New bar and restaurant opens at entrance to Ingleton Waterfalls trail near Lancaster

Following a £100,000 refit, The Falls, Bar & Kitchen –at the entrance to the famous Ingleton Waterfalls Trail – is now open all day, seven days a week, for breakfast, lunch, evening dining and more.

Dan and Charlotte, the couple behind Ingleton’s award-winning Seasons Bakery, say the The Falls, Bar & Kitchen offers something for everyone.

As well as fine dining, The Falls, Bar & Kitchen offers the perfect opportunity for Waterfalls Trail walkers to enjoy a filling pre-hike bite, to reward themselves afterwards with a satisfying meal, or simply relax with a refreshing drink (and perhaps an ice cream cone treat).

“We provide a day-long fine-dining experience – with table service, top quality food and generous portions – without the high price tag usually associated with such an experience,” says Charlotte. The stylishly lit interior’s comfortable, contemporary furnishing offers a touch of relaxed luxury while retaining a living room ambience, and the traditional flagged floor accommodates the muddy boots that invariably accompany visitors to the area. “And we’re dog lovers ourselves, so pets are very welcome,” adds Dan.

The Falls aims to satisfy everyone, from those in search of coffee, cake or delicious snacks, to families looking for breakfast, lunch or an evening meal, or even a toasted sandwich served on Seasons’ award-winning Sourdough Toastie Loaf.

The à la carte menu, created by head chef Matt Marshall, offers a fusion of traditional and modern dining, incorporating steakhouse grill-style meals, vegetarian dishes, and sharing platters, all given intriguing accompaniments and exotic twists.

The Falls operates a field-to-fork ethos: all meats are sourced directly from local farmers, including Kingsdale Produce, of Braida Garth, whose animals graze upstream of the restaurant, in the shadow of Yorkshire’s highest fell, Whernside. Other suppliers include Hellifield Highland, whose Highland cattle will be familiar to those who regularly travel north along the A65 towards Ingleton, and Chris Wildman, whose longhorn, English shorthorn and belted Galloway cattle graze limestone pastures in nearby Malhamdale. Lamb is sourced direct from Jack Edmundson, at Westhouse, on the western edge of Ingleton.

Dan comes from a farming family and is keen to support local farmers. His grandfather reared Friesian and Shorthorn cattle, alongside Rough Fell, Herdwick and Cheviot sheep, while his great-aunt Margaret Blades was credited with bringing English Shorthorn cattle back from near-extinction.

Head chef Matt Marshall said: “All our meats are sourced from local farms and prepared in-house: we know the name, number and origin of all the cattle and sheep whose meat is used in our kitchen.”

Those looking for a grill-style experience will be thrilled by The Falls’ à la carte offering, which includes a blackened Cumbrian fell-bred ribeye steak served with pickled cockles, and burgers cooked to taste: the Hellifield House Highland beef burger with haggis fritters and Monterey Jack cheese, or The Falls’ signature dish: The Falls Burger, made with locally sourced beef and mature cheddar, served in a Seasons Bakery brioche bun.

Dan and Charlotte believe the superb vegetarian dishes incorporated into the menu – such as the Salt-baked celeriac burger with wild garlic and kohlrabi remoulade, or a Halloumi burger with pulled jackfruit and mango salsa – will delight everyone’s tastebuds.

Freshly selected fruit and vegetables are delivered daily, by Inter Fresh, of Carlisle, while The Falls’ own-recipe sausage is supplied by David Willan Foods, of Oxenholme, Kendal: “It’s a thick, ten-inch sausage made to our own specification, using coarsely minced pork – with a bit of a bite!” reveals Dan.

Similar attention to detail has been applied to the children’s menu, with treats such as Butter milk chicken tenders, or Loaded jacket skins with pulled pork, and Hake goujons.

“We believe children should eat as well as their parents, not be fobbed off with processed foods,” says Charlotte. “We offer a great children’s menu – which includes sugar- and additive-free drinks – yet if a child wanted a smaller portion of something from their parent’s menu, we’d do our best to make them happy.”

Dan and Charlotte will grow herbs for use in The Falls’ kitchen, forage for ingredients such as wild garlic, and plan to grow pumpkins outside the restaurant. Ice cream is supplied by Steven Darvill’s Hand Made Ice Cream Company, of Greenodd, Ulverston.

The Falls’ bar is the only local stockist of Freddom Brewery’s Lager; a curated selection of local beers will also be available, along with ciders and stouts. Bar manager Dave Kennington has created an exciting, cosmopolitan style cocktail menu, which – like the meals menu – will change frequently.

Dan, who once ran a wood workshop in Ingleton, has created a bespoke bar frontage from upcycled, 150-year-old railway sleepers which bear the stains of iron rails, and the pins that once held them in place.

The opening of The Falls, Bar & Kitchen comes after a whirlwind few months for Dan and Charlotte. “Things moved very quickly,” says Charlotte, who has long-nurtured an ambition to open a restaurant. “We heard at the end of January that The Falls’ lease was available, and within a week we were advertising for staff. We received the keys on the twelfth of February and the refurbishment was complete by March.”

Up to sixty diners can be seated in the relaxed interior, while there’s space for a further seventy outside, as well as a separate drinks area featuring a firepit encircled by a bespoke railway sleeper bench – also hand-built by Dan.

Live music will be offered every third Sunday of the month from May, and The Falls, Bar & Kitchen will cater for private events, including weddings.