Coffee blogger Brian Williams travelled the world to find the best brew and discovered the perfect cuppa in Cumbria.

His blog, Brian’s Coffee Spot, noses out the best places across the globe to find the top roasters, cafes and coffee houses be they in New York, Paris, London or Tokyo.

But it was in Cumbria that Brian found three of the 20 best coffee establishments for his sixth annual Coffee Spot Awards.

Carvetii, based at Threlkeld near Keswick, picked up the honour for Best Roaster/Retailer while The Moon & Sixpence in Cockermouth won the Best Neighbourhood Coffee Spot Award.

The Best Breakfast prize went to Homeground Coffee + Kitchen (corr) in Windermere.

Carvetii – which produces its own water for the perfect brew - is run by Gareth Kemble and Angharad MacDonald and supplies coffee to both The Moon & Sixpence and Homeground.

Their rapidly expanding business now has a training centre, the only place in the North West to deliver Speciality Coffee Association accredited diplomas.

Gareth said he and Angharad met Brian at coffee festivals and invited him to Cumbria before Christmas, so he could see what the county had to offer.

“We visited several places. He liked our style of approach to running a business.

"Apart from being passionate, we are forward-thinking in how we approach our business.

“We are one of the foremost authorities on the impact of water of coffee. We create our own water on site which makes sure the coffee tastes its best.

We do this by mineralising Cumbrian water with added magnesium which we then supply to coffee outlets to make sure customers get the best taste.

"We sent a batch of coffee to London but got complaints. We were tasting it fine with our water but with theirs it tasted completely different.”

Stephen Kidd, who used to work at Carvetii, opened The Moon & Sixpence on Cockermouth's Main Street in October 2016.

He said: "I was astounded to win the Best Neighbourhood prize as we were up against rivals from Tokyo, London and New York. Our whole focus is community-based and to be recognised at this level is just amazing."

Brian said: "Carvetii Coffee Roasters is firmly rooted in Cumbria and the Moon & Sixpence exudes a sense of community.

"The regulars there are more like friends of Stephen, than they are customers.

"Homeground Coffee + Kitchen was so good that went back the following day to have breakfast again."