Fine dining establishments offer their best for Save Windermere

The event has been led by Barney Cunliffe of Gilpin Hotel and Lake House and is called Chefs4SaveWindermere in reference to Mr Staniek's overall Save Windermere campaign. The fundraiser has featured chefs from multiple Michelin-star establishments. Each night from September 11-16 featured chefs from both Cumbria and across the UK giving their time to provide an evening in support of Save Windermere. 

The vertical salad featured vegetables grown at The Gilpin (Image: Newsquest)

The famous Simon Rogan Restaurants kicked off proceedings on Monday. Ryan Blackburn from The Old Stamp House in Ambleside, who has recently featured in a Tom Kerridge documentary and is not afraid to push boundaries with his food, served squirrels shot in the woods around Cartmel to guests on Tuesday. 

We went on Wednesday to a relative newcomer, Ollie Mr Bridgwater from SOURCE at Gilipin Hotel. Mr Bridgwater came to the hotel from The Fat Duck, which is celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal's restaurant in Berkshire. His evening cost £175 a head and included a welcome drink and a wine pairing.  

The Herdwick lamb was one of the highlights of the evening (Image: Newsquest)

The setting for the culinary experience was the Gossel Ridding house in Windermere, which boasts a stunning vista over the lake. It seemed an appropriate setting for the evening, which never strayed too far away from Mr Staniek's activism. Barney Cuncliffe and Matt Staniek himself made speeches at the event about water pollution in Windermere, and a round of applause was given to the volunteers in Save Windermere shirts who helped make the night possible. 

Mr Bridgwater started with two fish plates: tapioca cracker with smoked eel and nori, followed by raw scallop, oyster cream, picked radish and gazpacho of herbs. 

Raw scallop with gazpacho (Image: Newsquest)

Next up was smoked creme fraiche chawanmushi, marinaded roe and vertical farm salad. The salad was of particular interest, as the vegetables are grown at the Gilpin Hotel itself. The separation of flavours in Bridgwater's plates flourished with a pleasing aftertaste might be why he has so quickly managed to attain a Michelin star. 

A highlight of the evening was the Herdwick lamb. The meat was tender and the choice was clear: Herdwicks are as much an icon of the Lakes as Windermere is. 

Icons of the Lake District serve the hospitality, and the associated multi-billion pound tourism industry, well. It is not difficult to see why some of these fine dining establishments are so interested in Matt Staniek's campaign.