Eating out in Buttermere

Culinary Cumbria – The Food and Drink Putting Cumbria on the Map

There was great news for Cumbria recently following last week’s Michelin Star awards. The County now boasts an impressive 11 restaurants with Michelin Stars, meaning it has the most Michelin Star restaurants per County outside of London! A fantastic achievement and worthy recognition of the amazing food and drink scene in the area. You can see all 11 Cumbrian restaurants with Michelin Stars here http://bit.ly/3KjcPTl

Of course we’ve always known that Cumbria has a lot to offer when it comes to food and drink. Here at The Bridge we try to champion local produce as much as possible. We’ve picked out some of our favourites from our recently launched new Bar Menu.

Herdwick Lamb 🐑

Any visitors to the Lake District will have spotted the distinctive Herdwick sheep that have made Cumbria their home for Centuries. It is thought they were first brought here by the Vikings in the 9th Century. Herdwicks are a particularly hardy breed of sheep and spend all year out in the fields and on the fells. As a result their meat is lean, tender and slightly gamey in flavour. Our Herdwick Lamb comes from Yew Tree Farm in Coniston and supplied by Udale Speciality Foods.

Our recently launched new Bar Menu features three delicious Herdwick Lamb options for you to try. Herdwick Lamb Hotpot served with pickled beetroot, Herdwick Lamb Tagine with herb cous cous and Herdwick Lamb Burger served with homemade chips or French fries.
Our Sunday Roasts are very popular and always get rave reviews. We offer a selection of meats each week and when in season this includes local Herdwick lamb. Something to try next time you visit!

Locally Reared Beef 🐄

Probably the most popular item on our Bar Menu is our Steak and Ale pie. Made using deliciously tender cuts of local prime beef. Depending on how hungry you’re feeling choose from our smaller Peckish portion, or if you’ve just come down off the fells you’ll probably want to go for the Hungry portion. Both are served with homemade chips, French fries, or creamy mash as well as seasonal vegetables and gravy. Just remember to leave room for dessert! We also have delicious burgers 🍔 and steaks 🥩 on the new menu. We often have Chef Specials which include beef from Highland and Galloway cows locally reared in Buttermere.

Cumberland Sausage

Perhaps the most famous of all British sausages! This seriously tasty sausage is made from coarsely chopped pork and a blend of spices that give it its unique, peppery taste. Unlike the usual linked sausages it’s often served rolled in a flat, circular coil. Our B&B guests can enjoy our delicious Cumberland sausage as part of their cooked breakfast. It also features on our new Bar Menu where you can enjoy it with homemade chips or fries, grilled tomato, garden peas, mushrooms, onion rings and choice of sauce. Or enjoy it as part of our delicious Mixed Grill, along with Rump Steak, Gammon, Marinated Chicken Breast and Fried Egg.

Not Your Average Hotdog 🌭

There’s nothing average about this hot dog! The star of the show is the Smoky Bratwurst Sausage from Taste of the Lakes based in Maryport. Served with homemade chill, cheese, crispy onions and fries. A regular hot dog will never taste the same again!

Local Salad and Veg

Varneycrooks Farm supplies our salad leaves and vegetables and we use seasonal produce wherever possible.
Buttermere Ayrshire Ice Cream 🍦
Made daily right here in Buttermere by our good friend Les at the neighbouring Sykes Farm, you won’t taste any better ice cream! Creamy, delicious, and full of flavour, we serve it as an accompaniment to lots of our desserts or you can have it on its own. Choose from a single, double or triple scoop in Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry or a combination of all three! Here’s the vanilla ice cream served with our delicious Wicked Waffles! 😋

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Every good pub menu in Cumbria will have its own version of Sticky Toffee Pudding. The popular dessert is thought to have been created at the Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel on the shores of Ullswater in the 1960s and is a firm favourite in the County to this day. The delicious dish gets its sweet taste from the combination of dates in the pudding and the seriously sticky toffee sauce that accompanies it. We serve ours with local Buttermere Ayrshire Vanilla Ice Cream, made right here in the village.😋

Cumberland Cheese Plate 🧀

We’re so lucky to have some amazing local Cheesemakers in Cumbria. Our Cumberland Cheese plate features a selection of Lakeland Cheeses from the Eden Valley accompanied by seasonal fruits and vegetables, relish and crackers. The perfect end to your meal.

Buttermere Biscuits

Our own Buttermere Biscuit recipe has been handed down through the generations from the infamous Reverend Walker who founded The Bridge Inn in 1734, and who our ‘Walkers Bar’ is named after. These deliciously light shortcake biscuits are flavoured with cinnamon and laced with currants. We serve them on their own with tea or coffee or for a really indulgent treat, why not try our Buttermere Biscuit Open Ice Cream Sandwich? Our delicious Buttermere Biscuits, topped with nuts and Buttermere Ayrshire Ice Cream. A real taste of Buttermere!

Cumbrian Spirits

Our bar is stocked with some amazing local spirits. Gin lovers are spoiled for choice with the award winning range of gins from Bedrock Gin and The Lakes Distillery, both based just a short distance from Buttermere. We also serve The Lakes Distillery ‘The One’ Whiskey. Perfect for a post dinner treat or to warm you up after a day out exploring in the fresh Lakes air!

Cumbrian Ales

Our dog-friendly Walker’s Bar bar serves a varied selection of local ales and lagers including our very own Bridge Inn Blonde, produced by the friendly team at Tractor Shed Brewery based in nearby Workington. Our cosy lounge is the perfect spot to relax by the fire with a well earned pint after a day on the fells. Or in the warmer months our outdoor patio is the ideal place to catch some rays and soak up the views with a cool, refreshing drink.

Our new Bar Menu offers something for everyone. Don’t worry though, lots of your favourites are still on there. Children are well catered for with our Junior Walkers meals. They have a choice of Fish and Chips, Sausage and Mash, Chicken Nuggets and Tomato Pasta. Vegan diners will be pleased to see plenty of Vegan options too, including Vegan Wild Mushroom Stroganoff, Vegan Katsu Curry, Vegan Salad of Spring Vegetables, Vegan Quorn Burger and Vegan Five Bean Chilli. We even have a pawsome menu for our canine customers! Our doggy visitors will love tucking into sausage with broccoli followed by a delicious fruit salad.

We hope you can come and try our new menu for yourself soon. And remember, you don’t need to make a reservation to eat in the bar, just turn up and we’ll get you seated as quickly as possible.