Ryan Blackburn from the Old Stamp House expresses delight

Tripadvisor announced on Wednesday the winners of its 2021 Travellers’ Choice“Best of the Best” Restaurants awards, with The Old Stamp House in Ambleside clinching the title of world, Europe and UK number one fine dining restaurant.

The intimate Michelin star restaurant housed in the former office of William Wordsworth celebrates the food and cultural heritage of Cumbria, with dishes such as black pudding “bon bon” and crab from the west coast of Cumbria.

It also came top in the award’s new Date Night Restaurant category, as well as coming ninth overall in the world’s list of romantic restaurants.

And not to be outdone sister restaurant Kysty, also in Ambleside, came seventh in the UK in the same category.

Head chef Ryan Blackburn, who opened the restaurant in 2014 with brother craig, said his team were ‘over the moon’.

“As a team we constantly listen to what our guests have to say and the feedback they give us helps us deliver the high levels of service, hospitality and cuisine that we have become known for,” he said.

“Both teams at the Old Stamp House and Kysty are totally over the moon and want to say a huge thank you to everyone that has reviewed us and helped us evolve in our developing journey.”

Cumbria saw further success with Cartmel’s L’Enclume coming third in the Fine Dining category.

And Windermere’s Homeground Coffee + Kitchen came seventh in the Best Brunch Restaurant category.

“It’s no secret that the restaurant industry has taken a hit over the past year or so, but the good news is that would-be diners all over the world are hungrier than ever to dine out again,” said Martin Verdon-Roe, general manager of hospitality solutions at Tripadvisor.

The 2021 Best of the Best Restaurants Awards are calculated based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings for restaurants on Tripadvisor collected from January 1, 2020 -to April 30, 2021, specific to each award subcategory, as well as an additional editorial process.