Lakeland Windermere, Alexandra Buildings, LA23 1BQ

I am a recovering Lakeland mail order addict. When things weren’t going well I would flick through the catalogue, then order online and be happy. The big cardboard box would arrive with all my treats and usually the free gift for spending over a certain amount. In my mail order catalogues there would normally be something at the back about their flagship store in Windermere that stocked everything and had a cafe. When we were in Windermere and I realised how near the fabled flagship store was I got very excited.

I had to stop the mail order habit as it was costing too much and the stuff I bought was taking up too much room. I moved house and never told them where I moved to so the catalogues wouldn’t follow me. I severed my ties with Lakeland. We went to the Lakeland store and it was big and shiny and marvellous. Fountains outside, free internet inside, TVs advertising Lakeland and the Lake District not only in the toilets but also in the toilet cubicles, I was impressed. I decided that the only way to avoid spending all my money was to not look round the shop at all. I walked through it all and up the stairs to the First Floor Cafe. I held firm. I was strong.

The cafe was waitress service which is a nice unusual touch in a store cafe and had a full menu. I had tea and a scone and R had tea and soup. It was a nice setting and the food and tea was okay. If you’ve never been to a Lakeland shop then go here and experience it at it’s best, with the added bonus of tea.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No, but jug of hot water came without asking.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £9.25 for scone, tea for two and soup. Bog standard tea was £1.45 and special (Earl Grey) was £1.55.
Cake? Yes, some. My scone came with tiddly pot of jam.
Go again? No, it was too hard to walk through the shop and not look.