Classic Lakeland Food to Try in Your Holiday Cottage

One of the great reasons to rent a holiday cottage for your trip to the Lake District is the flexibility to cook and sample some traditional foods from Cumbria! While it’s famed for the stunning countryside and amazing activities, the Lake District is also home to some traditional culinary fayre that you should want to try at least once.

The Coppermines Lake District Cottages are well equipped including great kitchens so making great family meals is easy, and if you prefer to let someone else do the cooking then many of are cottages are just a stone’s throw from a Lakeland Pub or restaurant.

Classic Lakeland Food Options

Here are just some of our favourites that you can enjoy in the comfort of your holiday cottage.

Herdwick Lamb

Sheep farming has been a staple of the Lake Districts since as far back as the 12th century. One of the traditional meats that come from the area is Herdwick lamb which is as sweet and juicy as you might expect. Sheep are reared in a classic tradition here – they are brought up on the upper fells and tend to mature more slowly than other breeds because of the slightly harsher conditions.

One of the dishes that you might like to try in your Lakeland holiday cottage is the Herdwick cobbler which combines streaky bacon and chunks of lamb fillets with delicious red wine and stock gravy under a herby topping. Many pubs serve Lakeland lamb as part of their Sunday Roast offerings, and it is delicious!

Cumberland Sausage

While it’s available in supermarkets all over the UK, you may want to try some locally produced Cumberland sausage to get your culinary juices flowing. Also known as the Cumberland whirl, this is a slightly spicy sausage that is rumoured to have been introduced to the region during Elizabethan times by German miners.

You can find locally produced Cumberland sausage for sale at most butchers in the region as well as supermarkets and it’s ideal with onions, mashed potatoes and gravy, the perfect dinner for a cold winter night in the Lake District, or in a bun as a great breakfast before heading off on the fells!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Most people don’t realise that sticky toffee pudding was invented in the Lake District. It originates from the village of Cartmel and first adorned plates in the early 1970s. Since then, it has gone on to become a staple for many restaurants and is easily available in supermarkets. Many of the local pubs and restaurants have Sticky Toffee Pudding on the menu and you can buy it locally made too!

Grasmere Gingerbread

This is another tradition in the Lake District and if you love gingerbread, you’ll need to find this to keep you nourished while binging on the latest Netflix series in your holiday cottage. You’ll find it on sale at the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop and the spicy recipe dates right back to the mid-1850s.

Kendall Mintcake

No trip to the Lake District is complete without trying some Kendall Mintcake. The origin of this tasty treat sends us back to the 1860s when a confectioner made a mistake while making sweets in his factory. The ingredients became cloudy but once he poured the mix into a tray, it hardened into a unique white cake which became famous all around the world.