Pub settings don’t come much more perfect than The Kirkstile Inn.

Nestled in Loweswater and overlooked by majestic Melbreak, guests are in a good place – literally – before the food even arrives.

To add to our experience we happened to visit on one of the warmest days of late summer so opted to sit outside.

Sunshine, fell views and Loweswater Gold at the end of a day spent biking over nearby Newlands Pass followed by a refreshing dunk in Crummock Water are a pretty perfect combination.

So even if I’d opted for a pickled egg and bag of crisps I’d have left the award-winning inn happy.

Since I was reviewing the restaurant I felt we needed to be a bit more adventurous.

My daughter, fresh back from working in northern Italy all summer, where she lived on pasta, pizza and salad, was dying to tuck into some of the legendary Lakeland lamb.

The slow-roasted Lamb Henry with seasonal vegetables, was as delicious as she hoped, falling off the bone and full of flavour. The chive mash was the perfect accompaniment to soak up all the redcurrant and red wine jus.

I took longer to choose my main (Daughter wasn’t happy). There was an excellent range which I narrowed down to the goats’ cheese, feta, spinach and Mediterranean vegetable cakes or pan fried coley fillet. I eventually opted for the latter – swayed by the mention of a Loweswater Gold ale battered king prawn!

The fish came perched on a mound of garlic and chive crushed potatoes, parsley and white wine cream, samphire. It was perfectly cooked and presented, delicious.

Daughter spent a nano second perusing the desert menu.

Continuing her Lakeland theme, there was only one thing for it - sticky toffee pudding (with double Jersey icecream).

If her grandmother had been there, she’d have been told off for eating too quickly! Which pretty much sums up how she felt about it.

I went for the lemon tart with raspberry and sorrel sorbet, lemon curd and raspberries - a lovely light summery dish full of flavours.

While it was a joy to be sitting outside in the late summer sun, inside the cosy traditional pub was packed with customers - many fresh off the fells and enjoying a well-earned meal.

The place is full of character with a great range of beers as well as a good wine menu.

It was fully booked but the friendly staff ensured everyone was happy.

A pub in this sort of location is always going to be popular but - unlike some other Lake District venues - the beauty of The Kirkstile Inn is it doesn’t rest on its laurels.

It’s not cheap. The place is well known and no one is expecting budget pub grub, the inn produces restaurant standard food at what I think of as restaurant prices.

The menu is imaginative, the food fresh, well presented and delicious.

The staff are welcoming and there’s always a great atmosphere - whether it’s high summer, as we had, or deep winter - when the fire’s roaring and the mulled wines on.