The Lake District, is well known as a place of breath-taking fells, big skies and, of course, stunning lakes. A half term break saw me and my family making the most of the area in the North Lakes town of Keswick.

Keswick is on the lake of Derwentwater which is mostly owned by the National Trust, meaning you are able to walk around almost all of the lake on the lake shore. It also has a fantastic climbing centre which my kids love and lots of water sports and outdoor activity centres to keep you all busy.

Fortunately, after all the activity, Keswick is also home to some really big-hearted, properly tasty food served up by independent cafes and restaurants. In this blog, I share details of a few of these which made our stay just that bit more special.

The Square Orange

This is a wonderfully small and quirky cafe which sits just above the high street in Keswick. There are deliciously thin pizzas made in a wood fired oven and a mouth-watering selection of tapas options as well as cheese platters available.

We went for the baked camembert with garlic and oregano, artichokes wrapped in parma ham, meatballs in a spicy sauce, a Spanish tortilla and cured Italian meats. We also had a garlic pizza bread and pizza with hot salami and mushrooms. All of it was really fresh and fabulously tasty.

The Square Orange has a no bookings policy, so be prepared to wait in busy periods or go early or late if you can. They do have a couple of chairs outside and they do great drinks like the Dark and Stormy cocktail, pictured above, which will make your wait much more enjoyable. They also have a selection of local and bottled beers and a limited but thoughtful list of mostly European wines.

All of this mixed in with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere makes for a very pleasant evening well worth the wait for a table.

The Square Orange, 20 St John’s Street, Keswick. www.thesquareorange.co.uk

Fell Pack

This independently owned cafe/restaurant was set up by a group of friends who had a vision of business they wanted to create within an area they feel passionately about.

We visited for dinner on the last night of our stay and loved the food and warm and welcoming atmosphere. Most independent business are friendly but all the staff from beginning to end genuinely seemed really pleased to have us there!

The team make all of their food on site and change it regularly try to be as seasonal as possible. We had beef nachos and greens hummus to start and loved both. The beef nachos were very much the star of the show. They were made with a slow cooked beef brisket which was deep and smoky with a hint of warm cinnamon and served with soured cream and jalapenos.

Other stand out dishes were a chicken kiev made with wild garlic and served with roasted tomatoes and a frozen strawberry and ice cream roulade. Fell Pack also does a selection of local ales and we had an Argentinian Malbec which was went beautifully with our dishes.

You’ll need to book ahead if you want a table for dinner and I’d recommend emailing them. When we booked, their website showed them fully booked but when we mailed them, we were offered a slot. And when I say ‘a slot’ I mean one time on one day out of a whole week in which we were available. Definitely worth the forward planning though given what a great evening we had.

Fell Pack, 19 Lake Road, Keswick. www.fellpack.co.uk

Other Independent Cafes on Our ‘Go Again’ List

Laura in the Lakes

A big-hearted, family run business. Big portions, fresh food, homemade soups, sausage rolls and quiches, sandwiches, baked potatoes and huge, sweet vanilla infused scones. The sausage rolls get a special mention as they are enormous and much more sausage than roll – one of the best I’ve ever had.

All the wonderful food is added to by the friendly and efficient service. They were busy from opening until closing when we visited but they remembered us when we went back again which is pretty impressive.

Tables inside and out. Open from 8am for breakfast and lunch.

Laura in the Lakes, 43 Main Street, Keswick. www.laurainthelakes.co.uk

The Old Keswickian

This small family run restaurant above a fish and chip shop is not the most obvious foodie destination but it does really fresh fish and hot chips to perfection. They say their fish is sustainably caught and they are even picky about the variety of potatoes they use for the chips and it shows in the great quality of the food on the plate.

The prices are really reasonable and it is perfect for hungry kids and adults alike after a day of activities. This place is incredibly efficient and helpful even when full and it has a good selection of local bottled beers. Open from 11am until approximately 8pm depending on the season.

The Old Keswickian, Market Square, Keswick. www.oldkeswickian.co.uk

Little Chamonix

A warm and cosy family run cafe tucked away at the top of Keswick. It’s decked out in the style of a ski lodge due to the family’s love of skiing in Chamonix, France and the co-incidence of one of the local fells named Little Chamonix.

Serving up homemade soups with toasties or sandwiches, it has comforting and satisfying food which restored us all after a long day of walking. The croque monsieur toasty with wholegrain mustard (pictured right at the top) was absoultely scrumptious.

They bake all their own bread and it was amazing. Truly delicious, filling food guaranteed to warm you up on a rainy day.

Open from 10am for breakfast through lunch to around 5pm.

Little Chamonix, 7 Lake Road, Keswick. www.facebook.com/littlechamonixcafe/