We had a room service breakfast before lazing around in bed before heading out to Cartmel as recommended by our hotel host. Cartmel is 10 mins drive away from Grange-over-Sands.
Full English Breakfast.
I am really struggling to stay on my Keto diet but I tried to omit the bread this morning. I totally went off track but oh well, I AM on a holiday. And I will be good while enjoying myself as much as I can.
So, Cartmel.. According to Wikipedia, Cartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north-west of Grange-over-Sands and close to the River Eea. The village was once known as Kirkby in Cartmel, as it was the location of the church for the large parish of Cartmel. It is the location of the 12th-century Cartmel Priory. Historically in Lancashire, boundary changes brought it into the newly-created county of Cumbria in 1974.
So there you go. Bam! History!
But these days, they are known for their very famous and delicious Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding. And dieting or not, I had to try it.
I like how most places are very dog friendly here. And Dug was welcomed at this famous cafe.
You won't miss it. It is right next to the village public car park.
We ordered the Sticky Toffee with clotted cream and Chocolate with ice-cream to share and swap.
It was super good to tuck into the warm gooey pudding in this weather.
It wasn't particularly cold but the wind really made it felt worse than it really is. It was like 9°c today and quite sunny at some point.
He liked his so much that he was shielding it from me. Lol
Unhappy dog. Look at his bratty face. He had a snack just before entering the cafe as well.
We bought 3 of these sticky toffee puddings to bring home with us.
Please note that when you enter, it is a village shop with local produce and the door to the stairs to go to the cafe is next to the fridge area. You will be waited on but you pay downstairs on the way out.
More info: Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding Upstairs Cafe
After pudding, we went for a walk around the village. It is very pretty but you can explore the whole place within 2 hours (or less..). So go there specifically for your meals and time it well so you are not just walking round and round like we did.
The reason why I said that is because we booked a table for an early dinner at The Cavendish Arms. Our host highly recommended it. We had slight difficulty looking for things to do to kill time but we just about managed. We could bring forward our dinner but we weren't hungry enough for it.
So we went to the Unsworth Courtyard where you can try locally made beer and cheese. We did a tasting but we didn't buy any cheese or beer because we didn't want to ruin our appetite for our early dinner. On hindsight, if we arrived earlier perhaps we could but I don't regret it as we get to relax and not rush this morning.
Crazy selection. Love it!
More cheese 🧀🧀🧀
Locally brewed beer. Not a beer fan so we didn't get anything.
Loads of selections though..
The sun decided to show itself. This place is really quaint and I liked the view here. But will I move here? No, is the answer.
We went for a walk and Dug really wants to dive into the river. We were trying to stop him all day.
Look at these brattiness.
There were some vintage and gift shops with interesting stuff too.
Fat Dug.
Anyway, there are loads of good restaurant in this tiny village. They have 2 Michelin restaurants here by Simon Rogan but we can't dine there because they don't allow dogs. So we will have to come back in the future without Dug if we want to try it.
It's then finally time for Cavendish Arms. I was still very full from pudding but when it's time, it's time!
Always love a cheesy photo of my boys!
I liked the ambience here and the service was very good too. After the sticky pudding, I caved for a G&T. They serve The Botanist and I've always wanted to try it before I buy the whole bottle. J had a whiskey.
I didn't go for a starter as I am not that hungry but J did. He ordered calamaris.
It was pretty good. I tried 1.
The waiting staff kindly offered to take a photo for us and included Dug hehe
And me!
I ordered the Hake and it was very fresh and seasoned beautifully. Really liked it. It was light and flavourful.
J ordered Lamb rumps. I had a tiny bite as I am not a big fan of lamb. It was very tender and J said it was delicious. Tad bit too lamb-y for me but I can see why he would enjoy it.
I think that the food here was good but the prices are slightly beyond even London prices if I have to compare, for what it was. It wasn't special or different from other similar places that serves good pub food. My only justification is that this is a tourist spot. Will we come back again? Yes, if we have no other choices I wouldn't oppose it as it was still a decent meal after all. So, I will recommend it if you brought your pet to Cartmel with you as it is probably the best restaurant who allow pets. Otherwise, probably better off trying Michelin star Rogan & Co for £20 per person for 2 courses. Almost the same price (if not more value for money) but probably better.
After the meal, we decided to call it a day. The 3 of us were knackered and just want to go back to the hotel to laze around.
Thanks for everything Cartmel!
