When I mentioned that I was going to be dining at L'Enclume restaurant in the village of Cartmel, I…read morewas informed by my friends in Bolton that it was the home of sticky toffee pudding. In the interest of Yelp review accuracy, I looked this fact up on the internet and there seems to be some dispute as to the exact origin to this most unctuous of steamed British comfort food puddings. I shall therefore call Cartmel one of the possible homes of sticky toffee pudding. While dining at L'Enclume, we asked the staff there where the best place to get the most authentic sticky toffee pudding and they pointed us in the direction of the Cartmel Village Shop. Now, I'm not sure what sort of village shop you're lucky enough to have in your vicinity but let me say that this place is hiding its light under a bushel by calling itself a village shop. In London, they would call themselves a deli and charge an arm and a leg for their goods. The shelves are really stocked with top class produce and brands. However, we had come for the award winning sticky toffee pudding. In perusing their fridge, we spotted variations - sticky ginger pudding and sticky banana pudding. So we left with a handful of different varieties to try. All in the name of Yelp research obviously! The packaging says that this village shop is the home of sticky toffee pudding where they used to be made in the kitchen at the back of the shop. The kitchen has since moved but the shop remains. I shall be reporting back shortly about the pudding itself but if you're a foodie visiting Cartmel, this treasure trove is a must.

The delivery was very fast, the packaging was nice, and the quality of the products was very high.read more

Called in here for Sunday breakfast, the "full Yorkshire breakfast" was superb !!…read more There is also a farm shop to browse around.

This marvelous grocery store totally surprised me. We travelled by train on this last European…read moretrip, we went back and forth about whether we should drive or train or do a combination of both. We decided on going the train route totally. Driving on the left hand side is not something to choose easily....I have only done it once before in 1982 in Jamaica and it was fine because I was incredibly young and the roads were less travelled back then but it's hard to change. I know many accidents/ deaths that have happened because of this. Anyway we decided to do the train bit. When we arrived at the York train station we had some time to wait so Joe said " Go check out the Booths" I already knew this is a grocery store chain in England and had seen it before But I was blown away at this one and was surprised to find it at the Windermere train station. I spent a good 45 minutes in there and purchased many items for our next destination. Beautiful produce and it also had a whole bakery area and a area with pharmacy type items too. When Joe insisted I go honestly I was a bit annoyed like Why? Lol Great store! Best in town!

Booths by a wide margin is the largest and nicest grocery store in Windermere. Excellent selection…read moreof produce, international and British staples, and a massive wine and liquor section. I made several Thai dishes and Booths had all the necessary ingredients from fish sauce to palm sugar to dried kaffir lime leaves. Prices are much lower and the selection much larger than you'd find in London. Try £26 for a bottle of Veuve, and yes we bought a case for Christmas lunch! If you're self catering in the Lake District and are looking for quality well above your average Tesco Express, be sure to make the drive to Booths.

Expensive but worth it for lovingly made fresh cakes, quiches, tarts and pies. Also good fresh veg…read moreand herbs and carefully selected range of luxury delicious foods perfect for presents or treating yourself to a gourmet supper in your holiday cottage.

Cranstons, the family-owned butchers in Penrith, has been serving local meat since 1914. Now it has…read moreopened a new café above the Cumbrian Food Hall, close to the M6 on the south-west side of the town. When I visited on a lunchtime in late November, the place was packed with locals, no doubt taking the opportunity to get out and about following the recent Biblical downpour. As you'd expect there's plenty of meat on the menu: an 8oz Gammon Steak; Cumberland Sausage with mash and red onion marmalade; an 8oz steak burger with streaky bacon and home made chips. Each of these costs £8.45. For £10.25 you can try the 'Cranstons' Local Platter, which features pastrami, roast ham and smoked pork loin. I was told that the soup of the day was parsnip and banana. I gave this a miss and opted for Chicken and Mediterranean Vegetable Terrine with tomato and olive chutney. It played safe, in my opinion, and would have benefited from a more imaginative accompaniment. A nod to vegetarians comes in the form of Grilled Goats Cheese & Pickled Beetroot Salad and Quiche of the Day. But I think a vegetarian in Cumbria is someone who has resolved not to eat meat between meals. The café is bright, spacious and unfussily furnished. The tall windows offer panoramic views of the lowering skies over the northern fells. On the opposite wall, a water-painting depicts a more benign riparian scene.

what can i say about this fine specialist butchers, apart from you have to go to buy to experience…read morethe quality of the food. The meat is so fresh, and they do fab stir frys plus so much more than you would expect frfom a butchers. There is also a really good fruit and veg section in there along with a local family run bakers whose bread is good.They also sell locally produced desserts and specialist food tha you wont find in supermarkets. If its something different for tea you are looking for then i strongly recommend you give this place a go.

A really lovely little deli. The best place I've found in town to get lots of little knick knacks…read moreto try out at home. They sell all sorts of exotic foods and jars of jams and chutneys and pates and lots of other delights. There is also a cafe on site where you can sample their home made sandwiches and cakes which are absolutely delicious. The service is great and the people really know their stuff. Its a little pricey but no more than you would pay elsewhere and definitely worth it for the occasional splurge.

They have the normal range which you'd expect of a deli, plus some especially good homemade cake,…read moretry their chocolate brownies. They also do an interesting range of salads which can be made up into a box to take away or plated up to eat in, and you choose what goes into it. At the back of there is a scrubbed wood table with benches where you can be served with that day's tasty soup at £2.95 or sandwiches, £3.25, the already mentioned cake, cappuccino £1.85, smoothies made from whichever fruit is in season at the local greengrocers at £2.20, or tea £1. sorry to keep on about prices, but I know it's important to lots of people when choosing where to go. The trouble with sitting at the back of the shop, I find, is it gives you time to look around you at all the goodies which pack the shelves. Worth mentioning are the various jams and pickles made by local companies, such as Damels Pickles and the Hawkeshead Relish Company.

Tommy Towers has been selling his excellent range of cheese, pies and meats for decades and the…read morequality of his wares is only outdone by his friendly cheerful service. Very highly recommended.

This shop specialises in all kinds of cheese, hence its name. They also offer a range of pies and…read morebuns, great if you want something to eat or are looking for something a little special.