The tiny English village that invented the greatest pudding on earth

THERE’S a tiny village in North West England that is home to possibly one of the most famous desserts on the planet.

British cuisine doesn’t necessarily have a great reputation worldwide, but a small village in the Lake District is doing more than its bit to change people’s minds with a tremendously moreish pudding.

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For more than 30 years, the village of Cartmel in Cumbria has been making its famous sticky toffee pudding, and as something of an early adopter myself, I’m personally very grateful for the village’s creation.

In fact, the pudding is so popular with my family, it long ago replaced our traditional Christmas cake, which none of us were particularly fond of.

While living in the Lake District, we’d drive over to Cartmel to collect our prize right from the source every year – a tradition that we excitedly looked forward to each winter.

However, a later move to the northeast saw us having to order it from a local butcher – such was our desire to have it.

Fortunately, it is now available in Waitrose and is much easier to get hold of, which is great news for people like myself.

Celebs love it too – Madonna and Elton John are reportedly also both huge fans.

Those who know what they’re talking about love it too, with French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli declaring it to be “definitely the best sticky toffee pudding in the world”.

Rick Stein and Nigella Lawson both include themselves on a long list of world-renowned culinary personalities who have declared their love for the dessert.

What makes the pudding more appealing is the wonderfully quaint village from which it originated, which offers more than sweet treats.

There’s also a racecourse that hosts popular races on both spring and summer bank holidays, as well as equestrian and dog agility shows throughout the year.

Guests also come to visit Cartmel Priory, which has existed for more than 800 years in the village.

On its website, the priory boasts about being surrounded by picturesque English countryside, of which there is undoubtedly plenty near to Cartmel.

The likes of Lake Windermere, Coniston Water and Morecambe Bay are all very near to the village, making it a great place for people to stop in while exploring the area.

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The stunning lakes, fells and hills nearby are perfect for all sorts of outdoor activities, including kayaking, hiking and ghyll scrambling, while others simply visit to take in the area’s natural beauty.

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However, the sticky toffee pudding is fast becoming as much of a reason to visit as the nature by which it is surrounded.

The pudding was first developed by Howard and Jean Johns, who arrived in Cartmel in 1971 to run the King’s Arms pub in the village square.

According to Great British Life, they then took over a struggling Cartmel village shop in 1989, with Howard the postmaster and Jean making food for the self-catering market.

That’s where the dessert began its journey.

Jean told them: “It was before the days of ready-to-eat meals and we made good food for the camping, caravan and cottage customers who came to the Lakes.

‘It went really well, but what went best of all were the sticky toffee puddings.

“We didn’t invent sticky toffee puddings but we found a way for them to be taken away.”

While the desserts can be found in shops far away from Cartmel, they are still very much a reason people come from all over the world pay a visit to the village.

As such, holiday cottages nearby can cost as much as £900 per night, although there are other options that are more affordable too.

Two nights in a bed and breakfast can be found for £52.50pp per night, while camping pitches cost as little as £17.50 per night.

Meanwhile, this is one of the most beautiful villages to visit in the UK.

And this stunning UK town has been compared to an Italian village.

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