Over the years, I've developed a passion for food and cooking. Kitchen gadgets and cookbooks are my…read moreweakness and I'm always on the lookout for more of these Lakeland started off life as Lakeland Plastics, selling special bags for food storage and cooking and has developed into a general cookery store with rapid growth throughout the UKin the last few years. In fact, a Lakelands store opening in your town could be the sign that you've finally made it officially into middle class! On our recent holiday to the Lake District, the girlfriend and I had to pop into their flagship store, which was locate right next to Windermere train station - in fact, you can drive through the station car park to get to it As befits a flagship store, they have a fountain and an impressive building. There's a cafe on the first floor, which had a waiting list when we arrived and the shopfloor is on the ground floor There are Lakland products laid out in easy to find fashion that you can browse to your heart's content. I remember coming here years ago and wanting to buy the entire shop. However, on this visit, I enjoyed looking round but there was really nothing which I wanted to buy for the kitchen Having just been to Sur la Table and Williams Sonoma in the USA, Lakeland seems more for the fun cook. Where was the serious knife counter with a professional to advise on the best blade for a specific task and for you? Actually, I think the presence of more staff to tell you about their new fin range of cookware, the sous vide water baths and the fun looking cook in the cup cake mugs would have made it a more fun experience. Perhaps some demonstration stations I may have outgrown Lakeland but I'm glad that it's there to encourage people to get into the kitchen more

I am about to rain on people's parade…read more I haven't visited the store in Cumbria, but used their online service. I cannot argue about the gadgets, and wide range of appliances, I can say the delivery stinks. I ordered something on the 30/9/13, and paid £2.99 (£3s in my book), it was finally delivered on the 7/1013. I'm sorry but it wasn't a large item; they have to get slicker. There's an organisation based in Hull, and the item was bigger, but they promised next day delivery if ordered before 1am on the day of delivery, and free!!! £2.99, and it takes 7 days..... This ain't good in the world of e-commerce. The item is much loved by my wife, else I'd have dropped it down to a 2 star. That is the impact you have on people's expectations and perception. I hope they read these reviews, and think hard about their delivery policy, or whoever they deal with for their deliveries, in this case it was HERMES (not quite the Olympian God).