The Royal Oak was the name that kept coming up on a recent trip to Cartmel. So we went. And it more than lived up to the chatter.
Run by Demi Millard and Tom Pemberton, it’s a proper village pub with a very clear sense of place – rooted in the produce, landscape and flavours of the Lake District, but with cooking that goes far beyond what you might expect from a country inn. It felt like a natural fit for Open Fire Dining Club.
On Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 May, The Royal Oak will head to Torr Vale Mill to collaborate with Tartuffe on an eight-course menu built around the Lakes, and the ingredients that define that part of the world.
The menu opens with Carlingford oysters, grilled over the Big Green Egg with wild garlic and crème fraîche, followed by a smoked chicken wing with Morecambe Bay brown shrimp – flavours that will immediately place you in the South Lakes.
At the centre of the evening is Hebridean lamb à la ficelle, served with white beans, anchoïade, courgette, dandelion, bitter leaf salad and The Royal Oak’s mint sauce. It’s exactly the kind of generous, elemental dish Open Fire Dining Club was made for.
To finish, there’ll be Grasmere gingerbread with ewe’s milk cheese and truffled elderflower honey, followed by chocolate mousse with Zaytoun olive oil and cherry.
The afternoon’s drinks will be led by Cloudy Bay, one of New Zealand’s most celebrated wineries. Guests will be welcomed with a glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2025, before Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2023 is served alongside the lamb – a silky, elegant pairing for the main event.
Tickets include a welcome glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2025, a welcome snack, an eight-course dinner and a glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2023 with the main course.
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