The Ilex Brasserie, Holker Hall

THERE was more than a touch of the bleak midwinter when a group of us set off for a festive meal at Holker Hall last weekend.

Even though winter hasn't yet officially begun, it was as wintry as it could be as we headed along Holker Mosses on Saturday. There was snow on the hills, sleet in the air and it was bitterly cold. All in all, the perfect day for a festive lunch to get us all in the Christmas spirit.

We had booked a table in the Ilex brasserie, which is serving a festive lunch and dinner menu throughout the run-up to Christmas. While it was quiet when we arrived, the charming young waiter told us it was the calm before - and after - the storm. Seventy in the evening before, with lots booked for that evening, too.

The four of us were more than happy to enjoy the relative peace of the Ilex, and once the waiter had purloined an extra heater for us from the adjacent cafe, we were ready to shed our coats, get stuck into aperitifs all round and have a look at the menu. Outside, there was a winter market going on in the pretty courtyard, with an impressive Father Christmas strolling around.

Inside the Ilex, it was less festive, the only decorations (apart from crackers on the tables) being red cyclamens in pots and a frankly feeble Christmas tree opposite the bar. Considering the brasserie is named after the Ilex tree - a type of holly, if my arboreal knowledge serves me correctly - one would have expected more than a nod to this most seasonal of trees. Excuse the casual sexism, but only a man could surely be responsible for the boring Ilex Christmas tree.

But how about the food?

I had last visited the Ilex when it opened in spring of 2016 and had been highly impressed with everything about it. Eighteen months later, I am pleased to report, the food is just as good as it was then.

The festive menu offers two courses for £20, three for £25, with coffee and mince pies included. Two of us - the girls - went for the two course option, while our husbands went for the full works. Cream of pea soup with chestnut bread for one half of the table, while the other two went for grilled goats cheese with roast beetroot and cranberry dressing. For mains we ordered three traditional roast turkey dinners, and one fried hake supreme in a butterbean and beetroot stew with cinnamon and cider sauce. All washed down with a bottle of white Rioja.

The food arrived promptly and was beautifully presented. The goats cheese was subtle and complemented the beetroot perfectly, while the cream of pea soup was utterly superb. I'm quite a fan of pea soup and this was the best I can remember having. It was smooth with a capital S, perfectly seasoned and slipped down the throat like thick green silk. Top notch.

Our main courses were three-quarters excellent, one quarter slightly less so. The roast turkey was a delicious pre-cursor to Christmas, featuring everything one wants on a plate of Christmas roast: tender turkey, pigs in blankets, al dente sprouts, crisp roast vegetables and delclious stuffing. I say it featured everything, but there was no bread sauce (a heinous Christmas culinary omission in my book). I'll let the chef off, though, because the rest of it was all so good.

Gordon's hake was less successful. Although the fish was beautifully cooked and the butterbean and beetroot stew heartily appropriate for the weather outside, the dish was overwhelmed by the cinnamon, with which the chef had been far too heavy handed. It didn't stop Gordon eating the lot, but he did keep casting wistful glances in the direction of our turkey and all the trimmings.

He soon cheered up, however, with the arrival of his pudding: a glorious orange posset with cranberry gel and ginger biscuits, which he utterly adored. His old school pal John went down the traditional route with a lovely little Christmas pud, which he declared excellent.

Rounded off with good coffee and some delicious diddy mince pies, we had enjoyed a largely excellent pre-Christmas meal at the Ilex. Boring decorations and a little too much cinnamon in one of the dishes aside, it had been a near-faultless meal, in elegant surroundings and with genuinely friendly service.

The Ilex is a beautiful place. I just hope someone (a woman, maybe?) sorts that Christmas tree out.

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By LOUISE ALLONBY

Ratings (out of five)

Food 4.5

Service 5

Atmosphere 4

Value 4.5

Pros

Stylish surroundings

Quality ingredients and presentation

Good drinks menu

Cons

Duff decs