We escape to the Cottage in the Wood!

However much we love London, sometimes you just need to get out of the city and breeeeeathe... So when we were up in the Lake District for a bit of hiking and got the chance to have dinner in this lovely little place, we were very excited.

Situated in England's only mountain forest (who knew?), the Cottage in the Wood is a 17th Century Coaching Inn that's been restored to create a boutique hotel with an award-winning restarant. We didn't stay overnight but having eaten in the restaurant, we can attest that you definitely don't need to be in a big city to get amazing food...

The chef makes use of local produce as much as possible and manages to put an interesting twist on things, without creating dishes that are overly fussy or contrived. We had the tasting menu, which included lobster with Caesar salad, game terrine and Cumbrian roe deer with black pudding and celeriac. Whereas often the richness of tasting menus leaves you feeling like you've had a couple of courses too many, this one was pitched perfectly to create a balance of tastes and textures that was absolutely spot on.

HEADING TO LONDON? HERE'S WHERE TO EAT IN THE CAPITAL!

We still had just enough room for dessert and didn't feel like we needed to be rolled out of the restaurant at the end of the evening... If you don't want to go for the tasting menu though, there's also a fantastic market menu to choose from - perfect for some delicious dinner after a long day walking in the fells.

The Cottage in the Wood also has some great offers on mini-breaks for this Autumn, which include dinner in the restaurant every night (yes, please!), so if you feel like you cosying up by a fire in a really stunning location, we seriously couldn't recommend this place more.