Friday October 7 to Sunday October 9.

Cumbria � the Lake District is winning new fans all the time with the quality of its food and drink.

Only London has more Michelin stars than the Lake District which is now showing off its autumn colours.

This two night press trip involves dining at a Michelin star restaurant in the county and then checking out a major food festival.

It is not a group trip and, subject to availability, the itinerary can be tailor-made to suit your ideas.

Available only to journalists with a guaranteed commission.

Punchbowl Inn The owners of one of the Lake District�s most successful gastropubs, The Drunken Duck Inn, have opened the doors of a new venture in Crosthwaite. Set in the Lyth Valley, The Punchbowl looks set to become just as popular. Visitors can choose from a bar menu and a restaurant menu designed by chef Matthew Waddington. In the bar, the emphasis is on traditional comfort food with a modern twist so expect fish pie with a Lancashire cheese glaze, confit of Goosnargh duck with white beans and sage and brisket braised in Tag Lag � the award-winning ale from the Drunken Duck�s brewery. There�s a more sophisticated feel in the dining room with twice cooked rabbit with rosemary mousse and coffee-dusted breast of wood pigeon being just some of the highlights. www.punchbowl.fsnet.co.uk

Taste District Festival at Rheged on 8-9 October The event will include celebrity demonstrations, tastings, competitions, a beer festival and a market with over 50 local food producers. Ross Burden, a regular on the BBC�s �Ready, Steady, Cook� and Joan Collins� preferred chef will be showing how local Cumbrian produce can be used to create tasty dishes from all over the world. Cumbria's finest artisans and producers will be setting up stall at the festival. Visitors will be able to sample their wares, ask questions and, more importantly, buy local. There will be a vast array of tasty produce available, from perfect pastries to plum pudding, mustards and meats to cheeses and chutneys, not to mention fudge, relishes, ice creams, breads, cakes and chocolate. There will be a celebration of great Cumbrian ales organized in association with Jennings. Each day 12 real ales will be available to sample. www.tastedistrict.com

The Samling A few hundred feet above one of the most beautiful lakes in Britain beckons a small gem of a hotel. It�s called The Samling. Set in its own sixty-seven acre estate, it�s like no other place you�ve stayed. Food is light, full of good ideas and loved unreservedly by our guests. Our cellar gains new admirers with every visit too; fans of the grape have a treat in store. The award-winning Michelin star restaurant offers food made from only the finest, freshest local ingredients. www.thesamling.com

Holbeck Ghyll A coveted Michelin Star was awarded in January 2000 and retained every year since. The Holbeck Ghyll commands a majestic location overlooking Lake Windermere and the Langdale Fells in the Lake District. Celebrated as one of the Lake District's finest country house hotels, Holbeck Ghyll has a new terrace restaurant, both with stunning lake and mountain views. The latter, in addition, has French doors onto a patio for lunch or early evening dining. The frequently changed menu utilises the finest of fresh produce and is noted for its balance of English and French cuisine. www.holbeckghyll.com

Sharrow Bay Hotel Dining at Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel, whether it be breakfast, lunch, dinner or the fabulous afternoon tea, is an experience to be cherished. The Sharrow Bay Restaurant has a Michelin star and overlooks Lake Ullswater. The internationally-renowned cuisine at Sharrow Bay was created over fifty years by Francis Coulson. Today his prot�g�s, Johnny Martin and Colin Akrigg, are developing their own individual style by combining traditional Sharrow style with the best of contemporary cuisine. Mouth-watering desserts have always been and still are a highlight of the Sharrow experience. www.sharrowbay.co.uk

L�Enclume Simon Rogan, the chef and owner of L�Enclume restaurant in Cartmel, has gone on record to say that he is after two Michelin stars, but will be content with just the one for now. His wildly original 16-course Taste and Texture menu may include Diver-caught Sea Scallops, salsify and almond, sweet cicely froth; Cepes polenta french fries arugula cocktail; and Chilled agastache soup, Jerusalem artichoke, crunchy cumin. With his use of forgotten ingredients such as myrhh, hyssop and chickweed, Simon aims to innovate by using unusual food combinations. It�s working. L�Enclume was recently described by a national food critic as one of the five best restaurant with rooms in Europe. www.lenclume.co.uk

THE VISITS

Sticky Toffee Pudding, Cartmel Village Shop Nigella Lawson adores it and even macrobiotic Madonna is said to be a fan of Cumbria�s famous sticky toffee pudding. Such is its popularity that boxes of this diet-defying pudding are transported across the country every day. Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Mason are all stockists. The original village shop where the pudding is made also sells products including local smoked trout and salmon, Woodalls bacons and Morecambe Bay potted shrimps. But the bestseller remains the sticky toffee pudding which is a real favourite as a post Sunday lunch pud. www.stickytoffeepudding.co.uk

Jennings Brewery, Cockermouth Jennings has been brewing traditional beers in Cumbria for over 170 years. They still use the same methods that were used by their founder as long ago as 1828 in the small Cumbrian village of Lorton. Since 1874 Jennings has been brewing at the Castle Brewery, in the quaint market town of Cockermouth. The Brewery is sited in the shadow of historic Cockermouth Castle at the confluence of the River Cocker and River Derwent. Visit the Castle Brewery and enjoy one of its brewery tours? www.jenningsbrewery.co.uk

Low Sizergh Barn Low Sizergh Barn has a farm shop, tea room, craft gallery and farm trail on an organic dairy farm near Kendal. The farm shop is filled with one of the best selections of local and speciality foods in Cumbria, with farm products -- their own organic Kendal cheese, organic eggs and ice cream made from their own milk -- taking pride of place. There are two galleries of crafts and gifts, one in the shippons where the cows once lived, and a tea room with an unusual view -- you can watch the cows being milked every day around 3.45pm. Walk on the farm trail, part of the Soil Association�s Organic Farms Network and enjoy the beautiful countryside around the farm. www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk

Greystone House Farm Shop and Tea Room The delicious, locally-produced food on offer at Greystone House Farm Shop and Tea Room at Stainton, Penrith, saw it lift the Taste of England category.

Lucy's Specialist Grocers in Ambleside Lucy�s Specialist Grocers in Ambleside are jumping for joy after winning the top prize in the BBC Good Food Magazine & Waitrose Award. The highly coveted prize was collected by the Owner/Director Lucy Nicholson awarded in the Waitrose marquee at the Royal Show, Stoneleigh. Lucy�s was born through a love of food and dedication to both the local and visitor population of Ambleside and its surrounding area. In 1989, the shop Lucy�s Specialist Grocers was opened � this was originally a bit of everything, but now specialises much more in food that is locally produced, hard to obtain elsewhere, or simply made in their own kitchens. www.lucysofambleside.co.uk

Mason�s Arms, Bowland Bridge Regarded by some as the finest pub in Cumbria, the Masons oozes character and the modest lounge has oak tables and Jacobean panelling. The views of the Winster Valley from the beer terrace are brilliant and the beer brings the multitudes here. Exceptionally well-kept Black Sheep, Hawkshead Bitter and Red are available on hand-pump as are many different kinds of excellent foreign bottled beer. Many have developed a liking for the Belgian Strawberry beer - despite its price tag of �5.15 a pint. www.strawberrybank.com