A lunchbox to be proud of

A boutique hotel in Embleton is setting out to do for the humble packed lunch what celebrity chef Jamie Oliver did for school meals.

The Derwent Lodge is offering a wide selection of knapsack snacks that ensure guests can still enjoy delicious, restaurant quality food even if they are halfway up a hillside.

The boxes are the brainchild of the hotel’s award winning chef Steve Dellin who was born and bred in the Lakes and has seen more than his fair share of poorly prepared pack-ups.

“Everywhere you look there is a sea of cheerless cheese sandwiches, the odd sausage, a bit of plastic ham and maybe a tomato chucked in for good measure. We are going to change all that,” says Dellin.

The chef, together with proprietor Ray Blackburn, have devised an à la carte lunch menu for their guests which includes a host of delicacies that will rarely have graced the heights of the Lakeland fells.

Smoked venison and apple wood smoked cheese are two of the rarer temptations to be enjoyed.

Quail and duck eggs, smoked charr, dressed lobster and foie gras paté are all on offer. Those with more down-to-earth tastes can still tuck into a wide range of locally produced treats such as organic ham, beef and venison.

Blackburn and his team also provide bottles of local Lakeland bottled water, home baked breads, a selection of local cheeses and individual summer puddings and panacotta to finish off the feast.

“We are laying down the Lunchbox Challenge,” says Blackburn. “We think we produce the best packed lunch in the Lakes but would love to hear details from anyone who believes they can make a better meal to enjoy on the hoof”.

For more information, visit thederwentlodge.co.uk.