Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Bakewell

  • Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Original Bakewell Pudding Shop)

    Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Original Bakewell Pudding Shop)

    There seemed little point visiting Bakewell and not partaking in a Bakewell pudding, which is seen as rather more authentic than a Bakewell tart. One of the traditional places to buy them is the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop and there was a relatively long queue on arrival, which was solely for takeaway as the restaurant area was just closing.

    The queueing situation was all well managed by the staff, who were remaining friendly even though they were near to the end of their working day. It must be hard to maintain customer service in what is a bit of a production line selling primarily just one or two different products, but everything seemed well managed.

    The quaint exterior of the shop, which was quite hard to photograph without people getting in the way.

    The other side, which is where the takeaway counter section is located. I managed to take a photo without people in the shot, although their shadows remain.

    Below is how the shop looked in the 1950s.


    The former baking area has been turned into a shop, although there’s still a bakery operation on site.

    The shop element, there’s a dining area behind it, one of three separate areas for those who want to eat-in.

    Some delicacies such as chocolate brownie slices, a Mars Bar slice, a chocolate Toblerone tiffin and white chocolate caramel slice amongst others. I’m more savoury than sweet, although I’m sure I can manage any of these.

    The cake selection on the lower shelf, with the Bakewell tarts and Bakewell puddings on the top shelf. The Bakewell tarts are iced with a cherry shoved on the top, but it was the pudding that we were here for. There are three sizes of the pudding, large (£6.60), medium (£5.95) and small (£3.15), with quite a hefty uplift for those wanting to eat-in. The tart is a more recent innovation, driven by companies such as Mr. Kipling, one of those fake branding exercises as there was no such person…. The pudding is more traditional and probably dates to around the beginning of the nineteenth century, but there are many stories and legends and no-one is sure which is right.

    And here it is, the result of thirty minutes of queueing, my first Bakewell pudding. I only went for the small one as I’m not made of money. The flaky pastry was slightly greasier than I had expected, which was evident from the state of the bag, but the sweet topping had a suitable jam and almond taste. Jonathan had acquired some cheap bread from the Co-op, but Richard and Steve I understand enjoyed their pudding moment…. All rather lovely.

  • Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Bakewell Bridge)

    Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Bakewell Bridge)

    Bakewell Bridge is one of the iconic structures of the town, Grade I listed and dating to the thirteenth century. It was widened by necessity in the nineteenth century, but it retains its medieval feel.

    The bridge has five arches, with a total span of 36 metres, and is made from Ashlar sandstone.

    The view from the bridge. The pier offers a handy place to wait for people to walk by coming the other way, making it a little easier to socially distance.

    All rather peaceful, and little has changed from the below photo taken in around 1955.


  • Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – The Manners Pub)

    Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – The Manners Pub)

    There are no Good Beer Guide pubs in Bakewell, but The Manners looked the most interesting of the options that were listed on CAMRA’s app.

    The current health situation means that there is no standing at the bar, so this was something of a fly-by photo opportunity. The pub is part of the Robinson’s Brewery estate and there were four different beer options from them available.

    The staff member recommended the Robinson’s mild as the best dark option and this was perfectly agreeable, I like seeing milds as an option. As an aside, I’m not sure that it’s the most useful word to describe a drink and a few breweries have renamed their beers to reflect better what it is, such as Brains Brewery renaming their mild as Brains Dark. It’s quite a change from fifty years ago when a mild was one of the most popular drinks served in pubs.

    Motivational quotes were dotted around the sizeable beer garden.

    The interior of the pub, with a couple of guest rooms upstairs and numerous smaller areas for drinkers and diners. The pub was serving food which looked of a decent quality, but Richard had suggested that we go for a Bakewell Pudding, so our culinary delights were on this occasion coming from a shop down the road. More on this in another post.

    The staff here were notably friendly and engaging, offering us the opportunity to pay separately and they were knowledgeable about the drinks options. For a pub in a touristy town, it didn’t feel overly commercialised and it’s one of the better-rated hospitality businesses in Bakewell judging by the reviews.

    On which point, looking at the reviews, there was an angry customer who wanted to know whether the salami they had been served was gluten-free. I didn’t quite get the customer’s argument, they said that the pub refused to provide the packaging and that the chef didn’t seem to know whether there was gluten in the product. That seems to be a moderately unfortunate situation for the kitchen, but I’m puzzled why then the customer ate the salami anyway and then complained they got ill. The pub noted in their response:

    “You were not refused the packaging, but it was not clear on the labelling, whether there was gluten in the product. The waitress advised you that the chef was calling the supplier for clarification and not to eat the salami. You then proceeded to eat a small amount of the salami, which you had raised concerns about. I do not understand why you would eat something that you were worried about. You then walked out, without giving us any further opportunity for discussion or apology.”

    Perhaps I’ve misunderstood the original complaint as well…

    Anyway, I digress. I liked the pub, a comfortable and relaxing environment.