The Black Bull is situated in the heart of Sedbergh on the edge of the stunning Lake District – a town perfect for escaping that everyday bubble.
Providing an immediate sense of community with a touch of modern elegance, The Black Bull offers up a stunning combination of rustic meets contemporary interiors along with professional and welcoming staff. Think homely welcoming village in ‘The Holiday’, meeting the glamour of The Savoy.
The menu is a perfectly formed collection of freshly cooked food, offering complimentary warm bread, tasty nibbles, delicious starters, irresistible main dishes, and mouth-watering desserts.
We started with shorthorn beef short rib nibbles served with black garlic sauce. A to-die-for combo of soft melt in your mouth beef in breadcrumbs, with a strong but not overpowering black garlic and mushroom sauce to dip. Certainly a delectable little dish to get your taste buds into gear.
From the range of starters, the wood pigeon was an exceptionally tasty treat – perfectly cooked, ample in size and complimented by the yoghurt dip – tasty and creamy in texture, but not too much to overshadow the delicious flavour of the pigeon. The Mansergh Hall pork belly was also delightful – beautifully cooked beef with diced onions, and sweetcorn oozing in a sweet and chilli sauce to give it that added kick.
For mains we ordered the the Howgill Hereford beef pie served with seasonal greens and mash, and the wild Lakeland venison with ox tongue, tayberry and white beetroot. There is honestly nothing more homely than a beef pie and The Black Bull didn’t disappoint. Tender beef encased in crispy soft pastry on a bed of the creamiest mashed potato you will ever taste – flawlessly finished off with tasty green beans and flavoursome gravy. The medium-rare venison was cooked to perfection, maintaining its pure natural which worked harmoniously with the ox tongue, greens and (super!) chunky salted fried chips.
The dessert menu provides luscious choices from the very popular sticky toffee pudding to a fig leaf parfait. We opted for the chocolate cremeaux with hazelnut, praline and pear and the buttermilk pannacotta with blackberry and huge chunks of heavenly honeycombe.
It’s safe to say that The Black Bull in Sedbergh is a diamond and certainly an added attraction to the beautiful town. A definite must visit if you ever find yourself exploring the great outdoors of Cumbria and The Lake District and need to relax, refuel and enjoy incredible food in gorgeous surroundings.
