Our local guide

There is excellent dining in the many pubs, hotels, cafes and restaurants around the district, ideal to complement home cooking and the advantage of the flexibility of self catering.

Closest to Manesty  The Mary Mount (1.4 miles on foot; 2.2 by road) and The Borrowdale Hotel (1.3 miles on foot; 1.5 by road) for excellent bar meals in their well appointed conservatories and gardens from the Lounge Bar Menu, also The Borrowdale for satisfying 3 to 5 course evening meals in the dining room;  The Borrowdale Gates (0.5 miles) and The Leathes Head (1 mile) for that special dinner occasion. All have public bars and non residents are very welcome.

Pubs and Inns  The Swinside Inn (2.5 miles, a stop off on some of our ‘Walks from the Door’), The Farmers (3.5 miles) and The Scafell Riverside Bar (2.7 miles) for traditional pub meals and atmosphere.

Cafes & Tea Rooms  Grange itself (0.75 miles) boasts a cafe specialising in home baking, Grange Cafe; High Lodore Farm, locally known as the Shepherd’s Caff, serves generous teas; and do not forget Prince Charles’ choice, The Flock In, at Yew Tree Farm in Rosthwaite.

Further Afield  Keswick is full of a variety of places to eat, and many of the other valleys have their own hidden gems. Some of our favourites are the Kirkstile Inn at Loweswater, the Treeby & Bolton Cafe in Keswick, Littletown Farm‘s summer cafe in Newlands and Siskins in Whinlatter Forest.

Look out for Borrowdale trout, Herdwick lamb, locally cured ham, local pheasant and venison and Cumberland sausages along with traditional Cumbrian recipes such as Borrowdale tea bread, Grasmere gingerbread, rum butter, Kendal mint cake, and Cumberland rum nicky.

In Keswick you will find the specialist foodstore Booths, a local North West chain specialising in local produce. There is also Brysons, our well established local bakery; a Thursday farmer’s market; Saturday’s award winning market; and Thomasson’s (on Station Street), specialising in local fresh produce and meats. In Rosthwaite, Jonny and Joanne Bland’s local Borrowdale herdwick lamb can be purchased from the Flock In tea room.

We have pick your own blackcurrants in season, fresh herbs growing in the cottage gardens, local milk from Penrith delivered by Christine from Derwent Farm (ask us if you would like to arrange delivery), and our own water supply, free of chemicals, filtered and ultra violet light treated. In fact, leave your bottled water at home and as you leave Manesty, take a bottle or two with you.

Online groceries  Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda deliver to our area. Use our personal address for deliveries: c/o Leyland, Youdale Knot, Manesty, Keswick  CA12 5UG. Please book your delivery slot for after your anticipated arrival time and let us know so that we can direct it to your cottage.

Preprepared meals  Booths in Keswick stocks the well known preprepared meals by COOK. COOK online orders can also be delivered to Manesty. J & J Graham of Penrith will deliver hampers of locally sourced sausage, ham, cheeses and chutneys. They also provide hampers ‘especially to suit your taste’, which can be ordered by making a phone call to 01768 862281. As with other deliveries use our name and address and let us know.

Cooking  Specialist cooking equipment (blender, mixer, bread maker etc) is available on request.