Art on a plate. Askham Hall near Penrith, Cumbria, is the ancestral home of Charles Lowther, who now runs it as a wonderfully relaxed hotel with his artist wife Juno. I was recently lucky enough to dine in its new restaurant, headed by Cumbrian-born chef Richard Swale, who has trained at the stoves of wild food gurus such as Rene Redzepi at Noma and Marc Veyrat in Annecy. Menu dishes are dictated by the seasons and what’s available in Askham’s amazing veg and herb gardens, and Richard is a keen forager too. This amazing lemon curd dessert, for instance, includes a flax seed meringue and a basil, cucumber and sorrel sorbet – and colourful microleaves from the garden. Stunning. www.askhamhall.co.uk
