Bordering on the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales is one of those hidden gems that you want to keep all to yourself - The Plough at Lupton.
It's one of those places you stumble across if you are driving through the countryside and when you realise how good it is, you want to keep it a secret from everyone you know.
First Impressions
First impressions were very good - rustic beams, wood floors, and a sense of a lived-in laid-back country style. Check-in was super quick and Jonathan the manager was very welcoming and showed us straight up to our room.
The Bedroom
We were shown to the Torsin suite. As we didn't expect a suite it was a wonderful surprise and I really did go 'wow!' as I walked into the room. They describe this room as 'country inn style with modern opulence' and you can see why.
When you walk into the room there is a large wardrobe and dressing table with mirror, then you walk into the lounge area, which leads to the bedroom. Just off the bedroom is the vast bathroom.
The decor was calm and collected with cream walls, a plush cream carpet, and eggshell blue accents. The cushions seemed to reflect the prints on the walls - like a dreamy waterlily painting from Monet.
Lounge area
To have a lounge area is a real luxury and having a turntable and a supply of vinyl really added to the ambience, especially as Mr W collects vinyl.
The corner sofa was made of a velvet material that was luxurious to the touch and was piled high with cushions with a blue and green print.
A choice of books were supplied and were the perfect browsing material while relaxing in the suite. Who doesn't love a Lonely Planet travel guide?
Although everything was incredibly stylish, I liked the quirky touches such as the horses head table!
On the table, next to the large flat screen TV was a tea and coffee tray with quality products, such as Illy coffee, Fair Trade tea and Penningtons Hot Chocolate. A fridge with wine, spirits and soft drinks to buy also contained complimentary fresh milk, which you don't get everywhere these days.
Bathroom
Moving onto the bathroom which was huge, I was immediately impressed with the double sinks. Mr W can admire himself in the mirror for ages in the morning so having two sinks is a plus point. The mirror was very grand and huge too and added a real presence to the room.
Of course, the beautiful slipper bath was a highlight, you could just imagine sinking into the warm water with the bubbles right up to your neck.
Having both a gorgeous slipper bath and a lovely double shower we felt well and truly spoilt, and I can see why this room is popular with honeymoon couples. I also liked the fabulous tiles in the shower as well as the high rainfall showerhead. They even provide bath salts for a good soak in the tub.
What I also liked was that the towels were super soft and not like the average towels you get and so were the robes. The lighting in the bathroom was excellent, really bright but also the lighting can be adjusted to create a relaxing ambience.
Dinner
So after some time in the room working, (the Internet wasn't strong in the room so feel it's only fair to point this out), we got ready for dinner and headed downstairs.
There are two areas to sit for food, a dining room and a bar area, both with the same menu.
There was a decent selection of gins in the bar, as well as a cocktail menu.
The menu sounded delicious and had something for most people. I had to decide between slow cooked pork belly, braised lamb, and seabass so as I couldn't decide I went for the chicken supreme. Contrary I know!
Firstly though I started with an excellent chicken parfait served with sourdough bread. What I like about this chicken parfait, which was a smooth pate, was the layer of citrus glaze on the top which added some sweetness and sharpness to the richness of the dish. The presentation was very good too, on a wood slate adding a rustic appeal.
Mr W had the chicory and goats cheese salad, which he declared 'very good!'. I tried it and liked it a lot, as the goats' cheese didn't overpower the rest of the dish. Walnuts added some texture too.
After a brief interlude, the main courses arrived. We were both pleased to see a couple of chicken dishes on the menu. These days, we find that chicken can be hard to find on a menu due to the fashion, in the higher end restaurants, for red meat and game. It can be even easier to find vegetarian options than chicken these days, albeit vegetarian options with mushrooms in. Mr W isn't vegetarian but doesn't eat red meat, seafood or fish and hates mushrooms - this means he can be surprisingly difficult to cater for, especially when we travel to Europe. So top marks to The Plough for having chicken on the menu.
Getting onto the dishes - the butter poached chicken supreme was exceptionally good. The chicken breast was cooked well with a lovely brown skin, the chicken soft and tender and the sauce was very tasty, with bacon, mushrooms and a hint of cream. Served with cabbage and on a bed of potato rosti I really enjoyed this dish, and it was one of the best dishes I have had in a long time due to it being exceptionally flavourful.
The chicken burger that Mr W had was really good as well. The chicken again was chicken breast, the bacon on top really crispy, the gherkins added some pizzaz and the spicy tomato relish some zing. The chips were good but didn't blow we away, I think the promise of triple cooked chips made my expectations high, but they tasted like any other chunky chip to me, without the extra crunch you get with triple cooked chips, but here I am being exceptionally picky.
For dessert, we chose a chocolate torte and an apple and blackberry crumble.
The chocolate torte was in a crispy pastry case and served with thick local cream. It was rich, it was decadent and it was exactly as a chocolate torte should be. Very indulgent and delicious.
The apple and blackberry crumble was served with an accompanying creme anglais. The creme anglais, a light pouring custard, was sweet with a good vanilla flavour. The crumble topping was made of oats and sugar, I prefer a standard crumble topping myself and I must admit the apple and blackberry compote was too sharp for me. It needed more sugar I'm afraid. In hindsight, I should have ordered the torte.
So full as we could possibly be, we retired to our room for the night.
Breakfast
The next morning we woke up after a great sleep, and after a lovely bath, (Mr W liked the rainfall shower) we came down to breakfast. Something we did notice in the morning was that there was a little road noise, as our room looked directly onto a country road that was moderately busy. Not enough to wake me up but if you are a light sleeper something to be aware of.
The breakfast in the morning included a cold buffet with a cooked to order option.
The buffet section was simple but of very high quality. Fresh juices, fresh fruit salad, delicious thick yoghurt, cereals, and pastries. Soya milk was also available which I was pleased about.
Our made to order breakfast came before long. I ordered the sauteed field mushrooms on spinach and garlic and Mr W ordered the Plough vegetarian breakfast.
The mushrooms came on sourdough bread and I asked for it to come on wholemeal bread and that was no problem at all. I really enjoyed the mushrooms, which were sauteed well but not greasy, nestled on wilted fresh spinach. The garlic didn't overpower the dish too which was good.
Mr W enjoyed his vegetarian breakfast with vegan sausages. He opted for his eggs to be scrambled and these were well seasoned.
Conclusion
So it was with heavy hearts that we had to check out of this beautiful country pub with rooms. The Plough Inn is a very good choice if you are in the Lake District or Yorkshire Dales. Moments off the M6 it is a great base for exploring the area further. We highly recommend checking out Bowness-on-Windermere and Grasmere which were both under 40 minutes away.
I think the decor was inspired and was very chic, marrying traditional and modern design well. The Torsin suite was huge and really blew me away. It has that wow factor, that's for sure and would be an excellent choice for a special birthday, anniversary or simply to spoil yourself. The bathroom was exceptional, the space divine and the finishing touches such as the fresh milk in the room, super soft bathrobes and the retro turntable added luxury details you don't get everywhere.
The food in the restaurant was also very good indeed - tasty, presented well and not overpriced, If I lived in the area I would definitely be visiting the restaurant on a regular basis.
Would we stay again? Of course! With rooms starting at £85 a night, and our opulent suite starting at £135, I think this is great value for this high-quality pub with rooms. In fact, we are thinking of returning to the Lake District early next year so you never know, we may be back sooner than expected. Highly recommended.
The Plough Inn,
Cow Brow,
Lupton,
Cumbria LA6 1PJ
015395 67700
Wow a vinyl player and records sounds nice! Looks like a great pub and room x
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely touch and unexpected too.
DeleteWhat a lovely looking place to go for a relax and rest! The rooms look beautiful love the little details and the record player and the food looks absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteThe little details really made this stay.
DeleteThis place is beautiful. I love the modern decor and the food looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThe decor is stunning and I absolutely love that lamp in the bedroom x
ReplyDeleteI love the decor, so rural and quaint. I could soak for hours in that bath too
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, this hotel is beautiful! I love the colours of the decor in the bedroom, and I swear that bathroom is bigger than my first flat - I'm a huge fan of slipper baths as well. And the food looks amazing - definitely bookmarking this hotel for the future!
ReplyDeleteI think the bathroom is bigger than my house!
DeleteWow this is such a stylish and gorgeous place! To be fair, the price is even cheap for all this. The attention to the details is absolutely fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThe attention to detail is what makes a place to stay special.
DeleteWhat a fab place to be, love the look of the vintage feel about the place xx
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness! This place looks amazing. I've never been to Lupton before, but if it's not too far away from me I'd definitely love to go :)
ReplyDeleteLouise x
You should visit, why not try out the food first?
DeleteThis looks too amazing. The horse table especially is so unique and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh wow this really does look like a beautiful rustic place to relax and enjoy! The food look delicious and the rooms have a complete rustic charm! I wish I lived closer so I could try it for myself.
ReplyDelete