Eating and shopping at Sizergh

Family enjoying tea and scones on the veranda outside the cafe at Sizergh Castle, Cumbria — A family stop for refreshments in the café | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

In the shadow of Sizergh's historic house, the café and shop are waiting to be discovered. Whether you’re planning to stop for lunch or browse our latest kitchenware collection, every penny you spend helps us to look after this special place.

The café at Sizergh

Brunch

Start your day with a breakfast bap or maybe an oven-fresh cinnamon bun, washed down with a morning coffee. Brunch is served from 10am until 11:30am.

Lunch

Tuck into the lunch menu from 11.45am until 2.30pm. The café offers a choice of warming soups, freshly prepared sandwiches and seasonal dishes, with ingredients coming straight from the Kitchen Garden where possible.

Cakes and bakes

Treat yourself to something sweet from the selection of cakes and bakes, freshly made in the kitchen here at Sizergh, and served all day along with drinks and ice cream. After all, a visit to a National Trust place wouldn't be complete without a scone.

Allergen information

Most of the food and drink served is prepared on site in our kitchen, using a wide range of ingredients. As a result, we can’t guarantee that any of our food and drink products are completely allergen free.

If you have an allergy or intolerance and would like ingredient information about the food and drink served, please ask the staff, who will be happy to help.

Always check when you visit

Visited before? We sometimes change our recipes to improve quality and flavour, including the ingredients. When you visit, please speak to one of our team to check the current allergen information for your favourite dish.

Thank you

Every cuppa or tasty treat you buy helps us to continue looking after places for everyone to enjoy.

A cushion with a floral decoration and colourful pastel throws — There's a large range of new season treats to choose from at Sizergh | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

The National Trust shop at Sizergh

Sizergh’s first gift shop was opened by Mrs Strickland in the 1970s, when she partitioned off a corner of the Great Barn to create a retail space. Today the shop can be found in the Visitor Centre, and offers a great selection of books, fashion, garden, homeware and stationery alongside a wide selection of souvenirs, confectionery, plants and toys.

Get exploring

We stock a large range of new season National Trust products including those for your garden - from peat-free plants and decorative items, to a range of products to help create a wildlife friendly space.

There's also a range of outdoor gifts - from ever-popular ROKA bags, manufactured with 85% less energy and made from recycled plastic, to HONEST water bottles made from recycled single-use plastic.

And whether you're a mountain biker or a dog walker, a family with young children or a serious hiker, there's something to tempt you outdoors and closer to nature.

Garden party

If you feel inspired to get cracking on your own garden after your visit, why not browse the lovely selection of plants for sale? We have a range of peat-free herbaceous perennials and ferns, reflecting our beautiful limestone Rock Garden. You'll also find a plant donation stall in the garden, which sells surplus plants and flowers grown here.

A local shop

Over the years, we've supported and sold gifts from many local businesses, many of which have gone on to have national and international success. There’s a lot of talent here in Cumbria, and every year we aim to showcase something new. This season, we're delighted to have several local brands.

Toiletries from Pure Lakes - based in Sawrey near Hawkshead, they use sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients.
Candles from the Fellside Candle Company - handmade 200 metres up on Mosser Fell, in the heart of the Lake District, and inspired by the nature that surrounds them. The recyclable candles are made of rapeseed and coconut wax, containing no paraffin, and all of their fragrance oils are vegan, cruelty-free and paraben-free.
Handmade soaps from Bay Botanicals - just over the border in Morecambe, Bay Botanicals have a gorgeous range of soaps and body butters. All of their products are palm oil free, and contain none of the parabens or sulphates which damage the aquatic and coastal homes of our wildlife. All of their products, except their Oats & Honey soap, are vegan.

All of these sit alongside our incredibly popular Sizergh wood range, which features beautiful handmade products, made using wood from Sizergh's estate.

Paperbacks on a shelf in the second-hand bookshop at Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire — Paperbacks in the second-hand bookshop | © National Trust Images/David Goacher

Sizergh's second-hand bookshop

The bookshop in the Great Barn is packed with a selection of thrillers, autobiographies, cookbooks, DVDs, CDs and children's books looking for a new home.

In 2020, the bookshop raised £2,485.92 through an honesty box system, which paid for a programme of conservation cleaning for some unusual items in Sizergh's collection. These included a set of giant bellows from the 1920s power house, a Maltese boat and a fire evacuation ladder bought by Sir Gerald, Lord Strickland.

Donating second-hand books

If you've had a clear-out and have good-quality second-hand books, CDs, DVDs or jigsaw puzzles you'd like to donate, please drop them in to reception. All the proceeds from the bookshop remain at Sizergh and help to keep the place running. Thank you for your support.