Lucy's of Ambleside - Award Winning Desserts

I think Russ Abbot captured it best when he said "I love a party with a happy atmosphere". The minute you walk through the door of Lucy's, you cannot help but notice the lovely atmosphere about the place. From the homely trinkets to the colourful hand written dessert boards.

I found Lucy's by accident. Forever on my quest for the most amazing desserts, I googled 'Dessert Awards'. This led me to the Harden's Rémy Martin Awards. In 2010 a little restaurant in Ambleside won the Best Dessert – Rest of UK Coeur de Cognac Award. Previous and subsequent winners have included Le Manior and Marcus Wareing... I knew this was going to be something a little special...

We thought we would combine the reservation with a little day trip to Ambleside. It's an utterly stunning place. Lake Windermere is just down the road, it's full of pretty tea rooms, traditional pubs and unique shops and it was glorious weather! We couldn't believe our luck.

We booked in for 12pm, but owing to my OCD about timekeeping, we arrived at 11.30am. We were seated and the waitress explained that the daily specials menu would also be available from 12pm. We met Lucy whilst we were waiting. She is everything I imagined. Warm, enthusiastic and passionate about all the food they serve. She's a fan of our very own Thyme Deli too!

We sat and had a drink, which gave us the opportunity to read the dessert boards. Yes, pleural. The amount and variety of desserts here is utterly staggering. Everywhere you look, there are more options! All are homemade, so you know the only thing coming out of a freezer is the ice cream. 

Here are some of the choices available... (pictures say it so much better than words, plus it would take me about two weeks to write them out...)

Oh, and this... Forgot to mention that. 

All are available hot or cold with custard, ice cream, cream or soya cream and many of the standard desserts have a gluten free alternative! See the top picture for 'starred' desserts and the 'Gluten Free Goodies' board. Are you listening Mummy's Little Peeps? Just contemplate how many different variations that is...

We both chose a Sunday roast off the specials; I had lamb and my husband had beef. Both were phenomenal! We both ate every scrap! Portion sizes were perfect. They came with a large Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and a side bowl of vegetables. I particularly liked the fact they left a huge boat of gravy! You can never have too much gravy....

Needless to say, this was very enjoyable!

And the bit we've all been waiting for... the desserts. Lucy claims to be 'Queen of Desserts'. I had to check this claim. It was only fair. I'm not ashamed to tell you that we had three desserts between us. Well, we were testing them! We opted for Lancashire Lemon Tart (a lemon version of a Bakewell tart), Jamie's Wicked Chocolate Tart (passed on personally from Mr Oliver no less) and the Appleby Ginger Pudding (ginger sponge layered with apples). I was actually in heaven! 

All three desserts were a tour de force! I'm not a fan of chocolate desserts, but that was wonderful. It had ground almonds in the mix, which made it slightly lighter than your average tart. The ginger pudding was fluffy and spicy with sharp apples running through it. Absolutely gorgeous. However, the jewel in the crown had to be the Lancashire Lemon Tart. Flashbacks to the perfection that was the pistachio financier at the Pollen St Social... It was that good. It's in my top five ever! My life may never be complete unless I get to eat this again! Have a butcher's for yourselves...

Dealt with.

We enjoyed our experience at Lucy's so much, that we booked on for the next Up the Duff Pudding Club. This sounds like heaven! It's like cake club, but with puddings...

Lucy's is about an hour and twenty minutes from Bolton, and is in the centre of Ambleside. We truly had a fantastic time, and even my savoury favouring husband can't wait to go back! (Note: he was the one who ate almost a whole chocolate tart and most of the ginger pud...) If you like our desserts, you haven't experienced anything until you have been to Lucy's. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

I will leave you with a lovely little quote from Lucy's grandmother from their pudding page...

'When you cut into a cake (or a pudding in this instance!) the calories would fly away...'

Follow Lucy on Twitter: @LucyofAmbleside
Have a ganders at her website here: Lucy's of Ambleside

Please leave your comments below x

Disclaimer: Lucy's did not pay me for this review. I would pay her every day of my life for her desserts, but I would be dead.