A high time fine dining in a mine!

WATCH JULIA "Dine in a Mine"

Sixty diners gathered in black ties and fabulous frocks for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to "dine inside a mine."

A craggy tunnel hundreds of feet up on a cliff-face above Honister Pass in the Lake District, was transformed into an exclusive "mountain restaurant."

The usual inhabitants of the tunnel are miners in dust masks digging out the famous "Westmorland Green" slate with power tools for the working mine.

But for one night only, from a scenic ledge overlooking the stunning Borrowdale Valley, guests feasted on a delicious three-course meal of Lake District goodies including racks of Lakeland Lamb and aperitifs served up on pristine "slate plates."

The "restaurant" was completely decorated with candles, violinists, immaculately dressed tables and attentive waiters.

Guests of the evening was the BBC Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury, who was in the area as part of her charitable work on behalf of the Brathay Trust; an Ambleside-based charity which works to help disadvantaged young people.

Julia and sister Gina stayed over in the Lakes for the night at luxury self catering cottages, Paradigm near Loweswater, run by Jan Wilkinson, partner of Mark.

Julia commented: "Dine in the Mine - what a unique occasion. It was a tremendous achievement and a fantastic night."

Other guests at the event included Cumbrian rock climbing sensation Leo Houlding and his wife; Grasmere Gingerbread's Joanne Wilson; Cumbria Tourism's Richard Greenwood and food writers from The Guardian and The Press Association. The Press Association scored the event 10 out of 10 for food, venue and location!

The task of serving up food on the night, went to specialist outdoor catering business Andrew Southcroft Catering, of Flookburgh, Grange-over-Sands, a company at home with catering outdoors but more accustomed to "lower level dining" at weddings, festivals and shows. 

The event was organised by Mark and Kate Thomas, of Kendal-based event management company, Bluestones Events, as part of the Keswick Mountain Festival.

Mark invited many of his hard-working mining staff and family along for the treat too - saying he wanted them to experience being inside the mine in a totally different way to their usual work environment.

Mark's guest of honour was his uncle John Taylor, who once worked as a slate miner long before Mark bought the mine in the mid-1990s.

Mark said "The feedback we've had has been magical, best night ever, unbelievable and fantastic. The tunnel has always offered a wonderful view and I thought it would be apt to show my Mam and my uncle another side of the mine to give them some fine dining at the same time."

See what Julia had to say - here!