I DISCOVERED this week that our favourite hot-headed chef Gordon Ramsay has left quite an aftermath following his hit TV series Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

While watching the culinary icon breathe life into failing eateries does make good viewing, it seems that few places survive being Gordon Ramsayed.

Of course Gordon can’t be blamed for the outcome, but out of the 22 UK restaurants he has visited in the past five series, only eight have remained open under the same owners - one of which is the Glass House.

The Ambleside eatery provided controversial fodder for Mr Ramsay back in 2004, but it bounced back to become a successful business.

Six years on and the Glass House is still making headlines, this time with its quirky offer that allows diners to pay what they want for their food.

On what was an undoubtedly quiet mid-January Monday night for most local restaurants, the Glass House was bustling with diners when I arrived.

Presented with the menu and a glass of peachy-edged Pinot Grigio Ceilo (Italy), we sat and admired the thoughtfully restored 15th Century mill before settling on our starters of Caesar salad with maple glazed pancetta and king prawns with vegetable noodles and ginger and lime dressing.

Shavings of tangy parmesan and salty bacon brought alive crisp leaves of baby gem to create a satisfying salad, while the succulent prawns worked well with a sweet dressing.

A basket of fresh bread with dipping oil and balsamic also hit the spot.

The Glass House fish pie was my hearty choice, but it didn’t quite sing with the seafood tune I had hoped.

A layer of cheesy mash revealed a fair amount of white fish, prawns and peas, but it disappointingly lacked any real flavour.

Across the table, my foodie friend tackled roast chicken breast with red pepper, pancetta and mushroom panache with mustard mash and red wine jus.

The components were well matched, but the chicken was dry and shy of seasoning.

An amaretto creme brulee brought proceedings to a close; the sugary top was perfectly caramelised and the rich creme pleasant, but its texture verged on the lumpy side.

We arrived at an executive decision to pay £35 for the food, in line with what we thought it would be charged at, and we weren’t far off.

The restaurant has all the hallmarks of a stylish, neighbourhood eatery and its relaxed atmosphere is enjoyable.

But the food did not meet my expectations and needs more attention before Gordon considers it for The F Word’s Best Local Restaurant competition.