"My wife and I have been regular visitors to Keswick for many years, and a meal at The George has always been on the agenda, as good food and a great atmosphere were assured. Despite the more recent poor reviews (although those on their website appear much more glowing? we decided to remain loyal and see for ourselves. Upon entering we had a look at the old snug room on the left, this used to be a room of great charm, with eclectic prints on the walls and assorted Knick knacks strewn around, and a lovely old fireplace with a roaring fire during the colder months. Sadly the room seems to have been largely stripped, and now seems quite austere and unwelcoming, there is now a table blocking the fireplace. Onto the bar area, this again used to be a place of great character, with assorted items of furniture, and was always crowded with a mix of locals and walkers. Again this space appears to have been stripped, losing its charm in the process. It appears to have been deserted by locals and walkers. The real ale pumps which used to have pride of place have been shunted into the far corner to make way for trendier offerings, and there is no longer the same variety on offer. My wife requested a glass of the medium range wine, not available!, they suggested an alternative which turned out to be more expensive. We had booked a table, were a little early but as we did not fancy lingering in the bar we made our way through to the restaurant, where we were greeted warmly and shown to our table. The menu now consists largely of the usual mainstream dishes, gone is the specials board, as are the game dishes, and the lovely lamb Henry. I chose the chicken and mushroom pie, my good lady the chicken and chorizo kebab. While we waited the couple at the next table were served, one had the steak and ale pie, the other the chicken pie. For some reason the size of the steak pie was significantly bigger than the chicken one. Granted it was a little more expensive, but you would think this would reflect the cost of the ingredients. A different disgruntled diner queried the discrepancy with the waiter, who said he would try to find a good answer, but he did not return. I consoled myself with the fact that my chicken pie would have less calories. Our food arrived, my pie was OK but a little bland, the pastry looked somewhat anaemic, and lacked flavour, which takes some doing. The buttery mash as described seemed to be on only nodding terms with the butter and again was bland. Everything needed more seasoning, especially a good hit of pepper. The veg however was well cooked. My wife said her kebab was nicely cooked, although the crumbed feta was hard to spot, and the pomegranate seeds even harder. There didn’t seem a lot for the price. The flat bread, which appeared to double up as the naan, was placed on top of grease proof paper, why would you? The diner next to use went for the cow pie, so I was quite excited to see it. I had visions of the pie of legend of bygone years, a succulent piece carved from the mother pie, the only uncertainty being whether you would get a corner or middle piece with their different pastry/meat ratios, it was special regardless Todays version is a pale imitation, pale also being the operative word when describing the pastry. It is an individually prepared portion, which would explain why no half size option, as you can’t cut the serving dish in half. Regrettably both the food, and the establishment appear somewhat soulless, and we can’t say we would return."
