After many months of talking about doing it, I finally headed up to Plumgarths Lakeland Food Park on Thursday last week, to take a look at the bakery and shop for Lovingly Artisan bakery. Nestled on a road just outside Kendal, there are several foodie business on this small and welcoming business park.
Lovingly Artisan bakery evolved from a bakery first started in the 1980s in Kendal when, after being introduced to slow-fermentation process, the founder Aidan and his partner Catherine, started Lovingly Artisan from their own home. The site at Plumgarths Lakeland Food Park was opened in 2010 as an expansion site and has been thriving ever since.
The entire ethos of Lovingly Artisan is based on ditching ultra-processed bread, using British grain (including rarer grains that you don’t see very often such as Emmer and Einkhorn), and keeping things organic wherever possible.
What struck me when I spoke to Catherine was the “soil to grain” commitment – looking for organic and regenerative farming practices which looks after the soil to ensure good quality crop, before the crop is milled by a local miller using a stone grinding process (which apparently retains better flavour than industrial milling processes), the leftover bran is then made into pellets which fires the ovens! I thought this was really great because I’m so passionate about sustainable practices and circular production methods. It is exactly what we need to be doing more of, and to find and support more small businesses making efforts to do this is uppermost in my mind.
The shop itself was delightful, and the smell of fresh baking was to die for… I honestly could have spent hours in there, even though it’s a relatively small shop. There were so many goodies, little bits to taste, and lots of accoutrements such as dipping oils, rock salt, and kitchen implements. I bought several items, including kalamata olive bread, focaccia, Danish rye bread, and a pain-aux-raisin. I’ve already eaten the pain-aux-raisin, and can’t wait to tuck into the rest.
I’ll be heading back up to Lakeland Food Park next week as they’re doing a Christmas Fair and Tasting event from the 4th – 6th December 2025! It’s definitely worth going if you’re a foodie in the region of the South/Central Lakes/North Lancs because I think it’s going to be delicious, and I’m excited to try all of the yummy goods!
I did a couple of articles back in the spring about Café Culture in Lancaster (Part One and Part Two) so now I’m widening the net, to look at some of the lovely cafes in the surrounding area. This is in no way exhaustive, it’s just a selection of ones that I have visited and enjoyed, and I will be continuing this list with many more little cafes that I frequent in my local area!
Blossom Bird in Silverdale
Blossom Bird is a lovely little café in the centre of Silverdale, and has been the topic of my weekly recommendation before because I am a HUGE fan of their blueberry and lemon cake. Genuinely one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted, and it’s made in house by the lady who runs it. Dogs are welcome to sit in the courtyard outside the front of the café, and I imagine the only reason they’re discouraged (not banned) from inside because it’s a little bit tight for space! There’s also a long chatty table in the window, which is a lovely idea if people who are on their own or in small groups don’t mind talking to other patrons and having a bit of a chat.
The Striped Apple in Scorton
The Striped Apple is a large café/restaurant just outside of Scorton, in the grounds of Wyresdale Park, surrounded by forest and wildlife. Whenever I go up there, I love standing and just listening to the birds singing in the trees, even if it’s relatively busy, it sort of fades away into the sounds of the park. The café itself in a large greenhouse structure, with grapes growing across the roof. It’s very popular with walkers, and with those who come to paddleboard on the nearby lake. There’s often an array of specials on the menu, but I’m a big fan of the small breakfast that you can optimise to your own taste. They also offer lovely afternoon tea options (or afternoon… champagne?).
The café is dog friendly, and there is a large outside area to sit in the summer, as well as a small children’s play area. There are also a handful on independent shops behind the café that are open Thur-Sun, including a gin maker, an independent jeweller, and an upcycled outerwear shop (that will soon be offering repair services for outdoor wear).
The Old Bakehouse in Arnside
The Bakehouse in Arnside is a takeaway bakery and coffeeshop, with a small number of tables inside for those quick enough to get one! Their sausage rolls are delicious, and I’m a big fan of the takeaway pies for either dinner later that day, or to freeze for a later day. Sometimes I like to take a coffee to go and take a wander along the front, or up the pier to sit and watch the tide roll in or out.
Have you visited any of these places? Which is your favourite?
The winners of the 2025 Great British Food Awards will be announced in October, and I’m excited to see which Northern producers are featured and celebrated in the awards.
“The Great British Food Awards were launched in 2014 to celebrate the very best artisanal produce in the food and drink industry, from flavoured gins and high-quality sausages to artisan breads and undeniably good cheeses. We want to highlight the very best Great Britain has to offer and give producers the chance to stand out from the crowd.”
There are lots of different categories that producers can enter their products into:
Baked and Puddings: Bread, Desserts, Home Baking, Ready Meals, Savoury Bakes, Sweet Bakes.
Cheese and Dairy: Cheese, Dairy, Ice Cream.
Drinks (Alcohol): Any other Spirits, Beer & Lager, Cider, Gin, Liquers, Rum, Vodka, Whisky, Wine.
Speciality: Best British Speciality, Best Fruit & Veg, Christmas Dessert, Christmas Mains, Christmas Party, Delivery Boxes.
The categories are judged by a variety of specialists, but the judges include Raymond Blanc, Sally Abe, and Simon Rogan, among many others. You can find the whole list of judges here.
Which Northern Producers would you like to see in these categories? Who do you think deserves that recognition?
Autumn has officially rolled around. The nights are drawing in and the weather has taken a distinctly cooler turn. I don’t know about you, but that means I am looking forward to really hearty food that comes with the season.
Below are some ideas for ways to have a perfect autumn feast made with ingredients from Northern producers and suppliers! Which would you like to try?
Starter – Broccoli & Blue Cheese Soup – One of my autumn/winter favourites, broccoli & blue cheese soup is so hearty and warming on a cool day. And for those of you who wrinkled your nose at the thought of blue cheese, let me just say, I don’t eat blue cheese straight up either! I don’t particularly like the strong taste just “as is,” but when it’s in soup it’s mellowed out by other flavours, and I just find it straight up delicious. Paired with some crusty or tasty bread just sounds wonderful.
Seasonal Veg acquired through local community food growing projects, or from local farms.
One near me is The Plot, which provides organic and seasonal veg to buy, as well as training people in growing and horticulture. You can order veg boxes or, if you want to get involved on the ground, can go along to help in the garden.
Blue Cheese – Two that I would recommend from the North is Mrs Bell’s Blue, made by Shepherd’s Purse nr. Thirsk, Yorkshire; or Garstang Blue, made by Dewlay Cheeses nr. Garstang, Lancashire.
Bread Side – There are so many local and artisanal bread makers and bakeries across the North, and I’m sure you could find one close to you relatively easily. I’ve just found a great bakery called Well Good Bread that specialise in delicious focaccia, but have other options as well.
Main – Slow Cooked Lamb & Autumn Veg
Lancashire Salt Marsh Lamb from Cockerham Salt Marsh Lamb. You can read all about the lamb and the land it is raised on here, keeping it free from antibiotics and other products due to the high salt content of the land the lamb grazes upon.
Local Community Food Garden – See the information about using local and community gardens, or local farms, under the “Starter” section.
Vegetarian Main – Butternut Squash Curry (Rafi’s Spice Box)
Local Community Food Garden – See the information about using local and community gardens, or local farms, under the “Starter” section.
Rafi’s Spice Box – Based in York, Rafi’s Spice Box have recently also appeared in selected Booths stores. They do curry mixes to order in a monthly subscription, but will also advise on different spice mixes depending on what your needs are for each specific meal.
Dessert – Apple & Blackberry Crumble
Wild picked blackberries (my freezer currently has three boxes of blackberries that I picked and then cooked down). I honestly would’ve picked a lot more if I had the freezer space to store them! I was blackberrying in and around the Silverdale and Arnside AONB and the bushes were just dripping with them this year. It’s been a real bumper crop for fruit this year in the UK (apparently the spring conditions we had led to amazing blossom, which then led to great fruit outputs).
Foraged cooking apples: This is a bit of a “luck of the draw” type thing and depends on where you live/where you go on a regular basis. But, near me, there is a lady who has two apple trees that grow ‘Bramley’ apples, and she has tonnes come this time of year. Sometimes she’s giving them away for free, other times she asks for a very small donation to help out a bit. Either way, still cheaper than buying apples. This lady also had bags full of plums at like £4/kg, so I got a couple of bags of those as well!
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Snacks/Munchies
Lancashire Crisps – My favourite is the sea salt flavour (and it’s nearly always sold out in the shop!), I know that’s not the most exciting but sometimes… simple is best.
Farmhouse Biscuits – made in Lancashire since 1962, farmhouse biscuits are not only delicious, they also come in really cute tins and boxes that are reusable time and again for small storage, lessening our environmental impact.
The Honest Bean Co – on a mission to champion the (not so) humble Fava Bean, it’s nutritional value, and also it’s position in regenerative farming practices.
Drinks
Northern Beers – with Lancaster Brewery, Old School Brewery, and Accidental Brewery there are plenty of local brewers to choose from – and these are just a fraction of the breweries available in the area and across the north. Find your favourite near you.
Gin/Vodka – Lytham Gin, Brindle Distillery, and Bay Distilleries are a few of the local distilleries that produce spirits in my local area, but again, there are many across the north. Head to your local specialist retailer and you will find any number of inspirational local bevvies to try.
Soft Drinks – Fentimans is a large soft drinks company based out of Hexham, Northumberland and do a number of soft drinks options including Rose Lemonade, Gently Sparkling Elderflower, Mandarin & Seville Orange Jigger, as well as a Cola, amongst other.
Hot Drinks – Farrer’s of Kendal or Atkinsons’ in Lancaster are good options for tea and coffee, and other hot drinks.
There are so many incredible suppliers and producers in the North of really tasty food, and this honestly just a snapshot of what is available. There are loads of great food places out there, so go hunting!
I’d like to just end this article by saying that there is a lot of food listed here. It’s all delicious, and I would love to try it, but I would honestly struggle to eat all of this unless I was doing it over a long period of time, with plenty of breaks to digest in between. There is a reason I titled it “feast” – I don’t want anyone to think I’m encouraging food waste, or overconsumption… these are just ideas for what you could do to have a sumptuous foodie experience using local produce and producers in Autumn.
It’s my birthday coming up, and this year I’m turning 32, so I decided to do a list of thirty-two places I’d like to visit in the North. This is not a list of things I’m going to do in the next year, as a sort of checklist, some of these are pie-in-the-sky dream places I want to go, whilst others are more attainable and I have concrete ideas and plans to actually do. So, that being said here’s my list of things I’d like to do in the North, just to illustrate how many things there are to do, and how amazing this region is!
Go to Whitby Goth Weekend
The next Whitby Goth Weekend is from 30th October – 2nd November 2025.
“Join us as we journey through the ever shifting tides of unconventional culture, and immerse yourself in our delightfully dark domain, for here, the pulse of Alternative and Bohemian lifestyle thrives, waiting to captivate your soul. Unveil a tantalizing tapestry woven together with threads of Music, Literature, Fashion, Artists, Events, and the pursuits of Friendship and Freedom. Our solemn quest is to exalt the realm of Goth & Alternative Subcultures, and to weave a unifying cloak that envelopes the reverent hearts of Alternative and Bohemian Communities across the globe.”
If you’ve ever been to Whitby during the Goth Weekend when you’re not a Goth, it’s like being in another world. In case you didn’t know, there’s so many different types of Goth – not just the stereotypical image of head-to-toe black like a Victorian mourner. Yes, that is definitely as type of Goth look, but there is also steampunk, romantic goth, cyber goth, emo, pastel goth, gothabilly, bohemian goth… to be honest, the list could go on! So, when you go to Whitby, and see all of the amazing clothing and aesthetics that people wear is stunning. I specifically don’t call the “costumes,” because yes whilst some goths do don specific costumes when they attend events like this that might reflect a certain character, for most this is their day-to-day clothing. It’s not a costume, it’s their clothes. And they look incredible. The time and effort that goes into some of these pieces and these looks is mind-blowing.
Of course there’s plenty of Gothy things to do in Whitby as well, with the prime one being to walk up the 200 steps to Whitby Abbey, to learn about the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula. There are old pubs to have a drink in, cobbled streets to wander down, and curio shops to browse. I can’t wait to go back.
Go to Blackpool Pleasure Beach
I went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach when I was kid, but I don’t really remember it, other than the fact that it was raining! I used to really enjoy rollercoasters when I was a teenager, (even the ones that turn you upside down), but I’m not sure I could do that anymore. I say this because when I went to RockPrest in June, I went on one of the fairground rides that swings you up high and then comes down on an arm (I have no idea what these rides are called), and as I sat there I was like “uh-oh this was a mistake,” but I managed to get that feeling under control, but it is a totally alien sensation that sends your adrenaline skyrocketing. I think it was because I hadn’t done in so long, so my body wasn’t used to it. I’d love to try it again on a rollercoaster! Also, I’ve never been on the world famous Pepsi Max (The Big One), and I feel like I should definitely give it a try!
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Ride the Settle to Carlisle Railway
This one is fairly self-explanatory, but I’d love to ride this railway through some of the most beautiful countryside in the North (and that is a steep competition). There are heritage steam trains that run on this line, and I think it would be really cool to ride through beautiful countryside on a steam train. I’d feel like I was in a Romance novel!
Each Lunch at Rogan & Co in Cartmel
Rogan & Co is a Michelin starred restaurant owned by Simon Rogan, who also owns L’Enclume in Carmel, along with other restaurants elsewhere. They pride themselves on having their own farm only a mile away from the village where they grow/raise as much of their ingredients as is possible, so they control the quality and provenance of all their ingredients. Obviously I’m a big fan of this because it significantly reduces the food miles and the environmental cost for supplying the restaurants.
This is one of those slightly pie-in-the-sky options because this is definitely on the pricey side. It’s not as pricey as eating at L’Enclume just around the corner where the lunch menu is £125pp, and the tasting menu is £200+pp. Lunch at Rogan & Co is £49 for three courses (available Wed-Sat), or £95pp for a six course tasting menu. And it looks delicious, with flavours I wouldn’t normally try and intensities I wouldn’t cook myself. Definitely something I would love to do one day, but I’m going to have to save my pennies!
Complete Parkrun at Williamson Park, Lancaster
Okay, so this is a personal goal of mine and I would not suggest to anybody who shudders at the thought of running that this is something that they should add to their lists. I used to run 2-3 times a week, but then I started a somewhat physical job, so that kind of fell off the radar. But this is still something I’d like to do, just to say that I’ve done it. I’ve got friends who do this every week, or are approaching their 150th run, which is very impressive! Aside from being something to work towards, Williamson Park is also a really pretty place to explore and be in, so it’ll be nice to do, even if I don’t do especially well with my time!
Go back to NOLA in York
I went to NOLA for my 30th birthday dinner and it was amazing. It’s a New Orleans style restaurant with a jazzy/speakeasy vibe in the heart of York, that do smaller plates so you can try lots of different things. They recommend that each person has two of the “main” plates and one side. Although if you have a slightly smaller appetite, I think that between two people you could have three “mains” and one or two sides, and still have plenty of food. If you’re hungry though, absolutely go for the two or three main plates each, because they’re delicious.
When I last went there I tried Jambalaya for the first time, as well as breaded goats cheese, whilst the friends I was with had a vast array of different dishes including Gumbo, Oysters, Mac & Cheese etc. etc. and I got to try bites from lots of them. One of the main reasons I picked it is that I had two friends joining the party who have Vegan diets and, unlike a lot of restaurants where they only have one or two V/VE options, NOLA has a whole menu page of eight different dishes for veggies and vegans, giving plenty of choice. Would wholeheartedly recommend!
So there you have it – another six out of thirty two of things I’d like to do. This is going to be a bit of a long series I guess, but there are just so many things to do around the North and if I did them all in one go (or even in three articles) it would end up being so long you’d never reach the end! If you had to pick three places to go in the North, where would it be? What should be on my list? I guarantee there will be places you love that I won’t even know about, so drop me a comment below or an email at bryony@thenorthishlass.co.uk and let me know what I should feature!
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Features: Outside seating, dog friendly, excellent for breakfast.
Price: ££
Address: Tithebarn Hill, Glasson Dock, Lancaster LA2 0BY
The Quayside at Glasson Dock is a charming little café on the side of the marina and lock at Glasson Dock. The café stands next to a little village shop and the famous Port of Lancaster Smokehouse Shop and has indoor and outdoor spaces to sit and eat. It is very popular on the weekend, especially with motorbike riders, cyclists, and other out-and-abouters. Once you get a load of the food you will understand why. Not only are the portion sizes for the breakfasts extremely generous, the food is also delicious. It’s all cooked from scratch (so at busier times it might take a little bit longer to get to you), but it’s well worth the wait.
My favourite is a Potato Cake Stack which is a potato pancake, black pudding (your choice whether you have this deep-fried or not, just to make it extra unhealthy!), poached egg, extra bacon if you want it, and another potato pancake on the bottom. This then comes with a little bit of sweet chilli jam, and hollandaise sauce (I choose to have it without the hollandaise as I’ve never really been a fan). It is delicious. I’ve had it so often in there that now when I sit down Nina (the owner) knows exactly what I want and how I like (right down to the crispy bacon (can’t be doing with flubby bacon – yuck!)). Mum sometimes has a Small Breakfast when we come down here, but often just has a very tasty (and very generous) bacon roll.
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The café is dog friendly, both inside and out, so your pooches can come along for some breakfast or lunch with you. The café also does Fish & Chips on a Friday night which I am going to try sometime soon! The venue has also started branching out into one-off evenings (for example, they hosted an Indian Night in July), so keep an eye out for information about events and collaborations.
After you’ve finished breakfast, you can go for a wander down the quayside and have a look in the Lancaster Smokehouse shop, which as the name suggests has products from the actual smoke house found just down the road; everything from smoked haddock, to chicken, to cheese. There are also lots of other delicious things to be found in there like the famous Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimp in brown butter. I’m particularly partial to their conserves and jams, as well as their sweets and snack selection (they did some amazing salted caramel popcorn at Christmas last year that was soooo moreish – I had to stop myself from buying bags and bags of it! Luckily it was seasonal, so I can’t get hold of it at the moment…).
One More Bite Fest is on for the whole Bank Holiday weekend and it looks like it’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to go and see all the different vendors who are attending!
Every Lancastrian knows Brew. Or if they somehow don’t (there must be some very large rocks in the area if this is the case), they absolutely should. It’s the favourite coffee shop & café of at least one of your local friends, I can promise you that. As for myself, I can probably be found in Brew at least once a week, as I often use it as a meeting place, or as a place to work (in fact, I’m sitting in there right now as I write this… fittingly). The business opened in December 2018, and seemingly going from strength to strength, Brew has become a staple of local café culture.
Owned by Luiza Woods, you can find Brew at 18A Brock Street, nestled next to another female-owned independent business; the Northern Dye House (which encourages reusing clothing and giving pieces a new life), and opposite Arteria (a gallery and gift shop (also female owned)). From a personal perspective, one of the things that has always impressed me about Brew is the excellent service I have always had there – for example, the other day I was in with my mum and she wanted a shortbread of some kind, but it had been sitting next to a blondie with peanuts in it in the cabinet. My mum is allergic to peanuts; not to the point where if she breathes the same air a peanut has a wafted through it’ll be a problem, but if she eats one it definitely will be. Steven remembered this without me even thinking about it, and immediately found some of the shortbreads that had been in an airtight box and therefore not near the peanuts on display. It hadn’t even crossed my mind when I’d ordered it, but it had his, and he’d cared enough to do something about it. I was very impressed. It might only be something “small” but that sort of care makes a very positive impression.
Speaking to Luiza, she said that whilst Brew is thriving, running it hasn’t been without it’s difficulties to get it that way – within fifteen months of opening, the world went into lockdown with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fledgling business had to find (like so many others) new ways to reach customers, and to continue to offer their delicious products to Lancastrians who suddenly found their worlds an awful lot smaller, centered around their homes or essential places of work if they were still going out to. That was how Baked by Brew was born; with her mum, Luiza started making cakes and bakes so people could have delicious treats at home, or for special occasions, whilst unable to venture further afield to celebrate. It was the era of the viral cinnamon roll (ask anyone who lives on TikTok!), so the popularity of Baked by Brew soared as people sought tasty treats to enjoy.
The main café itself was also one of the first to open back up for coffee, as customers were able to queue whilst socially distancing outside and then take their coffees to Dalton Square, or to other public spaces, to enjoy it. This was a lucky draw due to the way Brew is laid out, with their coffee making/till facilities right near the door, so they were able to operate a sort of kiosk, without having customers enter the shop at a time when that was prohibited. This meant foot traffic to the café soared, as Lancastrians sought somewhere to go for a little change of scene, or that perk that had been part of daily life before lockdown changed everything.
Sadly, Baked by Brew ended as public offering in 2023 as more places opened back up and Luiza realised she wanted to concentrate more on the delicious food offering from the café itself, rather than stretching herself thin developing both. That’s not to say it disappeared entirely as the outfit still provides all the cakes for the café. The public facing side evolved, and Brew now offers catering for local businesses and bespoke events, baking and cooking at their offsite kitchen to provide tasty food (definitely not just cakes!) for lunches, conferences, and celebrations. This is definitely a growing side of the business, with new menus being introduced both in store, and for ordering, by chefs Maisie and Mark. On that note, an exciting new menu was launched on the 8th August 2025 which includes items such as Steak Eggs and Chimichurri, or the new Peach Pistachio Pavlova French Toast (sounds very yummy and I can’t wait to try!).
Other positive points about how Brew is run is they operate a “no managers” staff system. Yes, Luiza owns it, but you’ll see her putting in a shift in the kitchen/pot wash etc. as necessary, no one team member is set above the others, everyone has a role and responsibilities. As a result, they have a slow staff turnover, which is think is a positive marker of any business/team – do the staff actually like working there, and do they stay? They also serve North Star Coffee from Leeds, a brand that centres ethical sourcing and distribution of coffee beans as part of their business model (you can buy whole or ground coffee beans from Brew if you want their blend to make at home!).
After the new menu launch there will be more Coffee Events for people to attend in the evening, as well as workshops with local artisans (these are advertised in the shop or on their social media). As for me, I’ll be heading down again soon as it’s a place to have a great cup of coffee and some very tasty food…
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Brew have got a new French Toast on their specials menus and it’s seriously tasty! Apple and Sesame (although I had it without the Sesame Brittle as I can’t really eat that) French Toast. It wasn’t a problem to take that off and the remaining brioche with dried apple, toffee and apple sauce, and vanilla ice cream was DELICIOUS.
I should warn you though – get it before it’s gone as, speaking to the staff today, their words were “when it’s gone, it’s gone!” – and they expect that the special will be over after this weekend.
So get your runners on and get down to Brew to have a taste!
Famous for it’s racecourse, fine dining, and of course, its Sticky Toffee Pudding, this little village on the edge of the Lake District is punching well above it’s weight when it comes to things to see and do, as well as being in a gorgeous natural location. I often like to go to Cartmel when I’ve been to Holker Hall (which is just down the road), to have a wander around the independent shops and cafes, or to have a moment’s quiet in the priory before enjoying an ice cream.
On a logistical note, when there race days are scheduled Cartmel gets very busy, and even on regular days parking is a bit of a struggle. If you’re very lucky, you might get parked in the middle of the village, but it is very limited. As a general rule, parking is on the racecourse, and visitors then walk into the village.
So, without further ado, here’s my things to do in Cartmel…
Visit The Priory
Cartmel Priory is over eight hundred years old. It was founded by William Marshal (sometimes known by the moniker of “The Greatest Knight”) in 1190 following his return from Crusade in the Holy Land. He gifted the land around the Priory to the monks situated there to provide for it’s upkeep.
One of the interesting things found in Cartmel Priory, despite them being installed at a later date, is some of the stained glass windows on the left hand side of the nave clearly make reference to Islamic style architecture, depicting a building akin to the Hagia Sofia. Whoever commissioned or made these windows must have either seen, or being inspired by, Near-Eastern architecture, as the image is unlike any building found in England at that time.
There are a couple of other curiosities to find in the Priory if you visit. Can you find them? Have a bit of a treasure hunt with the following list!
The gravestone with a “pirate ship-esque” skull-and-cross-bones inlaid on the surface.
The musket shot holes, in the outside of one of the doors, supposedly fired by angry Parliamentarians during the civil war of the 17th century, when they were denied entry to The Priory for provisions.
The knight’s tomb with the faded medieval image painted on the underside of the ceiling of the tomb (you have to crane your neck to see this one, this might give you a clue!).
The “Anglo-Saxon” cross in the graveyard, which is a monument to those who served during WW1.
The 16th century wooden misericords complete with 16th century graffiti carved in, assumedly left there by a bored choir boy centuries ago.
Have a pint in the Cavendish Arms
The Cavendish Arms sits next to the River Eea (how do you pronounce that? I tend to just go with “Uhhh” which is definitely not right!), and is a lovely spot to sit and have a drink on a warm summer’s day, and watch the water flow.
Personal aside – my grandfather had his retirement meal at the Cavendish Arms, back in the 1980s – as a joke his colleagues ordered him two of everything on the meat platter – two tomahawks, two racks of ribs, two sausages etc. etc. Not one to back down from a challenge, my grandad gamely ate it all. He thought it would be rude not too.
Now I wouldn’t try anything close to that, but the food at the pub is delicious, and a lovely place to sit and enjoy the day.
Check out the Independent Shops
Cartmel boasts several lovely independent shops, including a Vintage store (my favourite!), Unsworth Yard (a deli/wine shop/brewery), an antiquarian bookstore, and the Larch Tree (a gift/clothing/toy store).
I love going for a mooch around the Vintage store, because there’s some truly interesting things in there. It’s not just for vintage and preloved clothing, there’s also home goods, toys, antiques, and furniture, all higgledy-piggledy to have a rummage through and see what treasures can be found. In the past I’ve bought earrings and a 1940s dress from the store, and continue to love and use both!
Unsworth Yard deli does a lovely selection of local produce, including stocking all of the products of Cartmel Cheeses. Last time I was in there, a friend of mine bought some lovely relishes and sauces as a present.
Have an Ice Cream at Hales of Cartmel
Claiming to have the “largest selection of scooping ice creams,” Hales of Cartmel certainly has plenty of different flavours to choose from. Last time I went, I had a double scoop of salted caramel and peach melba… delicious!
However will you choose?!
You’ll notice – conspicuous by its absence – I haven’t mentioned L’Enclume or Rogan & Co. That isn’t for any reason other than that I’m going to do a separate post about the fine dining options in Cartmel.
What’s your favourite thing about Cartmel? Have you visited the beautiful village? What did you get up to?
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