Restaurant in Skelton, United Kingdom
Michelin star, pub format, no pretension.
Dog and Gun Inn in Skelton earned a Michelin Star in 2024 under Chef-Owner Ben Queen-Fryer, delivering ingredient-led British cooking — with seafood from Maryport and classic suet puddings — in a proper village pub at the £££ price point. It is one of the north of England's strongest arguments for occasion dining that does not require a formal room. Book four to six weeks ahead minimum.
At the £££ price point, the Dog and Gun Inn delivers something genuinely rare: Michelin-starred cooking in a format that still feels like a pub. Chef-Owner Ben Queen-Fryer earned a Michelin Star in 2024, and the recognition fits — this is not a gastropub dressing up ordinary food in ambitious language, but a serious kitchen producing honest, ingredient-led British cooking inside a proper village inn. If you want a special-occasion dinner without the formality of a white-tablecloth room, this is one of the strongest cases in the north of England. Book as far ahead as you can: tables here are hard to get.
The menu at Dog and Gun Inn is built around where the ingredients come from, not around technique for its own sake. Seafood arrives from Maryport, the Cumbrian fishing port roughly thirty miles west on the Irish Sea coast — a direct supply line that shapes what goes on the plate each service. This is not a branding choice. It is a structural decision that runs through the kitchen: Queen-Fryer works with what the region produces, and the menu reflects that constraint honestly. Dishes described by Michelin as "pure, understated compositions with plenty of depth" are the result of that discipline. The flavour comes from the produce, not from complexity layered on leading of it.
For a diner deciding whether to make the journey to Skelton, that sourcing story is a practical reason to go, not just a talking point. The seafood from Maryport will not be the same product you find at a London supplier two days later. The suet puddings, soufflés, and triple-cooked chips the Michelin inspectors called out are dishes that require confidence in their own simplicity , they only work when the underlying ingredients are good enough to carry them. At this level of sourcing focus, the £££ pricing is reasonable for what arrives at the table.
The Dog and Gun is a village pub in Skelton, a small community near Penrith in Cumbria, and the format stays true to that. Michelin's own description calls it "a proper village pub which does what pubs do leading, by providing warmth, honesty and food that puts a smile on your face." That framing matters for how you approach a booking: this is not a fine-dining room with white linen and a choreographed tasting menu experience. It is a pub that also happens to serve food at a level that earned a Michelin Star. The atmosphere is warm rather than formal, which makes it an unusually good option for a special occasion that does not want to feel like an event.
For celebrations , birthdays, anniversaries, a significant dinner , the combination of genuine cooking quality and a relaxed room is hard to find elsewhere in Cumbria at this price tier. The 4.7 Google rating across 338 reviews supports the consistency of the experience, and consistency matters when you are booking a table that requires planning.
Opening hours run Tuesday through Saturday from 5:15 PM, with Monday and Sunday closed. That Tuesday-to-Saturday dinner-only schedule limits when you can visit and reinforces why booking well ahead is necessary rather than optional. For context on what the wider Lake District and Cumbria fine-dining scene looks like, see L'Enclume in Cartmel and Moor Hall in Aughton , both are in a higher price bracket and more formal in format.
Reservations: Hard to get , book as far in advance as possible, particularly for Friday and Saturday evenings. The Michelin Star awarded in 2024 has significantly increased demand. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 5:15 PM to 11 PM. Closed Monday and Sunday. Price range: £££. Dress: No formal dress code stated, but smart casual is appropriate for the standard of cooking. Getting there: Skelton is a village near Penrith, Cumbria , a car is practical for most visitors. Groups: Contact the venue directly for group bookings; no seat count is published. For other things to do around a visit, see our full Skelton experiences guide, our full Skelton hotels guide, and our full Skelton bars guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog and Gun Inn | British Contemporary | £££ | Hard |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | ££££ | Unknown |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | ££££ | Unknown |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | ££££ | Unknown |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Unknown |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | ££££ | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The Dog and Gun is a functioning village pub, so bar seating may exist, but this is a small operation in Skelton and covers are limited. Given the Michelin Star awarded in 2024 and the resulting demand, turning up and expecting a bar meal without a reservation is a risk not worth taking. Book a table.
Michelin's own citation calls out the suet puddings, soufflés, and triple-cooked chips specifically — those are the dishes the guide singled out, so treat them as benchmarks. The seafood sourced from Maryport is central to the menu's identity, so anything featuring it reflects the kitchen's core philosophy. Ben Queen-Fryer's cooking prioritises depth of flavour over showmanship, so lean into the more recognisable, satisfying dishes rather than hunting for novelty.
Book as far in advance as possible — the Michelin Star in 2024 significantly increased demand at a pub that was already small. Friday and Saturday evenings are the hardest slots to secure. Note that the Dog and Gun is closed Monday and Sunday, which cuts the weekly availability to five evenings; that scarcity makes early booking more important than it would be at a larger venue.
At £££, yes — with the caveat that this is Michelin-starred cooking in a village pub, not a formal fine dining room, and that's the point. Michelin's description specifically credits the kitchen for flavour-first cooking with local ingredients and real depth, which is a strong return at this price tier. If you want tableside theatre or an extended multi-course format, you'll find better options in London. If you want genuinely accomplished cooking in an honest pub setting, the value case is clear.
The venue database does not confirm whether a tasting menu is offered. Michelin's description frames the cooking as satisfying and recognisable rather than format-driven, which suggests the focus is on individual dishes rather than a structured sequence. Check directly with the venue when booking to confirm what formats are available on your chosen night.
Yes, if the occasion suits an intimate pub setting rather than a formal dining room. The Dog and Gun holds a Michelin Star (2024) and delivers cooking with real ambition, but Michelin's own description emphasises warmth and honesty over ceremony. For a milestone birthday or anniversary where atmosphere matters as much as food, this works well for two or a small group — provided you book well ahead and are comfortable with the village pub format.
Skelton itself has limited dining options beyond the Dog and Gun. For Michelin-level cooking in the broader Cumbria area, look at the Lake District's stronger concentration of awarded restaurants. If you're flexible on location, the Dog and Gun is currently the strongest case for a destination dinner in this part of Penrith — the nearest credible comparison requires a longer drive.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
