Restaurants in Rutland and Stamford: The Lake Isle, Uppingham

This month we’re celebrating 25 years of consistency, exceptional dishes and the warmest welcome every single time. Richard and Janine Burton welcome us to The Lake Isle in Uppingham

There’s certainly cause for celebration at The Lake Isle right now. The Uppingham restaurant with rooms is marking 25 years under the tenure of Richard and Janine Burton. And the couple themselves are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, as well.

“We’re both from Leicestershire and we would visit The Lake Isle when it was owned by its previous owners, David and Claire Whitfield, we came to know them very well and we really enjoyed their style of food.”

“When they retired, we were delighted to take over the business. We had just got married and returned from our honeymoon to pack up the house and open the business in January that year.”

Richard enjoys working front of house. Janine is happiest in the kitchen, where Head Chef Stuart Mead has also worked for 27 years. 

At the front of house is Ricky Burt who is another long-termer, beloved by The Lake Isle’s regular diners, who are also getting to know Richard and Janine’s sons, Christian and Kieran as they contribute to the success of the business.

The Lake Isle’s namesake is the 1888 poem by W B Yeats, who remembers his happy place as a child, an uninhabited island in Ireland’s County Leitrim province. The poem references somewhere that Yeats remembered he would ‘have some peace.’ 

The restaurant is also held in great affection by its regular visitors who recognise not just the talent but the consistency that the team invest in ensuring The Lake Isle is one of the most beautifully presented restaurants in or around the town of Uppingham, offering neat-looking and fundamentally delicious dishes.

Dating back to the 17th century and commanding a Grade II listing, there’s a main restaurant for 35 diners on the ground floor, a bar and reception area beyond that, and over the next couple of floors there are 10 bedrooms that are contemporary in their style and are refreshed as part of a rolling programme of refurbishment. 

The latest ones are impeccably appointed and have been created by consolidating a couple of rooms to create larger suites. Janine is in charge of interior design and she has done a stunning job; it’s all very pretty and tasteful.

Also on the first floor are three private dining areas, created last year, and seating six, eight and in the case of the front room overlooking High Street East, up to 14 diners. 

The Lake Isle is open from Tuesday to Sunday for lunchtime service from noon until 2pm, and then again for evening service from 6.30pm to around 9pm. 

There’s a lovely mix of customers from regular diners, and couples enjoying dinner for two, to families who request the first floor snug so the kids can sit and play at the table without disturbing other diners. 

During our visit in January, their ‘Dining for Less’ promotion was in full swing; 3 courses for £29, available at both lunchtimes and evenings… fantastic value after the expense of Christmas!

From the end of February, normal service will resume which means a monthly changing set lunchtime menu offering a choice of two starters, two main courses and two desserts for £26 for two course or three courses for £29.50. An à la carte menu is also available, served during both lunchtime and evening service, usually with six options per course. 

The place has two AA rosettes, recognising the quality of its food, as well as an AA Breakfast Award and as of last year, a five star AA rating for the quality of its accommodation. In addition, The Lake Isle features in Hardens, The Good Food and The Good Hotel Guides. 

Menus evolve gradually throughout the season and whilst there are a number of local suppliers, Janine says The Lake Isle is not afraid to look a little further for suppliers when quality and consistency necessitate.

Over the past year or two Richard has also discovered the joy of the kitchen garden, and now grows his own herbs, and leafy crops like kale, spinach and his own beetroot as well as soft fruit like raspberries and strawberries in the summer months.

The team also bakes their own bread fresh each day, and they make their own pickles and preserves, and their own ice creams and sorbets in house too, as well as producing their own petit fours (Northamptonshire rum truffles and coffee and walnut fudge at the moment), serving them with coffee as diners conclude their meal.

Richard enjoys offering his diners really good wine and has curated an impressive cellar, with over 160 bins and prices from under £30 for some thoughtfully chosen examples sourced from at least three regular suppliers.

If you enjoy concluding your meal with cheese, this will also be a joy. Carron Lodge farm supplies English artisan cheese including the producer’s own Inglewhite Buffalo which recently took Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards.

“We’re really lucky to have a great team and really lovely customers and suppliers,” says Janine. We disagree. It’s not luck but in fact a case of retaining the team members and diners who recognise the hard work and high standards that the whole family invests in the business. 

Both Richard and Janine are instantly likable, and The Lake Isle has a lovely warm feel that evokes the sense that the place will go above and beyond to ensure that diners have a great experience.

The Lake Isle is hospitality done properly. It’s all attentive without being overbearing, polished without being pretentious, and just down-to-earth, friendly and welcoming. 

It’s easy to see why the business enjoys a reputation as one of the most established and respected restaurants in Rutland. We’re very happy indeed to this month recommend The Lake Isle as a happy place designed to remind you just how enjoyable dining out can be.

On the Menu at The Lake Isle

Starters
Honey cured goats’ cheese, blood oranges, beetroot, endive, pickled and miso walnuts, £14.50. 
Smoked and cured local trout and salmon, preserved lemon and mascarpone cheesecake, keta caviar, cucumber, capers, poppy seed and almonds, £15.
‘Black cheddar’ crème brulee, smokey onion relish, tomato palmiers, gem lettuce, £14.50.

Main Courses
Miso glazed Aubergine, charred greens, chickpea tofu, Japanese white curry cream, black, £24.50. Southcoast Monkfish, lobster peppercorn sauce, crispy confit potato, fennel, samphire and stem broccoli, £34.50
Treacle cured Haunch of Venison, cavolo nero, pan haggerty potatoes, black pudding, sweet and sour blackberries, £32.
Duo of Scottish Beef, fillet and 8-hour braised blade, peppercorn and stilton rarebit glazed field mushroom, charred greens, duck fat fondant potatoes, £41.50.

Desserts
Chocolate delice, Kahlua cream, almond short bread, chocolate sorbet, frosted almonds, £12.50. Burnt honey crème caramel with rhubarb sorbet and ginger snaps, £12.50. 
Selection of homemade ice creams and sorbets, £10.
Platter of cheeses, crackers and chutney, £15.
NB: Sample menu and featured dishes, subject to availability and change.

The Lake Isle, Uppingham
The Pitch: “The Lake Isle offers you a contemporary, intimate setting and friendly, attentive service. It’s the perfect place to switch off from everyday life and enjoy some well-earned downtime.”
Opening Hours: Lunchtime service from 12 noon to 2pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Evening service from 6.30pm to 9pm, Tuesday to Saturday.
The Lake Isle High Street East, Uppingham, Rutland, LE15 9PZ. Call 01572 822 951 or see www.lakeisle.co.uk.

Read the full story in our March 2026 edition at https://www.pridemagazines.co.uk/rutland-and-stamford/view-magazines?magazine=March-2026