The
Lake District is a pretty special
place. Not only is it England’s largest National
Park with the country’s highest mountain (Scafell Pike), deepest (Wastwater)
and largest lakes (Windermere) it is
also home to the Keswick Pencil Museum…
oh, and the UK’s Best Restaurant!
For
a foodie / foodist (whichever you prefer) The
Lakes are a true treasure trove. Cumbria
has the most microbreweries of any English
country (one being ‘Barngates’ at
the Drunken Duck Inn) and boasts
three Michelin starred restaurants: Holbeck Gyhll, The Samling and the two
star L’Enclume.
The
Lakeland’s produce too, is tough to
beat - the extraordinary coastline yields the magnificent Morecambe Bay Shrimps and Muncaster
Crab; from the pastures come, Salt
Marsh and Herdwick Lambs as well
as world famous Cumberland Sausages.
Those
with a sweeter tooth may prefer Grasmere
Gingerbread, Sticky Toffee Pudding
or, the fell walker’s favourite, Kendal
Mint Cake (and, would Christmas be the same without Cumbrian Rum Butter?)
My
favourite spot in Cumbria is undoubtedly the charming, medieval village of Cartmel. Situated in the south lakes, it’s
a stone’s throw from the salt marshes of the Cartmel Peninsula, Morecambe Bay
and a short drive from the bottom tip of Windermere (plus, I can get there in less
than 90 minutes from my home in Cheshire.)
A
day spent in Cartmel has everything a discerning traveller in search of the
finest foods such as myself could hope to find. Not only is it the ‘home of
sticky toffee pudding’ and Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume but there is so much else on
offer.
Cheesophiles,
should make a beeline for Cartmel Cheeses and Bakery
– with a relatively small but exceptional quality selection of cheeses, it’s the
finest fromagerie I have visited outside of London. I always find something
interesting in the Village Shop,
whether it is crackers or honeycomb for the cheese, some tasty preserves or
indulgent chocolates.
For
drinkers, the village has four pubs: the friendly Cavendish Arms (just along from L’Enclume), the Royal Oak and Kings Arms in ‘the square’ and, on the edge of the village over
looking fields of sheep, the cosy, Rogan owned Pig & Whistle.
Visitors
should also check out the ‘rare wines’ at Hot Wines and Unsworth’s Yard Brewery – producers of Sir William Marshal’s Crusader Gold, and the ruby ale, my favourite, Sir Edgar Harrington’s Last Wolf.
To build up an appetite
it’s a good idea to arrive early and take a walk on the surrounding rugged
fells; but do arrive at the Cartmel
Bakery in time for opening (10am). I always get one of their signature Cheese & Marmite breads and
whatever else is looking particularly fine.
Next, a brew at the
award winning Cartmel Coffee is called for – it would be rude not to have
a slice of their delicious homemade cakes too. There is another quaint ‘tea
room’ in Cartmel but the more modern Cartmel Coffee holds the highest rating of
Five Cups (from the BSA) making them one of the
Top 10 Best Coffee Shops in the UK.
After a coffee and a
stroll around the village feeding the ducks, saying hello to Ben the cat and
visiting the interesting little shops or the magnificent Priory, it should be
time for lunch.
For me, there are the
following dining options when spending a day in Cartmel:
· Lunch at L’Enclume /
dinner at Rogan and Co.
· Lunch at L’Enclume / dinner
at The Pig & Whistle.
· Lunch at The Pig &
Whistle / dinner at L’Enclume.
· Lunch at Rogan and Co. /
dinner at L’Enclume.
·
Lunch at Rogan and Co. / dinner at The Pig &
Whistle.
Of course, you could eat
at one of the other pubs in’t village but no self-respecting food snob should
pass up the chance of eating Simon Rogan’s grub. On my recent trip, I chose the
latter option (I’m yet to indulge in lunch at L’Enclume followed by dinner at
L’Enclume). Here’s the write up of my Rogan and
Co. lunch.
As Simon remains busy
with L’Enclume and his projects in Manchester and London, he has pretty much
left the menu and development of “The
Piggy” in the capable hands of Chef David Hawkins. With a little work to
do, I spent the afternoon hogging the warmth of the fireplace occasionally
‘disturbed’ by the friendly locals. As
the evening came, I ordered:
Bar snack: Ham Hock Fritters – the perfect
crunchy, coating flavourful hock meat. Some of that terrific Cheese & Marmite Bread from the local bakers also
arrived.
From the starters, Pressed Ham Terrine with Piccalilli – the
hearty, rustic terrines at The Piggy are always good. Served with an equally
rustic, coarse piccalilli, this is what proper pub grub is all about.
From the mains I went
for, XB Beer Battered Cod with Hand Cut
Chips & Crushed Peas – the beer batter, made with Hartleys Cumbrian XB,
was the beeriest beer batter I’ve ever tasted. The thick chips and peas were
good but it was the caper laden tartar sauce which really took the dish up a
notch.
For dessert, Baked Apple Rice Pudding – I don’t
quite know what I expected but it certainly wasn’t the dish that arrived. With
the chunky pieces of apple and a crunchy crumble sprinkled the dish had
excellent textures and well as comforting homely flavours.
Another great day spent
in Cartmel. One day soon I must try and make it up to the monthly Food Market that takes place on the third
Friday of every month.
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What a refreshing account of Cumbria. I love the way your photographs look genuine and not photo-shopped!
ReplyDeleteCartmel really is a hidden gem and all to easy to miss by those eager visitors who want to tick off Lakes and famous peaks.
I love the fact that this quaint southern Cumbrian village is now becoming as well known for its excellence in food as well as its interesting Priory.
next time your in Cumbria pay a visit to The Pheasant Inn at Allithwaite, wonderful food, excellent service, lovely staff, cant praise it highly enough.
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