Eating and shopping at Sizergh

Visitors chatting in the cafe at Sizergh, Cumbria — A family stop for refreshments in the café | © National Trust Images/John Millar

In the shadow of Sizergh Castle, 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

Winter warmers in the cafe

Whether you've been for a bracing winter walk or not, cosy up in the cafe and enjoy some seasonal additions to the menu. This year, there are lots of warming treats - try a gingerbread latte, sticky toffee pudding or a slice of toffee apple cake. If savoury is what you're looking for, try the halloumi flat bread, the cauliflower cheese frittata or warming one pots with a wedge of crusty bread.

Throughout the winter, the cafe and shop will be open 10am-3:30pm.

Brunch

Start your day with a breakfast bap or maybe an oven-fresh cinnamon bun, washed down with a morning coffee.

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. 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 close up of the decorations on a Christmas tree. — Inside the National Trust shop at Sizergh | © ©National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

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.

Christmas in the shop

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the shop, with handmade decorations adorning the ceilings. Browse the stands for Christmas gifting inspiration, and pick up thoughtful, unique and locally sourced gifts for the special people in your life.

Get exploring

We stock the complete range of National Trust garden and outdoor gifts, as well as a large selection of local books, maps and walking leaflets relating to Sizergh and the wider Lake District. 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 sold gifts from many local businesses, such as Claire’s Handmade and the Bath Shop, all of which have gone on to have national and even international success. There’s a lot of talent here in Cumbria, and every year we aim to showcase something new. This year we have both Herdy and Pure Lakes alongside our incredibly popular Sizergh wood range which includes beautiful handmade products made from 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.