Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Original Bakewell Pudding Shop)
There seemed little point visiting Bakewell and not partaking in a Bakewell pudding, which is seen as rather more authentic than a Bakewell tart. One of the traditional places to buy them is the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop and there was a relatively long queue on arrival, which was solely for takeaway as the restaurant area was just closing.
The queueing situation was all well managed by the staff, who were remaining friendly even though they were near to the end of their working day. It must be hard to maintain customer service in what is a bit of a production line selling primarily just one or two different products, but everything seemed well managed.
The quaint exterior of the shop, which was quite hard to photograph without people getting in the way.
The other side, which is where the takeaway counter section is located. I managed to take a photo without people in the shot, although their shadows remain.
Below is how the shop looked in the 1950s.
The former baking area has been turned into a shop, although there’s still a bakery operation on site.
The shop element, there’s a dining area behind it, one of three separate areas for those who want to eat-in.
Some delicacies such as chocolate brownie slices, a Mars Bar slice, a chocolate Toblerone tiffin and white chocolate caramel slice amongst others. I’m more savoury than sweet, although I’m sure I can manage any of these.
The cake selection on the lower shelf, with the Bakewell tarts and Bakewell puddings on the top shelf. The Bakewell tarts are iced with a cherry shoved on the top, but it was the pudding that we were here for. There are three sizes of the pudding, large (£6.60), medium (£5.95) and small (£3.15), with quite a hefty uplift for those wanting to eat-in. The tart is a more recent innovation, driven by companies such as Mr. Kipling, one of those fake branding exercises as there was no such person…. The pudding is more traditional and probably dates to around the beginning of the nineteenth century, but there are many stories and legends and no-one is sure which is right.
And here it is, the result of thirty minutes of queueing, my first Bakewell pudding. I only went for the small one as I’m not made of money. The flaky pastry was slightly greasier than I had expected, which was evident from the state of the bag, but the sweet topping had a suitable jam and almond taste. Jonathan had acquired some cheap bread from the Co-op, but Richard and Steve I understand enjoyed their pudding moment…. All rather lovely.
