Name: Little Chamonix Cafe
Where: 7 Lake Road, Keswick
Website Facebook.com/littlechamonixcafe
Opening hours: 10am-4:30pm seven days a week
Owner: Ellen Irlam
History: Ellen set up Little Chamonix Cafe in 2014 with her husband Tim. Ellen honed her cooking skills during ski seasons where she worked as a chalet host; baking fresh cakes for weary skiers was a highlight. Encouragement from her and Tim’s family allowed their dream to become reality.
Style of food: Our focus is to turn high quality, locally produced ingredients into hearty and nutritious dishes. Lunches are served with colourful side salads or flavoursome homemade soup. Breakfasts (served 10-12pm) range from toasted banana bread with maple syrup to a full cooked breakfast, featuring Cranston’s Cumberland Sausage, Cumbrian bacon, local free range eggs and Cockermouth’s Coffee Kitchen bread.
The lunch menu (12-3pm) features soup, sandwiches, quiches and cheese on toast. What we are famous for is our huge slices of homemade cake; including vegan and gluten free options.
Style of food: Alpine-inspired dishes and stylish cakes.
Menu sample: Breakfast includes toasted banana bread with butter and maple syrup (£3.50); Cumbrian bacon, sausage and egg bap (£5.50); hunter or gatherer cooked breakfast with toast and hot drink (£10).
Lunch could be a doorstep of cheese and garlicky mushrooms on toast with soup (£5); Croque Monsieur served with a side salad and crisps (£8); soup and toasted cheddar and poppyseed scone (£7) Tartiflette quiche – traditional Reblochon cheese, smoked bacon and onion quiche and Salad (£8).
Cakes feature Herdy Shortbread sheep (£2); chocolate brownies, sometimes with sour cherry and nuts (£3); chocolate orange cake (£3.50); vegan Biscoff drip cake (£3.50); lemon and elderflower sponge cake (£3.50); rhubarb and ginger frangipani tart (£4); huge fruit scone, warm from the oven with jam and clotted cream (£3.50).
In their own words: This cosy chalet-style cafe is the perfect pit-stop for hungry climbers, walkers and anyone who appreciates home baking and big mugs of tea. Cheery staff, simply delicious food and vases of garden flowers all add to the charm. Well behaved dogs are also warmly welcomed.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here