After years of listening to the raves of an Australian client based in Cumbria, it’s no surprise that the Lake District had to be included in a recent driving tour of the UK.

She lived in the old market town of Cockermouth, taking the opportunity to roam the length, breadth – and heights – of this glorious area, but we opted for Keswick as our ‘HQ’ for an all-too brief three-day stay.

Our base was the Derwent Manor Apartments, a quirky but pleasant group of self-contained flats linked to the Derwentwater Hotel in Portinscale, an easy and enjoyable 20-minute stroll from Keswick, via the walkway between paddocks full of sheep.

Keswick is rich in cafes, but we soon found a favourite – The Wild Strawberry – right in Main Street, which is open from around 10am to 5pm for drinks, meals and snacks. (PS If you want to read while you sip and sup, there’s a great bookshop just down the road!)

It’s quaint without being twee, featuring often-unmatched strawberry-patterned bone china and floors and tabletops of the slate the area is so famous for. There’s even a special display cupboard for broken china, perhaps examples of the fact that china doesn’t bounce on slate floors!

During three days in the area, we visited five times (including one quick coffee on the way out!), because the food was THAT good.

One morning it was the full English breakfast, and we certainly were full at the end of it. He-who-thinks-he’s-the-boss managed it all but I struggled. And it was cooked to perfection, with note taken of my request for crispy bacon.

Another day we stopped in for lunch. There were some fantastic options on the menu but we decided to be boring (we were in a hurry) and just grabbed a sandwich each. Again, with super-fresh bread and lashings of filling, they really were more of a meal than a snack.

But it was the homemade scones with jam and clotted cream that won our hearts, along with truly excellent coffee. If something sweet is what you crave, this place will satisfy. There is an amazing range of homemade cakes, and big serves too, but having discovered the delights of clotted cream, we were not to be swayed.

The food and hot beverages were not the only attractions; the atmosphere was cosy, and the occasions when we scored a window seat allowed us the joy of people-watching, with the town packed during the British summer holidays.

The staff were terrific too: polite, efficient and welcoming, especially on our subsequent visits! And a real highlight was the state of the bathrooms: absolutely immaculate. All too often this is overlooked by the owners of eateries, to the point where I often wonder about their attention to the details of food handling protocols in the kitchen. No-one really likes to use a dirty bathroom, but no such worry here, and definitely a sign of an establishment that understands that food alone is not the only key to customer satisfaction.

We felt quite bereft driving away from Keswick on our way to Wales, quite honestly wishing we were staying long enough for the Wild Strawberry to become our ‘local’.

The Wild Strawberry, 54 Main St, Keswick CA12 5JT, UK; +44 17687 74399

++++

Photographs and words: ©Liz Swanton, 2017