As so many times before, we embark on another excursion in pursuit of relaxation. This time, our travels take us to the northern reaches of England. Through green hills, past brimming lakes and rushing waterfalls, we take wide meandering roads onto tree-lined lanes to our destination nestled high in the Cumbrian fells. A jewel of the Lake District, we find the Gilpin Hotel and Lake House.
Spa Suite – The Gilpin
Arriving after a long journey, we are warmly welcomed to the lounge for something to quell our hunger from their ‘Posh Scran’ afternoon menu. There’s the feeling of being in the heart of an elegant country house, with bookcases full of interesting titles and curious oddities surrounding us. As I sit cradled between the arms of a voluptuous armchair, next to a roaring fire, tucking into a generous doorstep sandwich – paired with a divine French Martini – it really does make you think about the simple pleasures in life.
Our luggage arrives at our room before us, and we are later driven from the lounge to our room in one of their one-site vehicles (required as such due to the size of the hotel grounds) with a level of solitude afforded as such to each stay. On entering our Spa Suite, it is quite simply, spectacular.
With the fells to the north, mountains to the west, and tranquil woodland with a babbling stream to the east, it’s a modern update to the quintessential folklore woodland lodge.
Half-walled with glass, a surrounding decked courtyard garden is enclosed with a stone wall peppered with ferns. Textural elements from our backdrop are mirrored in the interiors, with well-tended plants, bark-tiled feature walls, underheated wooden floors, a hanging fireplace and his and hers sinks held up by exposed tree roots.
Spa Suite – The Gilpin
A decadent Lusso bathtub fit for two lies in the centre of the open-plan living space. Directly below a vast window, it offers views of rushing clouds surrounded by rich lather, with a glass of something chilled from the superbly stocked wine fridge or bar. A glass of Hambledon will do very nicely indeed.
The contemporary design remains sublimely indulgent throughout. Beyond the living space lies the king-size bedroom, which calmly floats above a private pond and a path leading out to a vast stone-built sunken hot tub in the courtyard.
On the other end of the suite lies a cocoon of relaxation; your ensuite spa. With a sauna, steam room, infrared lounge bed, a deluxe massage chair, and a range of bespoke in-room treatments, the aim of the game is to leave your lodgings only when one really must.
The Gilpin does provide such a need, by way of their two exceptional on-site restaurants. Our first night showed us the chef’s table at Spice, their two AA Rosette space, with a menu so exhilarating we took it again for lunch the next day without hesitation.
With a pan-Asian perspective on local ingredients, their tomato che saar soup redefines a classic, with an intriguing warmth from roasted tomatoes, ginger, cumin and curry leaves. The salmon chirashi perfectly balances the light sweetness of the Loch Duart fish with the tang of yuzu ponzu and earthy radish, with textural excitement from crisped wild rice and saline salmon roe.
Spice: The Salmon Chirashi
Our mains continue to thrill the palette: the Goan-style tiger prawns atop a rich coconut sauce with crisped curry leaf are not to be missed, nor is the slow-cooked ox cheek, prepared sous-vide and served with a rendang sauce and fermented chilli, after hitting the pan for a little char.
The following evening we experienced Source. Retaining its Michelin star for the seventh year in a row in 2024, it’s no wonder why. Overseen by Executive Chef, Ollie Bridgwater, our night welcomed a meal that will not be forgotten any time soon, and which I’m not ashamed to say ended in actual tears. Unforgotten, that is, for the delightfully playful menu. The tears? Those sprung as the result of a particular dish that still makes my eyes brim with emotion as I write.
Taking the special edit ten-course vegan tasting menu, we explore just what each ingredient can offer, designed with a guileless inhibition but expert palette. Highlights include the most beautiful hummus I’ve ever been presented with, with smooth broad beans seasoned with peppery watercress and garnished with micro florals, all paired with a crisp Natural State from New Zealand.
The ‘broccoli, quinoa, XO’ featured every possible presentation of the flower, umami-rich and supremely satisfying for even those who still retain the childhood aversion, paired with an intriguing Australian Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards situated high in the Clare Valley.
Source: The Tasting Menu
The most adjusting morsel came by way of a tiramisu. Vegan, of course, as per this specially edited menu, we were presented with a delicate, delectably creamy disk concealing a coffee-laced sponge, dusted in cocoa. Topped, no less, with coconut sorbet, cacao-nib-studded miniature chocolate tulles and a gel-encased Tia-Maria syrup. A favourite dessert, yet one I irregularly have the opportunity to indulge in, especially presented as so.
When I shared that it brought me tears of joy and that I would devour it again in a heartbeat, I would have been foolish to decline the very forthcoming offer of another round. An often-revisited video on my phone, it’s a souvenir pulled up with immeasurable joy to support my waxing poetic about its perfectly balanced intricacies.
To say the Gilpin teems with the charm of classic luxury already feels like a trivialisation, but that’s just how they like it. Understated and restorative, but no less luxuriant in every minute detail. The hotel moves with a swan-like quality, the smooth motion of every activity is appreciated by all who watch, yet there is the knowledge that this majestic beast works hard below the surface to tend graciously to every guest.
