There are a few places left in the world that still offer a subdued and hidden charm. Sedbergh is one of those places, a town where you feel a certain level of enchantment after a long and winding drive. I know the area well – I was schooled in the next town over – but it has been a long while since I frequented the area. The road this time, at the upper end of the Lune Valley in Cumbria, glistened in the evening light with rainbows and showers smothering the folding hills. I made my way up the meandering roads listening to BBC Radio 3. You don’t get this in southern England, that’s for sure.
Following my epic welcome by the gods in the late autumn evening sun and showers, I happened upon the main street, in the heart of Sedbergh. The narrow high street wouldn’t look out of place in a Peter Rabbit movie set, which was filmed in the area. Suddenly, you arrive at the impressive Black Bull Hotel and Restaurant. The edifice of this large, 17th century coaching inn is something to behold, from another era of great traveling hotels, something we have very few of left in this modern age.
The Black Bull’s welcoming foyer and entrance area hold the visitor in a trance of sumptuous colours and smells. As you walk in, you are immediately greeted with scents and sounds of a busy restaurant and informal bar area. But what is most important to remember is that you have the ability to relax here long into the night, as the inn’s accommodation is just upstairs.
What sets this country dining establishment apart from its competition is the recently launched Tsuchi restaurant concept. “Tsuchi,” Japanese for “earth,” whisks you away from the north of England and to similar latitudes of Hokkaido in Japan. “More than just ground, it represents a foundation of life. Healthy soil sustains us, and with it comes a responsibility to care for our planet,” Japanese-German chef Nina Matsunaga says as she titillates your appetite with a several-course tasting menu.
Matsunaga and her British husband James Ratcliffe, who runs the front of house, co-own the hotel and restaurant, bringing faraway destinations and exotic menus to Cumbria. Such imaginative restaurants are few and far between, so I was excited to try the fine dining experience after hearing many good things about the menu. This, however, was a travel experience within a travel experience, as Matsunaga sent our taste buds around the world with a story.
Matsunaga’s menu celebrates local and British produce at its “peak, fresh, preserved”, and it is thoughtfully sourced from farmers and growers, with local and regional cuisine featuring heavily in the menu. Blending her own family’s heritage with a passion for British ingredients, she creates dishes which are creative, a fusion, and thoughtful.
At first, you are treated to drinks and a traditional kombucha to warm up the senses; we were then given a mouthwatering selection of British bluefin, Lincolnshire smoked eel, and black apple. That is not all: there was fresh bread with locally seasoned butter native to the land around Sedbergh, and it is so smooth that it gives your taste buds the treatment of luxury silk.
Our next imaginative serving was the Kombucha oyster mushrooms with wild east coast sea trout, pea, and cucumber. It was followed at an appropriately leisurely pace – this is not a place to rush – with a portion of butter-soft venison, and then Hereford beef and tomatillo, a rarely seen savory fruit also known as the Mexican husk tomato.
Moving onto the dessert portion of the tasting menu, we were treated to yuzu and Meadowsweet, a perennial herb with frothy white flowers. We then finished off with an unexpectedly magnificent taste of miso and black sesame.
This kind of creative fine dining is such a treat after a long day, for couples and individual diners alike. All meals served at Tsuchi are given the full wine list treatment, with helpful servers guiding you through the entire process. The combination of inspired flavors, elegant presentation, ambience, and attentive service, made this one of the most truly memorable eating experiences I have had in a long time.
The Black Bull’s accommodation, as I mentioned, is just a few steps away, up the grand staircase from the restaurant, and it certainly does not disappoint. The attractive historic building, which Matsunaga and Ratcliffe purchased from a brewery in 2017, has had a full makeover, reversing years of neglect and flood damage and giving it a completely new lease of life. Up North Architects have brought the couple’s vision to life, respecting the building’s heritage but bringing it up to date with modern, tasteful décor which wouldn’t be out of place in London, Paris, or Abu Dhabi. Quite rightly, there’s a hint of Japan as well.
The inn’s white rooms allow the mellow light from the fells in, and the welcome biscuit baked in-house is a thoughtful touch, especially if you have had a long drive to get here. The bathrooms also delight – ours was a super-modern glass room within-a-room – and there is a luxury-level king-sized bed to boot.
In the morning, the small market town of Sedbergh wakes up on the street below. You will be glad to hear that there is a broad and delicious breakfast menu available, which caters for all kinds of tastes. The Black Bull is dedicated to its full English breakfast, sourcing ingredients from local suppliers, but other equally appealing options are available, including vegan-friendly woodland mushrooms on toast, as well as superb mackerel and scrambled eggs. Whatever you choose, for dinner or breakfast, you can be sure that a night spent comfortably at The Black Bull will have you fully recharged with a zest for whatever the world throws at you the next day.
Digital Version
Subscribe to Swanky Retreats Magazine’s DIGITAL version. Read the latest issue online or download it to your computer.
