I have been staying in Bowness on Windermere for a few days break this half term. Time for some serious unplugging and R&R. I set a vision for how I wanted to feel at the end of these 5 days; to go home feeling refreshed, revitalised and ready for the next part of this year’s adventures. I knew that eating the regular ‘holiday food’ would not lead me towards that. Full English breakfasts and fish n chips would have me feeling sluggish and adding ‘loose weight’ to my already long enough to-do-list! So I have been consciously making choices about what I have put in my mouth for these last few days, as I do normally when I am home- it’s just all too easy to let it slip when I am ‘on holiday’. I need nourishing.
This afternoon I was truly nourished, by my experience at Cafe Latte. If you are EVER near Windermere I really recommend you go there. It is small, but more than perfectly formed…and the best bit is that the food tastes different! Have you ever had food made and served with so much love and passion you can taste it? If you have you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, then you should book a trip to the Lake District just to go and experience it!
4 St Martins Hill, LA23 3DD. 015394 43076
In my experience this kind of food is rare when you are eating out…it’s more like the extra something that makes your mum’s roasts the best ever.
Cafe Latte is run by Caroline and Sharon (mother and daughter team) as their joint dream venture. The care and commitment that has gone into CAFE LATTE is clear from the moment you see it: the decor, the fabrics, the furniture (Caroline tracked down the pews after seeing them in a dream), the welcome, the hospitality, the desire to connect with and serve their customers, who they treat with so much care and respect ….and that’s all before you out anything IN your mouth!
Everything is homemade. I mean EVERYTHING. They make their own jam for scones, even their own butter. The goats cheese and red onion tart I had was gorgeous. It came with fresh coleslaw and a sublime side salad that was soo much more than the few lettuce leaves you so often get as the token gesture. The quality across the board is exceptional.
The food I had was great (yes I still had to make choices to steer away from the high GI options), nourishing and soul food. But more than the food, the whole experience was nurturing. I had the strange experience of feeling cared for by them, rather than the non-descript anonymity you can so easily feel in eating establishments these days. I arrived as a customer, and left as a fan.
I want to support them in their mission. There is a myriad of eating places in Bowness. But I believe Cafe Latte has a clear USP – quality & love. You’ll have to go yourself to see if you agree with me.
What I know is I spent 1 hour in there. I had some wonderful food, fantastic service, I got to meet 2 lovely people and I left fully nourished: body and soul. Their vision and dream making has encouraged and inspired me again to keep moving on with the vision I carry…
I only found Cafe Latte today- the day before I go home…if it had been any earlier I think I might have eaten there everyday! However… I WILL be back!
The whole experience left me pondering more about all of us in the CHEW network
~ how intentional are we about unplugging from the emotional intensity of our work?
~ have you ever set a goal/ vision for how you want to be at the end of your break, and used that to guide your choices of food, sleep time, activities etc?
~ have you had an experience recently (outside of your work) that really nourished you emotionally?
Let me know what your thoughts are… I’d love to hear them.
