Travel review: The Wild Boar Hotel, Windermere
A bluebell-scattered woodland, melt-in-the-mouth smoked steak, and home-brewed beer - the Wild Boar was simply the perfect countryside getaway.
A modest three-star inn tucked away in a peaceful corner of Windermere, my visit had me wondering why such a quaint, friendly hotel hadn’t acquired an extra star. I would certainly have given it one.
Living in inner city Birmingham, I was so excited to get away to the Lake District for a bit of peace and relaxation. And the WIld Boar was just the epitome of what we were after.
Our room was called The Large White (all the rooms were cleverly named after pigs or boars) was vintage luxury; with floating curtains, a little stone balcony, a glamorous-chic double bed, and the most incredibly deep metal bath - I could have soaked in that thing forever.
If the weather outside hadn’t been blue skies and balmy breeze we probably would have tucked ourselves in for the afternoon, but the home-brewed beer downstairs was calling...
The bar serves beer made in-house, and boasts a delicious selection which we sampled outside the front of the hotel, on a little stone terrace by the road.
We also took a trip up to try our hand at clay-pigeon shooting with expert Michael Coates, who runs the activity just a short walk up the bluebell path from the hotel.
To anyone visiting Windemere, I would highly recommend visiting Michael for a clay-pigeon taster session. He was an absolutely fantastic teacher, helping me feel at ease when I kept jumping wildly over the noise of the gun, while recognising our competitiveness and setting us challenges once we started to feel more comfortable.
He was one of the highlights of our entire week-long stay in the Lakes, and we carried on chatting about our shooting experience days later.
An afternoon of clay-pigeon sport left us famished, so we headed to the Wild Boar’s own Grill and Smokehouse for dinner.
The restaurant is wooden, countryside-esque and with dripping wax candles. It would be the perfect place for winter, but even in summer was airy and cool.
We already knew we’d be having steak (you can’t come to a smokehouse and not have its own in-house smoked steak, surely?) but first, we just thought we’d have a glimpse at the starters (we’re on holiday, after all).
I adore smoked salmon, and order it any chance I can, so opted for the Wild Boar’s own house-cured and smoked Loch Duart salmon with gem leaves, pomegranate seeds, dill and smoked salmon pâté, lemon, tzatziki dressing and thinly sliced toasted Nash bagel.
Heaven on a plate.
David, my other half, isn’t a fan of fish, so chose the Wild Boar Scotch Egg, served with secret recipe brown sauce. I managed to steal a bit, and it tasted deliciously homemade - warm and comforting.
As our mains arrived, we were a little too excited about the steak - and were far from disappointed.
Unable to decide between Smoked Wild Boar Haunch Steak and Smoked Fillet we opted for both which we then shared, alongside sweet potato wedges and triple cooked steak chips.
I’ve had a few steaks in my time, but this one was right up there in the top three. The smokiness just gave it the most delicious flavour, with the tender cuts of meat almost immediately melting in the mouth. Once we’d polished off every morsel, I wistfully wondered if we could order more...
We barely had room but dessert was a must. The pudding list seemed almost wintery, with options such as crumble and custard and Sacha Torte. We opted for sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream, and an incredible profiterole tower filled with orange cream, built around an eggnog core and served with hot chocolate ganache.
Safe to say I went to bed stuffed, but incredibly content.
We visited a few places during our week-long trip to Windermere, but our one delightful night at the Wild Boar was our absolute favourite.
It’s a home from home, but with that added touch of glamour and luxury. The beer is tasty and the steak is spectacular. The staff are warm, friendly and always on hand to help.
I’d give it five stars any day.
About The Wild Boar
The Wild Boar, Crook Road, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3NF.
Telephone bookings: 0333 2203 108 / General Enquiries: 015394 45225
Tariff: from £121 per room per night, based on two adults sharing a twin / double room and inclusive of bed and full English breakfast.
The Wild Boar is renowned for excellent dining from its Grill & Smokehouse, making full use of Lakeland’s natural larder when selecting produce for its regularly changing menu. Starters from £4.50, mains from £15.00 and desserts from £5.50.
