Lancrigg Country Hotel

We all loved this charming country house hotel, vegans and non-vegans alike. Within walking distance of Grasmere, it is in a beautiful location high on the hill. On one of our visits we even saw some deer. The house is homely, beautiful and clean. The best surprise is the excellent food! The TLT ciabatta is outstanding (tofu replaces the bacon and vegan mayo is used). There are vegan versions of nearly everything and everything else is veggie. The vegan brownies too were a highlight (of course!). Lovely staff too!

The place we usually stay in the Lakes (Fox Hall) was full so we thought we'd give this a go.
Things did not start well. After arriving at about 10pm after a long day at work and then a long drive to get here there was no hot water for a shower let alone to make use of the jacuzzi bath.
The hotel needs some investment. There were many fixtures that needed looking at in our room, and the heating and the wifi provision are sub par. There were plenty of other minor niggles that just left us with an overall negative impression.
The food was fine. Good vegan choices and plenty of coeliac provision. However breakfast was not served until 0830, and was served very slowly (nearly an hour both mornings) which makes getting out for longer walking days tricky.
The location is lovely, perhaps if things had started better we would have felt more positive about it all. I won't be back though.

We've spent a day and a night at Lancrigg Hotel and enjoyed the charming old-fashioned house, the splendid setting and most of all the piece and quiet, whiich is so unbelievable in the busy Lake District.
Our room was lovely and stylish, everything was well provided for, and the bathroom offered a range of local organic cosmetic products without animal testing.
The old-fashioned dining room with its chandeliers, the soft music in the background and the stunning view into the green let us expect more than we got, and the quality of the food couldn't live up to these surroundings, nor did it match te prices.
Too many of the main courses seem to imitate Fast Food in a vegan and more sophisticated way, but that in itself is a little out-dated, and it is not what one would expect in such a classy and classical place.
After two weeks of traveling in non-vegan places, it was a great change to have vegan desserts and sweets we had missed so much. But all in all, the menu could be more tasty, more creative, and better balanced. I've eaten much better elsewhere, and for smaller sums.
The same applied to the vegan breakfast. Moreover, in a vegetarian and vegan-vegan friendly house you wouldn't expect to have to tell the waiters repeatedly that you're vegan, which was the case.
I'd hope for better-trained staff, and staff who are able to cope with credit-cards, to make stays there more pleasant. Hours after our departure from hotel and restaurant, we got a phonecall calling us back, because my credit card was said to have been empty - very alarmed, I returned back there, only to realise, after an hour of waiting, that the lady at the reception had done this the first time, and had made a mistake.
All in all: Good, but not really good value. I might come again, but rather not for the food.
Cons: a bit too pricy, staff is not like what you would expect