Food of Cumbria

image credit Rubber Slippers in Italy


Here's the recipe for an alternative to Cottage and Shepherds Pie Cook It Simply the Cumberland pie has an additional top layer that may consist of breadcrumbs, cheese and butter.

image credit Traditional Cumberland Sausage.com


A unique and tasty sausage, the Cumberland Sausage is absolutely delicious. Here's a terrific recipe from Rick Stein...Cumberland sausage with red wine, rosemary and lentils or perhaps this form Gordon Ramsay takes your fancy Cumberland sausage boulangere

image credit Kendrick Street deli


A unique sauce Cumberland Sauce named after the Duke of Cumberland. Here's a recipe

image credit Grasmere Gingerbread Shop


Delia Smith gives this great recipe Rum Butter
Cumberland Rum Butter

image credit Look What We Found


Absolutely scrumptious and not to be confused with other hot pots. Here's a recipe
Tatie Pot

A traditional Cumberland pudding that features the Damsons and Apples of the lake district. Damson and Apple Tansy recipe can be found here. Damsons are a speciality crop of Cumberland.

No walk should ever be without Kendal Mint Cake

image credit and recipe Pepper Cake


Additional recipes can be found here...Pepper cake and here...
Great British Cooking

image credit Char and Char Pots - The Lakes


Potted Char Cook It Simply Potted Char Recipe

This speciality can be obtained from Bennets of Silloth

Silloth is a loveley seaside town. As a kid I used to go on holiday here.

image creditEden I Cumbria


As kid I remember being told the story of my uncle being pulled into the river Eden by a salmon. Another great salmon river is The River Lune

Fishing for salmon is a popular pastime on and the fish makes for good eating

Here are two recipes you might try:

Grilled Salmon with fruity Salsa
Wild River Lune salmon

Cumberland Ham is a speciality of award winning Cumbrian butcher Richard Woodall. The traditional method of preparing this ham is to dry cure it with salt and then rub in brown sugar. The Ham is then hung for up to 2 months to mature. Whilst the ham is preserved by this method it does need to be cooked before eating.

A huge range of delicious and lesser known varieties of apples are grown in Cumberland. The website of the South Lakeland Orchard Group is a great way to find out more.

The names of the varieties are fascinating, and include, Carlisle Codlin, Forty Shilling, Longstart, Bradley's Beauty and Greeups Pippin. Certainly none of your supermarket standards there! Many of the varieties go back hundreds of years to Tudor times and before and many have been specially cultivated for the Cumbrian micro climate which can be damp and cold.

Cumbria even boasts its very own Apple Day which is held annually on or around the 21st of October.

Here are some more links:
Apples and Orchards of Cumbria
Cumbria Apple Project

Looking for Apple Recipes?
Cumberland Apple Pudding
The Apple Orchard Juice Company

Hugh goes to Lake Coniston during a trip of North England and Scotland and cooks local food, including recipes for Char and Damsons.

Buy the DVD from River Cottage


US readers might only be able to buy it via UK Amazon as an alternative.

Jennings Brewery

Richard Woodall Traditional Cumbrian Food. Highly recommended.