Restaurant review: Macleod's at The Coniston, North Yorkshire

Coniston Cold may not boast the same rich history or natural beauty, but it has a lake all of its own, and does have the significant advantage of being easier to get to, particularly if you’re starting your journey in Yorkshire. It’s a Saturday evening when we roll in after an hour’s drive north west from Leeds. On this occasion, much of the hotel has been taken over for a rather lavish wedding, but thankfully its flagship Macleod’s restaurant is still open for the diners. We start in its large bar, where customers are enjoying their pre-dinner aperitifs. There’s football on the big screen, but the sound has been turned down and it seems that no-one is paying much notice. From here we are shown through to an attractive, slightly hushed dining room with its sedate colour scheme of white and grey and laid with white linen table cloths and napkins. There are tall white candles and little posies of flowers on every table; the ceiling has been stripped out to reveal a steeply-sloping roof space crossed impressively by dark oak beams. Beyond this main room, a private dining area is soon taken over by a large group enjoying a celebration all of their own. There’s a baby grand piano in one corner, from where a talented pianist entertains us with his own interpretations of a host of rock and pop standards. This tinkling middle-of-the-road treatment works well for Sailing, but slightly jars with Wonderwall. There’s an a la carte menu available, but we choose instead from Macleod’s fixed-price Signature Menu, which offers a slightly more limited range of dishes, but at a good value £36 for three courses, with coffees and petit-fours to finish. The waiter explains that it’s possible to go off-piste and mix-and-match between the two, widening the choice for a little extra cost. Homemade bread rolls and a delicate amuse bouche are presented promptly before our starters arrive. For me there’s a creamy celery soup, so thick you might almost stand your spoon in it, and for my partner a pungent mackerel pate which has been attractively presented with a colourful splash of salad and brittle slithers of thin-cut toast. Waiting staff, smart in their black and white livery, flit between tables offering genuinely attentive but inobtrusive service. We’ve ordered a bottle of The Accomplice, a rich and fruity 2016 Shiraz, and it is all I can do to stop my glass being constantly refilled. Sadly I am driving, so my partner drinks the lion’s share, as ever. For my main course I’ve gone for the subtle flavours of the hake fillet, slightly salty and lightly smoked, which is dashed with a handful of soft yielding shelled mussels and a creamy puree – and crossed with two spears of asparagus to give a sense of panache to the presentation. Both this and my partner’s perfectly tender pan-fried chicken breast bear the hallmarks of the Coniston’s new executive head chef, Simon Bolsover. He joined in February to lead a team of 20 working across Macleod’s, the more informal Nourish Brasserie and the Huntsman’s Lodge beside Coniston Lake. The quality of this fare is unquestioned, but my one criticism would be around the sizes of the two main courses. Each was perfectly respectable, and thoughtfully constructed, but without much in the way of carbohydrate or accompanying vegetables they seem a little sparse. Even the list of side dishes doesn’t address this slight failing, though a shared bowl of wilted spinach does its best. Since our visit two weeks ago, Simon has changed the format, dispensing with the a la carte menu in favour of the fixed price offer, still at £36. The dishes have changed, and minted new potatoes now appear as a welcome option. For an extra £24 a head, diners receive a specially-selected wine with each course. We move seamlessly to dessert, for my partner an interesting white chocolate creme brulee with a tart raspberry and blackberry coulis. Mine is described as a crumble, but has been dissembled beyond recognition into demi-globes of ice-cream and brittle green sugar glass, so it rather resembles a model of the Eden Project and reveals an artistic nature to someone on Simon’s team. In a fairer world, we would now be heading for one of the bedrooms but instead we revive ourselves with strong coffees and dark chocolates before settling a bill for a little under £100 and heading off into the night. For the wedding party, it seems the night is still young. FACTFILE Macleod’s Restaurant, The Coniston Address: Coniston Cold, North Yorkshire, BD23 4EA Food serving times: Macleod’s Restaurant is open from 6.30pm daily; food available all day in the Huntsman’s Lodge Website: www.theconistonhotel.com Telephone: 01756 748080 Ratings: Food **** Value: *** Atmosphere: **** Service: ****