"UPDATE JUNE 2024: So since my initial review, I have been back to the Langdale complex and eaten at the Stove again. There is a new GM, who previously worked at the hotel, and has tried to turn things around. The menu has been updated and some of the service problems have been addressed. Unfortunately the food is still a long way away from where it needs to be, especially in comparison to the local competition stale bread, dry pasta and shop bought pizza sauces where some of the ongoining dissapointments. The restaurant seems to be ticking over based on the ‘captive audience’ of guests and hotel punters. Which is fine for the buisness I guess? But not a great user exp. It IS such a shame, that what could be a stellar offering in an amazing setting is just below ‘bang average’. Hopefully things will improve! This is a nicely laid out restaurant in a beautiful setting, in a stunning part of the world. So it is such a shame that the food and service it is so utterly average and underwhelming! We have been staying at the estate for 20+ years, my wife’s family have been coming even longer. And the onsite catering has always been a bit hit or miss. So when it was renovated, we were excited to come back and see what they had done, the improvements that had been made and sample the new updated menu. And on a positive note, the interior, terrace, bar and dining area are amazing. However for an upmarket eatery in the heart of the lakes the food which is the main. event was so far off the mark! The pizzas are bland and doughy we sent two back because they were soggy. The burgers were tasteless and over cooked grey meat in cheap buns that wouldn’t have been out of place at Iceland! The fish and chips were just foul soggy fish, undercooked chips, cooked in old, stale fat! The cocktails were okay, but at £15 a pop, really not cheap. And the beers are okay. But they don’t have anything local, which seems bizarre given all the excellent craft breweries in the area? The staff were very nice, but totally disorganised. No one seemed to have a handle on what had been booked or ordered. And the food turned up luke warm and nothing together. All of this is such a shame as the Langdale hotel and time share is an amazing spot and the staff aren’t wilfully bad. But for the money you are paying 20+ for a main dish and 15 quid for a pizza you really would expect better. I guess it has a captive audience? But given the competition across the Lakes this place really does fall short and someone needs to take it in hand."
