The Cottage in the Wood

Michelin-starred restaurant in Whinlatter Forest

The Cottage in the Wood is a 'restaurant with rooms' set on a winding mountain pass, deep in Whinlatter Forest, above Keswick in the northern Lake District. It is run by Jack and Beth Bond and holds a Michelin star. The accommodation has eight boutique rooms, so it is possible to stay overnight in the natural surroundings where the business is located.

The establishment does not offer room-only bookings: stays are arranged together with dinner and breakfast.

Tasting menu and suppliers

The food offering centres on a tasting menu made with ingredients from local farms and sustainable suppliers. The restaurant works with Cumbrian farmers and British suppliers who share its regenerative approach. The kitchen draws on locally picked produce, grass-fed beef from neighbouring Yorkshire farms, fresh fish from day boats, hand-dived shellfish from British waters and foraged wild foods.

Awards

The restaurant has received a Michelin star in 2025 and 2026. Among the awards listed on its own website are No 62 in the National Restaurant Awards top 100, the Service of the Year 2026 award from the National Restaurant Awards, the Service of the Year and Chef of the Year 2026 awards from the Cumbria Food Awards, the 2026 Gold Scholar award for Joel Pennington, the Hotel Restaurant Chef of the Year 2025 award from the Hotel Cateys, the Sustainable Business of the Year 2025 award from the Staff Canteen Awards, the Fine Dining 2025 award from the Cumbria Life Awards, No 71 in SquareMeal's top 100 in 2025, Beth Bond's 49th place in the Taylor's Port UK Top 100 Sommeliers list, the Taste of Cumbria Award 2024 from Cumbria Tourism, a finalist nomination for Chef of the Year at the Cumbria Food Awards 2024 and three AA Rosettes in 2024.

Bookings and how it works

Room, dinner and breakfast bookings are available from Wednesday to Saturday. Restaurant bookings are handled separately for lunch, from Thursday to Saturday, and for dinner, from Wednesday to Saturday. The telephone line for enquiries and bookings is open from Tuesday to Friday.

The establishment closes for team holidays on two occasions: from Wednesday 26 August to Tuesday 1 September 2026, inclusive, and from Wednesday 23 December to Tuesday 29 December 2026, inclusive.

Location

The business is located at Magic Hill, within Whinlatter Forest, in Braithwaite, near Keswick, Cumbria. The website notes that there is another establishment with a similar name in Malvern, to avoid confusion.

The Cottage in the Wood, Magic Hill, Whinlatter Forest, Braithwaite, Near Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5TW · Phone: 017687 78409