A first visit to the Lake District for a while and in amongst returning to some old favourite pubs and re-visiting a couple of places I'd not been in for years, I managed to check out a couple of Good Beer Guide-listed entries that were new to me. Here's my thoughts on those....
I try to visit the Lakes every year as it is a place that is close to my heart, having had many happy times there over the years walking on the fells with friends and, particularly more recently, on numerous less active visits. But when I checked back to see when I had last been there it was over two years ago, so I was well overdue a visit, particularly as on that trip in September 2023 it had rained more or less non-stop.
I drove up on a showery Saturday morning (which I thought after last time didn't bode well!) having decided to call at the two new places on the way to Coniston, where I normally stay, and get them out of the way. I'd left mid-morning and made good progress as I headed up through the Dales along a reasonably trouble-free A65, save for temporary lights just before the village of Coniston Cold and a work-in-progress road surface at Long Preston with ramps and exposed manhole covers. Eventually I crossed over the M6, followed the dual carriageway, and picked up the A590 towards Barrow and Ulverston.
The first pub was a short distance from the A590, where I turned off a newer stretch of the road which was opened in 2008 to bypass the villages of Ayside, Low Newton, and High Newton. And whilst the locals were probably thinking back then that the days of busy roads were over and the area would become a quiet backwater, recent events have seen the volume of traffic increase again. It is in High Newton where the pub formerly known as the Crown is situated although these days it is known as heft. I drove in to a rather unassuming village but couldn't see my destination at first, and so I drove on until I could turn round. On the way back I spotted it down a short lane off to the left where it presented as a striking white-walled traditional building as you would expect from the archetypal Lakeland pub, situated in a prominent position on a corner.
What makes Heft (I'll leave the branding out now!) different is that housed within its walls is a Michelin-starred restaurant, one of a total of 13 in Cumbria. It is run by chef Kevin Tickle and his wife, Nicola, who are both proud Cumbrians who wanted to create a place where they could offer top-class food using the best locally-sourced ingredients, carefully-selected wines, and the best local beers. It is this local background that informs Heft; Kevin was taught to forage and fish by his father before becoming a chef at several restaurants in the county whilst Nicola's family have been farming here since the 16th century. In this context the unusual name means to belong or be rooted in, in this case Cumbria.
Whilst booking for the separate restaurant is essential, you can still go into the bar at the front and have a drink without having to eat. And whilst it has been decorated with the same white look as outside, and the bar is sleek and modern, there are still old beams above your head, a flagged stone floor, and old pictures and the like on the walls, with old wooden tables and chairs with woven seats. You could say the look is modern rustic. My eye was drawn to the bar where there were four hand pumps, offering beers from Fell, Farm Yard, Lakes, and a Wychwood Hobgoblin. I went for a Lakes Pale, which despite its low ABV of 3.4% had a lot of flavour and character and made for an excellent start to the day (NBSS 3.5).
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| Modern rustic look at Heft |
It was quiet as I went to sit down. There was an A4 sheet on the table listing a number of bar snacks and as I was a little hungry, after a little deliberation I decided to try the pie of the day, which was corned beef and black pudding hotpot, with pickled red cabbage and a jug of 'proper Northern gravy', which I have to say was a class or two above what you get normally! If this was a food blog you'd have got a picture, but it's not so you'll have to find out for yourself! Not cheap, mind, for what they call a bar snack, although to be fair it was quite substantial, and at least I can say I've eaten in a place with one Michelin star! More people started to come in, some with dogs, some just for a drink, and I have to say there was a pretty relaxed vibe to the place and the staff were polite and friendly. And with some excellent beer available it is well worth seeking out.
From there it was on through prime farming territory along narrow country lanes to the nearby village of Cartmel which is itself something of a food destination with two Michelin-starred restaurants, L'Enclume, which has three, and Rogan & Co, which has one, both of them run by chef Simon Rogan. But neither of them is a pub, so they weren't in my plans to visit (not that I could have walked in without a booking!). I have been to Cartmel on many occasions over the years. It is a pretty village with many attractive buildings, a charming square (opening image), National Hunt racecourse, and 12th century priory, and maintaining the food theme, it is home to the famous Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding. The village consequently attracts a lot of visitors and whilst judging by a healthy number of Mercs, the odd Porsche, an outrageously large Discovery, and a few other expensive vehicles when I pulled into the car park by the racecourse, plenty of them are well-heeled. But not all of them are by any stretch, there were young families and others who had come here just because they had heard of it or came in search of the Pudding.
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| Cartmel Racecourse |
Last time here I'd visited Unsworth Yard Brewery which is one of two current Good Beer Guide entries in the village. The brewery has been open since 2011 when brothers Peter and David Unsworth transformed the yard that had been home to the family haulage and garage business since 1922 into a pleasant courtyard which as well as housing the brewery also has a tea room, a cheese shop, and a wine shop. When I called back then Peter was running the brewery along with another family member. Many of the names of the beers reflect the local area like Cartmel Thoroughbred, Flookburgh Cockler, and Eel River, based on the river that runs through the village on its way to Morecambe Bay, whose name 'Eea' is believed to be a Viking name for eel, whose slippery form can be seen in the river at certain times of the year. I'd asked Peter about how far they delivered their beers and he'd said it was only within around 5 miles or so from the brewery, so your best bet is to visit the brewery to try the beers.
I had no plans to call into Unsworth's Yard this time, as I was going to the other place in the Good Beer Guide which would be the first time I'd had a drink there. Last time I was here, and seeing an open door, I had actually walked in, but had been told by a lad who was cleaning that they weren't actually open until later. However, this time there was no such problem as the Royal Oak, which sits within the village square, was clearly open for business.
The Royal Oak is a traditional Lakeland pub which was taken over a few years ago by the Fell brewery who are based in the nearby village of Flookburgh. With no taproom at the brewery this is in effect the tap for the brewery, which was established in 2013. I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Fell as when I joined twitter as it was back then they were one of my first followers, and so when they took over here a year or two ago I was keen to visit, particularly as their other places that I have visited in Kendal, Chorlton, and Manchester's Northern Quarter are all modern bars. So how would they approach a traditional Lakes village pub with food and rooms?
Well, judging by the number of people in the place, pretty well. There were family groups, couples, groups of lads, and the odd solo drinker like me, a busy pub with people enjoying themselves, some eating, some just here for a drink. As I waited at the bar a lady with a strong Lancashire accent ordering chips asked her daughter to go back and get the table number. There were 6 hand pumps which were offering a range of Fell beers plus the odd guest as well as several on keg. I paid £4.80 for a pint of Ghyll here which I thought represented pretty good value for money by Lake District standards, and it was the actually the second cheapest pint of the trip.
I found a small table by the window next to a family group which included an older guy who I'd got talking to earlier by the payment machine in the car park. With the myriad of variations on say whether you have to put in your reg or not, and other individual quirks that can stress you out, they certainly lead to plenty of conversations with those waiting anxiously in the queue behind. We briefly nodded, before he resumed life with the family and I went back to my phone.
Back to the beer, the Ghyll was on particularly fine form. Like the Lakes Pale I'd had at Heft it is a low ABV Session Pale clocking in at 3.4%, but what it lacks in strength it more than makes up for in flavour and here it was in great form. Another 3.5 on the National Beer Scoring System scale, making for a good start to the weekend. And overall I have to say I enjoyed my brief visit to the Royal Oak and will definitely call in next time I visit this lovely village.
I walked back to the car park by the racecourse and set off towards Coniston. The satnav sent me through the village of Cark-in-Cartmel where a year or two back I'd called in for a pint at the then Good Beer Guide-listed Engine Inn. I didn't stop there this time and a few minutes later after passing the entrance to Holker Hall, Roudsea Wood & Nature Reserve, and the village of Haverthwaite, I was back on the A590 heading for Greenodd where I would be turning off to continue my journey on to Coniston. Which I will tell you about next time....
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