A shoo-in for celebratory bashes, Peckforton Castle has certainly got a lot going for it. The gothic-style edifice may be an early-Victorian pastiche, but the rough-hewn walls, battlements and turrets have stood in for the real thing in many a film, and now form a stunning backdrop to dinner in the plush 1851 Restaurant. On offer is a five-course tasting menu peppered with luxury ingredients and seasonal touches – a “sublime combination of classic and modern food”, says one fan. Beautifully presented starters might range from smoked breast of quail with sweetcorn, crispy egg and bacon to Loch Duart salmon, cooked at 44 degrees and served with fennel, Devon cock crab and skyr. To follow there could be marinated rump of Herdwick lamb with ewe’s curd, English beans and peas or halibut with scorched broccoli, pickled onion and cockles. Steaks and suchlike are shown the Bertha grill, while desserts include ‘flavours of lemon meringue’ (Amafi lemon curd, vacherin, sorrel and iced raspberry). Casual meals are also available in the 2010 Brasserie, located in the former scullery.