IT’S been a rather busy time on the birthday front those last few weeks, with the celebrations coming thick and fast.

This week, I needed to kill two birds with one stone: I was in search of somewhere to take my best friend for a pre-50th birthday lunch and her daughter – my goddaughter – for a post-20th birthday lunch at the same time. Somewhere special, obviously. Fine dining (a phrase I dislike) and in spectacular Lakeland surroundings.

I eventually settled upon Linthwaite House, which is tucked away on the hills behind Bowness, overlooking Windermere. It’s not the easiest place to find – and this was my third visit.

Linthwaite is no stranger to culinary awards; this year it was named Best Hotel Restaurant in the Cumbria Life 2015 awards. Neither my friend Sarah nor her daughter Olivia had ever heard of the place, so I was keen to introduce them to what I believe is one of the hidden gems of Lakeland fine dining.

After drinks in one of the lovely lounges, we were shown through to the elegant restaurant. It’s stylish without being painfully so; and quiet without being oppressively so (no dreaded canned musak here).

The Linthwaite lunch menu offers three choices of starters, mains and puddings. With three of us, it was easy: one of everything, please. I went for carrot soup with Grasmere gingerbread for my starter, Sarah ordered a ballotine of rabbit with butternut squash and cumin chutney, and Olivia had a smoked salmon mousse. We all tried each other’s – and all were equally good.

The rabbit was delicately flavoured, moist and subtly seasoned, while the poppy seed tuille which accompanied it gave it some extra texture. The salmon mousse was as smooth as silk, while my carrot soup was an absolute eye-opener. The soup itself was silky and rich but it was the gingerbread which elevated it to a different level altogether. The ginger provided a welcome tang while the sweetness of the finely crumbled cake provided a perfect end note. Mains were sea bream with sea vegetables (samphire and sea parsley), fennel and chive butter sauce; duck breast with carrot and jasmine purée, pomme anna, fennel and lavender; and an intriguing-sounding celeriac and artichoke risotto with pears and hazelnuts. All looked stunning. And all tasted stunning.

For me, the star of the show was the risotto. This was no boring veggie token gesture, but a beautiful, delicate-yet-hearty dish which made one’s tastebuds sing with delight. The sea bream and duck were equally excellent – cooked to perfection and cooked with great imagination. The chef at Linthwaite has a fine palate and a fantastic eye.

Presentation of all the dishes was what one would expect of a fine dining restaurant: elegant, colourful and imaginative. From our on-spec arrival, service throughout was simply spot-on.

From the dessert menu we ordered one of each again: lemon posset with elderflower jelly and pistachio and lavender ice cream; vanilla cheesecake with a raspberry sorbet and white chocolate with tarragon; and a generous cheeseboard (for no extra supplement) with a lovely local damson chutney. The lemon posset was the most fought-over of the dishes between us.

This superb lunch is just £19.95 for three courses. It is stunning value – and of such high quality it is hard to imagine how the chef is able to create such fantastic food for such a price. We lingered over coffee and tea in the lovely lounge which leads into an airy conservatory.

For a fine dining celebratory lunch, I cannot imagine there is anywhere better in the Lake District at such incredibly good value. This hotel richly deserves a clean sweep of top marks.

Pros

Stunningly good value lunch

Excellent service

Innovative menu

Elegant surroundings

Cons

Quite difficult to find

Lake views somewhat restricted