This tiny stone shop beside St Oswald's churchyard has been selling Grasmere gingerbread since 1854, and the recipe has not changed since Sarah Nelson first devised it. The gingerbread is not what most people expect from the name — it is firmer, darker and spicier than the soft cake version, somewhere between shortbread and a hard biscuit, with a warm bite of ginger and a slightly grainy texture. People travel specifically for it.
The shop itself is no bigger than a garden shed. Staff wear traditional costume and the whole operation has an air of deliberate old-fashionedness that would feel contrived if the product were not genuinely exceptional. It is sold by the piece or in tins that travel well. In summer there is often a queue outside.
The gingerbread is also good with Cumbrian cheese, a combination that the shop will happily recommend.