell tart with ginger marshmallow, meringue and double Jersey ice cream.

The service was exemplary throughout, the food more than lived up to its billing and I’m sure the Sun Inn will be shining brightly for many years to come.

lContact the Sun Inn on 015242 71965 or go to www.sun-inn.info