Our story
An independent kitchen in Cumbria.
A neighbourhood restaurant built around seasonal British cooking, honest ingredients, and the people who grow them.
The restaurant
A small room on Market Street.
The Copper Fern opened as an independent neighbourhood restaurant, run by two friends who spent many years in kitchens and dining rooms across the north. We wanted a place we'd want to eat in ourselves — a warm room, generous cooking, and a short list of drinks worth returning for.
The kitchen
Careful cooking, quietly done.
The kitchen is small and we like it that way. Every plate leaves the pass with a chef's eye on it. Menus are written weekly and change often, guided by what our suppliers bring in and what's at its best that day. Nothing on the plate is there without reason.
Local suppliers
The people we cook with.
We work with a handful of growers, farmers and fishermen we've come to know well — Herdwick lamb from the fells, day-boat fish from the west coast, mushrooms foraged in the Lakes, cheese aged nearby, and vegetables grown ten miles from the door. If we can source it locally, we do.
The dining philosophy
Relaxed, unhurried, welcoming.
We're not a formal restaurant. We're the sort of place you can come in from a walk in your boots, or dress up for a birthday — both are equally welcome. What we do care about is looking after you well: attentive service without fuss, and food that feels like it was cooked for you, because it was.