Dog and Gun Inn

Verdict: A Michelin-Starred Village Pub That Justifies the Drive to Skelton

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, 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.

Why the Sourcing Is the Point

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, 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 top 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, 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 Room and the Format

The Dog and Gun is a village pub in Skelton, a small community near Penrith in Cumbria, 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.

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.

Booking and Practical Details

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.

How It Compares

Related Venues Worth Considering

• L'Enclume in Cartmel, the Lake District's most ambitious table, higher price and formality
• Moor Hall in Aughton, Lancashire, two Michelin Stars, more formal setting
• Hand and Flowers in Marlow, the closest comparable format: pub setting, two Michelin Stars
• hide and fox in Saltwood, similar village-scale intimacy, different region
• The Cross in Kenilworth, British Contemporary in a comparable village-restaurant format
• Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, higher price tier, hotel-restaurant format
• Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Auchterarder, Scotland, fine dining at a higher price point
• Midsummer House in Cambridge, two Stars, more formal, useful comparison for occasion dining
• Opheem in Birmingham, Star-level cooking in a city setting, different cuisine
• Jaan by Kirk Westaway in Singapore, British Contemporary taken to an international stage
• CORE by Clare Smyth in London, the benchmark for ingredient-led Modern British at the leading level
• Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton, two Stars, very different register and price
• The Fat Duck in Bray, three Stars, technique-first, the opposite end of the pub-cooking spectrum
• Our full Skelton restaurants guide
• Our full Skelton wineries guide