Parkers Arms

‘It's the kind of place you want round the corner, but it's in the middle of a very beautiful nowhere,’ comments one reporter who loves everything about this terrific hostelry. The barman pulls pints and entertains everyone, chef/co-owner Stosie Madi sends out glorious plates of food, and Kathy Smith out front is the epitome of peerless hospitality. Farmers, fishing folk and walkers with dogs congregate here, and the pub’s close-knit family team does them proud, serving all and sundry ‘without faff or fuss’. The main menu is shot through with seasonal Lancastrian produce, from confit Tarleton tomato tart to chargrilled 40-day aged Bowland beef – although the pub is renowned for its majestic pies, constructions of exemplary roast-fat hot-crust pastry, generously filled with good things. To finish, the kitchen procures everything from Yorkshire rhubarb to Kentish cherries, as well as garnering elderflowers from the garden. The Bowland Brewery's exceptional ales top the drinks list, wines are accessibly priced and the Negronis infused with foraged wild pickings are a must. All of this, plus ‘long views of the fells’.