An evening of fine-dining experience led by Hrishikesh Desai and his team at Farlam Hall hotel and restaurant in Cumbria
There are country houses that are beautiful. Then there are country houses that feel like they look back at you and smile. Farlam Hall in Cumbria belongs to the second category. It sits quietly among sweeping lawns, reflective lakes and the kind of English countryside that makes you lower your voice. The Scottish border is just a short drive away. Hadrian’s Wall trails through the region like an old Roman scar on the landscape. Walks around the estate and surrounding hills have recently been featured on television as some of the best hikes in the world. The sheep remain unimpressed by this newfound fame, although we were suitably enchanted.
Farlam Hall is an estate-style countryside hotel and restaurant in England’s northwest country of Cumbria.
Panache World visited Farlam Hall recently and were lucky enough to experience the soul of the place. Long crackling fireplaces. Velvet chairs that hold you like a sigh. Bedrooms that are generous in size, newly renovated, dressed in soft tweeds and framed by tall windows.
When we visited, those windows looked out to trees turning brilliant red and yellow, autumn in full theatre mode. The modern bathrooms came with large walk-in showers and spotless bathtubs that made it impossible not to take a long soak. And, at the heart of all this is a chef who rewrites what dining in the English countryside can be!
The chef who brings soul to refinement
Chef Hrishikesh Desai is now the Chef Patron of Farlam Hall and its Michelin-star restaurant Cedar Tree. His resume reads like a culinary fairy tale. A Roux Scholar. Formerly Michelin starred. Trained with some of the finest culinary minds. Yet, he carries all of that gravity with a gentle smile and a sincerity that instantly makes you feel welcome.
Born in India, shaped by France and refined in Britain, Chef Desai cooks with a blend of discipline, instinct and a surprising amount of playfulness. He pays respect to technique but honours emotion. There is no ego on the plate. Only memory and creativity. When he invites you to dinner, he is not just feeding you. He is telling you a story.
A tasting menu that became a journey
Chef Desai hosted us for a tasting menu dinner at Farlam Hall, and the evening unfolded like a well-written book. Every course was a chapter with its own emotion.
It began with three little provocations of joy. Garbanzo Chaat. Pani Puri with cucumber and chilli water. Bhel. Street food, but groomed for a palace. The chaat was bright and tangy. The pani puri cracked open and released its cool chilli-laced water like a burst of laughter. The bhel was crisp and tangy. These were the flavours of Indian streets, stepping gracefully into an elegant dining room in Cumbria.
Then came the dish that everyone whispers about.
Farlam olives
Deceptively simple. They look exactly like olives. You pop one into your mouth and the world shifts. The exterior is coloured olive green but is crafted with white chocolate. It melts away to release a burst of savoury olive liquid. It lasts only a moment but leaves a memory that feels permanen
Bread followed, but not as you know it.
Poolish. Milk loaf. Lachha paratha.
A trio of warm comfort, served with fermented butter, herbed butter and a dramatic highlight, the herbed chilli butter. It arrives shaped like a large glossy red chilli. You almost feel bad cutting into it. But its soft butter and comes on to your knife easily. It is soft, silky and just warm enough in flavour to feel like a friendly nudge rather than a kick. Bread becomes a course, a moment, a conversation.
Then arrived a legend.
Cauliflower steak
This signature has stayed on Farlam Hall’s menu unchanged for years. A humble slice of cauliflower, marinated and grilled until it earns the title of steak. It is topped with puffed rice and other secret elements that Chef Desai refuses to reveal. Smoky, textured, almost cheeky in its simplicity. It tastes like cauliflower has finally realised its destiny.
The main course offered a choice: seabream or stuffed chicken
The fish was delicate and perfectly crisp sitting on a bed of fresh vegetables from the kitchen garden. My friends who had the chicken said it was tender and layered with flavour. Both reflected precision without the slightest hint of fuss.
Then came dessert.
Peanut
Peanut in smooth whispers. Peanut in crunch. A nostalgic flavour expressed in grown up textures. Three different creations, all brown. Inviting you to savour.
Finally, petit fours with coffee and tea – curious flavours of the humble paan. The fire flickered. The meal softened into a conversation. We noticed something unusual. No one touched their phone. Until we really wanted to thank the chef and his whole team. In they came and a completely well-deserved standing ovation was accorded to them!
What makes this experience unforgettable
Chef Desai does not cook food. He creates moments. Farlam Hall does not host guests. It embraces them. Together, they turn dinner into a journey. We left knowing two things with complete certainty: We would return. And next time, we would stay longer.
At Panache World, we work closely with Farlam Hall, a proud member of Relais and Châteaux, to curate stays that bring out the essence of this place. If you are planning a trip to the Lake District or the Scottish Borders, let us craft the experience for you. From the perfect hike to that extraordinary tasting menu, we know exactly how to make two or three days here feel like something priceless.
