MORE than a year after the Brexit vote, how are things faring for the tourism industry in the Lake District? More specifically, has the widely predicted exodus of European workers in the British hospitality sector begun? Well, if my experience this week is anything to go by, the answer to the latter question is thus far a "no".

My husband and I, along with family visitors from Malaysia, had dinner at The Rybeck country house hotel on the outskirts of Bowness - and every member of staff who served us was from an EU country. That's great for the industry - as far too many of our own young people inexplicably take the view that serving in hotels and restaurants is beneath them.

We arrived on a very drizzly, typical Lakeland evening, to find The Rybeck very busy indeed. It's a classic Pattinson-built Lakes country house, with views over Windermere and the Langdales (or at least it would have had if it hadn't been persistently raining). We were led through to a large and very busy dining room and seated in our own alcove (poor lighting, though) where we waited to order drinks. And waited. And waited.

A friendly young man eventually came and took our orders and explained that as the kitchen was so busy, it would be a while before we could order any food. Fair enough, the drinks would do in the meantime. Except that they seemed to take forever to arrive. And when they did, it eventually became clear that the non-alcoholic cocktail my husband's daughter-in-law Adeline had ordered was full of the stuff. When challenged, the waiter insisted in very halting English that this was what she had ordered. Hardly.

In the meantime, I was on a wild goose chase to find the ladies', having been misdirected twice by staff who clearly did not understand my request as to the whereabouts of "the loo". I eventually found it - no thanks to those staff - under the stairs by the front door (yes, really).

Never mind the loos, the booze-laden alcohol-free cocktails and the interminable wait, I hear you cry. What about the food? Well, when we had finally managed to get someone to take our orders, the food at The Rybeck proved to be very good indeed. The hotel prides itself on its use of local produce - and my salmon and Muncaster crab fish cake (£8) was delicious, a cucumber creme fraiche complementing the fish-packed cake very well.

My husband Gordon went for a steak tartare at £8.75, his son Gregory duck parfait (£8.50) and the two ladies Adeline and Renee had king scallop and pork belly for a whopping £12.50 a pop. It's not cheap at The Rybeck, that's for sure. The two children, Mei and An-Ni, had to make do with some delicious bread, although we had requested their food arrive with the starters. Mei had chosen a seafood platter, as she loves smoked fish; and polished off the lot when it arrived later.

Gordon loved his steak tartare, as he's one of those weird types who like raw meat; the parfait was, er, perfect, and the scallops were well-cooked. One scallop, though, on a £12.50 starter...

The mains were equally expensive but equally good. My butter-poached monkfish at £21.50 came with heritage potatoes, saffron vinaigrette and brown shrimp. It was all beautifully cooked and presented, as you would expect at these prices. Other successful dishes included a superb duck with black cherries and curly kale (£19.50), a stunningly tender mint-crusted pork loin with champ (£18.50) and a lovely-looking but slightly over-salted mushroom risotto which, at £15, was the cheapest main dish on the menu. At the other end of the scale, a Higginson's sirloin steak came in at £29.50.

While the staff were all very friendly and courteous, it was a struggle at times to claim their attention, not least in terms of ordering food and drinks; and a request for the bill at the end of the evening was met with a panic-stricken stare from a young woman who effectively spoke no English and who rushed off to find someone else to help us.

The two little girls with us, who coped brilliantly with the long wait for their food, were rewarded at the end of the meal with two delicious desserts - sorbets and ice-cream for five-year-old An-Ni and a sticky toffee pudding meringue for Mei, aged 10.

The food here is excellent. But it's expensive, the service was all over the place, and the restaurant lacks atmosphere. The Rybeck's riding high with what comes out of the kitchen - but the same can't be said for everything else about the place.

By LOUISE ALLONBY

Food 4

Service 2.5

Atmosphere 3

Value 3.5

Pros: Lake views (when it's not raining);

Quality cuisine

Cons: Language barrier for some staff;

Service hit and miss;

Be prepared to play "hunt the lavatory"