While our main purpose in travelling to Derbyshire was to go round Chatsworth House, it’s only a few miles from Bakewell and I couldn’t resist the urge to visit there.
It’s a lovely small town with a beautiful tree-lined river, the Wye, and made nicer for most of the buildings being constructed from stone rather than, as is mostly the case in England, brick.
This is a view from very close to the town centre. Plenty of geese as you can see, but there were also ducks and swans.
There was a second hand book shop at the edge of the town centre but it wasn’t up to much. The antiques centre off a square had prices which were off-putting.
However, you cannot go to Bakewell without being reminded of its contribution to the culinary world.
I present the Original Bakewell Pudding shop.
I had to cross the road to get the whole shop in.
On the left is a crop of the above photo to show the lettering.
The puddings themselves were displayed in the window on the left of the shop but that’s obscured by the blue car. It has to be said they looked a bit misshapen and amateurish.
That may be to enhance their “home-baked” charm.
But in Bakewell you are spoiled for choice. Trawling further round the town centre I came upon this.
That doesn’t claim to be the original pudding shop.
But just across the street from it is this:-
The first and only original Bakewell Pudding Shop.
Well! Someone’s telling porkies. (Which reminds me. Must get to Melton Mowbray sometime.)
The do all share a green colour scheme though, for some reason.
In the end we didn’t sample a pudding from any of those three.
The Bakewell deli features this placard in its window. Spot the huge meringues on the right of the photo.
Are you a pudding or a tart person?
We opted for a slice each of pudding from here.
Be warned. That stuff is calorific.