The village of Broughton-in-Furness lies on the Western coast of the Cumbrian Lake District. Specifically at the mouth of the River Duddon that winds its way down from the Langdales through some of the best scenery the national park has to offer. For a small village, though technically a Charter Town, it boasts plenty of options for food and drink, both for locals and tired-out tourists.
Though situated in the adjoining hamlet of Broughton Mills, The Blacksmiths Arms serves consistently excellent food in a modern British style. The venue itself has great historical significance as one of only two CAMRA pubs in the whole of Cumbria on their inventory of historic pubs. The Blacksmiths has real character with stone-flagged floors, a working range, open fires and feels like it hasn’t changed much since it first opened back in 1778. Expect dishes such as Roasted belly of pork with pea puree and a cider reduction and mains like Roasted rump of lamb, braised cabbage, fondant potatoes and a red wine reduction. The venue only has 45 covers spread over many little rooms in the premises, so the talented chef-patron Michael Lane is in full control.
If it’s real ale you like then you have found a gem in The Manor Arms, which overlooks the square and is a real hub for the community. They don’t much in the way of food, bar a cheese toastie, but they more than make up for that with their multi-award-winning real ale. “Every day is a beer festival” they say with eight choices that are always changing. The pub is current CAMRA pub of the year for Cumbria and has won that accolade many times before. It has been family owned since 1988 which is a notable achievement in these days of pubs disappearing ten to the dozen. Especially so given that most pubs are keeping afloat by serving food. A nice touch is that there is no music or TV here; just good ale and chat. There’s a pool table and a few B&B rooms.
On the corner of the square is Beswicks Restaurant, a real stalwart of the Furness dining scene for more than 25 years. The restaurant of choice for important celebrations for miles around, it’s wonderfully old fashioned in terms of its food and service, a throwback to a more formal dining era. All guests are seated in the lounge for pre- and post-dinner drinks and a chat with the owner and local bank manager Dave. Dave’s wife does the cooking and it’s very British with hearty portions to satisfy hungry farmers.
The Prince of Wales pub is in Foxfield, just outside Broughton itself. Again it’s a famous real ale pub and benefits hugely from being right opposite the train tracks. Beer aficionados from Barrow and villages in between hop on the train to fill their boots so make sure you don’t walk in just after a train arrives as the bar will be three deep. Forget a menu at the Prince; it’s called ‘Beer Blotters’, so expect monster pies and wacky combinations, like cannelloni and rice. The curries really are first class and better than many a real ruby house. The landlord spent many years working with Asian ladies in another career in west Yorkshire and learned the ropes. None of the chunks of frozen cheap chicken, he uses breast marinated in the sauce. Food finishes at 7pm so the serious business of drinking ale can go on unhindered. They brew their own beer within the premises and have guest ales on as well. If this gets you thinking that Broughton is good for a crawl then you would be correct. This gets formalised every year with the Broughton in Furness Festival of Beer which is normally the first weekend in October. The pub involved are the Manor Arms, Prince of Wales, Black Cock Inn, Kings Head (if it reopens), The Blacksmiths Arms, the Highcross and The Newfield Inn.
The village has an award-winning bakery with a cafe attached. It is regularly featured in the national press and even on an American travel show recently. It gets busy whether you’re eating in or getting a takeout and it’s perfect fodder to munch in the sun, either sat under the famous Obelisk in the square or up a hill in the Duddon Valley. The cafe is very intimate and cosy with a modern feel. Service is similarly warm and friendly from all the staff.
Though still considered within the boundaries of Broughton, The Newfield Inn is actually in Seathwaite, right at the head of the Duddon Valley and a wonderful location from which to explore hills and river. They have accommodation too if you want to make a night of it. It’s an ancient pub with stone-flagged floor, good ales and simple quality food. The history is written on the walls and surprisingly was the scene of a Victorian riot -- go and find out the story for yourself.
If you want my advice to get the best of Broughton do this: Enjoy a pint or three of Windermere Pale Ale at the Manor with your back to the range fire, a chicken curry at the Prince of Wales on a cold winter evening , tuck into a pepper and pine nut quiche and a cinnamon twirl from the Bakery when you reach the top of Black Combe (a nearby mountain that according to Wordsworth has the best views for miles around), a lasagne and pint of Corby Blonde from the Newfield after a walk up the Duddon River to Birks Bridge and back, a brace of boned quail from Beswicks and any dish on the menu from Chef Michael at the Blacksmiths in the front dining room by the range.
Guest Blog by William MuirRestaurants in Broughton-in-Furness
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