Heaton Cooper Studio — Attraction in Lakes

Grasmere is a lovely village situated right by the lake, with many historic and picturesque views and worth visiting if you are in the area. So it's unfortunate that the cafes, hotels and shops are distinctly average, a bit tatty and down market, definitely pitched at the mass market, even though the prices are anything but budget. So we were really pleased to visit the gallery and cafe and discover such a good quality, interesting and well thought out business this summer. The gallery sells and exhibits a range of contemporary artists in oil, pastel and water colour. The pieces are very eclectic and someone has spent a lot of time and thought curating the works. The shop also sells a good selection of high quality art supplies, books and other stylish goods. The cafe that is attached to the gallery is great. I think it may have a Swedish theme. And unlike the rest of the village, it sells delicious barista coffee, fantastic cakes and a range of savoury plates.....the gourmet, Swedish, hot dogs are a favourite of our family. It has been a continual frustration about the village that, despite it's beautiful location and popularity, there has not been anywhere decent to eat or drink, and none of the businesses pitch their offering above 'bang average'. So it's great that Heaton and Cooper are there and doing something different. Long may...

Do not go here with children! My son loves art and wanted to go into the art shop. Why have children’s things to sell, when clearly you do not want them in there. The moment we walked in I got a stare- whose children are these type of stare. My 2 year old was told to put things back at where she found them as they are in a certain order. They were told to look at things with their eyes not their fingers. My son was excited to buy something and my daughter got stopped and asked if she could have the dinosaur pencil sharper back. I was so taken a back I said sorry I didn’t realise she had it in her hand. I was still in the store! I was made to feel like we were thieves. I probably would have bought the pencil sharpener and probably would have bought lots other things. I started to ask questions about things we were looking for. The responses I got back was your in the wrong place and the disgust on their faces. I had to make up a story to my son so we could leave. They need to change their attitude!...

Two for one cocktails during happy hour (up to 7pm) is pretty good, even if the recipes could use a little tweak. I really like the one-pot dishes, especially the chickpea and aubergine curries, but the flatbread they come with is cold and soggy. I mentioned this and was told they could warm it up if I'd asked. Hardly the point, surely? Staff are very friendly, attentive and generally nice. Oh, and if you like rum, they have a wide range, graded according to how good they're supposed to be ... I didn't agree with some of the ones in the 'best' category, but taste is a very subjective thing. I eat here quite...