to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
Written by: Janie
With new innovations, venues and businesses popping up all the time, there’s always more food and drink experiences to discover across Carlisle, the Western Lake District and Coast. Meet passionate local people, enjoy plenty of fresh local produce and immerse yourself in a rich foodie heritage. Here are our top picks for what’s new in 2025…
Jump to:
- Torpenhow Farmhouse Dairy
- Bassenthwaite Lake Station
- Beach Cafés
- The Muddy Duck
- Jennings Brewery
- New ways to buy direct
Torpenhow Farmhouse Dairy
Have you tried their award-winning cheeses? They are all made by hand on a family farm using fresh organic milk from single herd, pasture fed cows.
Now Torpenhow Farmhouse Dairy will soon be opening its doors to visitors on a new range of farm tours and visits, giving all a fantastic insight into regenerative farming methods and what goes on behind the scenes on their site at Park Farm near Wigton.
Look out for further news with these exclusive bookable experiences expected to launch in summer. Get ready to find out how these unique and delicious cheeses are made, with of course, a chance to taste them for yourself!
Bassenthwaite Lake Station
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Situated on what was once the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith railway line, Bassenthwaite Lake Station offers a unique place to enjoy delicious food aboard a replica Orient Express train.
With a great reputation for accessibility and sustainability, the owners are always innovating and coming up with new ideas to delight and connect with their customers.
They will soon be opening a new baking kitchen with the goal of supporting their expanding breakfast and afternoon tea options. All in all, expect even more tasty treats coming soon in their restaurant and shop!
Beach Cafés
Look out for plenty of new beach cafés opening along the beautiful west coast of Cumbria.
The new promenade café in Maryport is due to open in spring, adding further to the recent developments in town like the new Shiver Me Timbers play area and the transformation of Maryport Activity Centre.
Bakes By Gina are set to take over the beach café in St Bees, reopening as The Beach Road Bakehouse also in spring.
The owners of Ravenglass Handmade Ice Cream have also been running the recently opened Silecroft beach café, offering a delicious menu full of fresh local produce and a lovely setting to relax by the sea.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SILECROFT BEACH CAFÉ
The Muddy Duck
They have operated out of a kiosk beside the Old Smithy in the village of Caldbeck for almost four years as the owners Sara and Charles undertook extensive work to turn the site into the café of their dreams.
After years of work, they finally opened the doors to the new Muddy Duck café on January 29th, 2025.
Regular visitors to the kiosk have already reported that the new space is beautiful along with the great food that they have always come to expect from The Muddy Duck. This new café offers everything from breakfasts and brunches to toasted teacakes, waffles and ice creams. The building also has level access with plenty of room for wheelchairs and mobility scooters to manoeuvre.
The Jennings Brewery
This famous Cockermouth based brewery operated for nearly 200 years before its closure in 2022. Now the site has been bought by a local couple who plan to reignite this incredible brewing heritage.
The new owners are taking on all the critical repairs needed to the building and also have the ambition to enhance the existing space even further while respecting its listed status.
Many see the Jennings brand as part of the local community, and its return will only further the region’s strong tradition and reputation for brewing excellence.
If all goes well, beer production is expected to resume at the site in the summer.
New ways to buy direct
Visit Newtown Farm just outside Carlisle to try their new vending machine full of fresh milkshakes. Choose from flavours such as chocolate, white chocolate, Irish cream, salted caramel, banana and strawberry. All milk used is pasteurised direct from their own cows on the farm. They also sell meat boxes, jams, cakes and eggs.
At Low Netherscales Farm near Embleton, a new business – Cumbria Farmers – is selling local produce like Belted Galloway Beef, Herdwick Lamb, vegetables and cut flowers, direct to customers. Visit Saturdays 10am to 1pm. They also want to offer this space to other local farmers that have the same ethos as them, ensuring more local producers have a direct route to market.
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The Cumberland Food & Drink Programme is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is supported by Cumberland Council and Sellafield.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus
You may leave the Lake District, but once you’ve been, it’ll never leave you.
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