Levens Hall and Gardens is the place to which to head this autumn and winter, if you want to indulge yourself in a wonderful array of comfort food that will blow away any seasonal blues.

Whilst the Hall and the Gardens close on October 6, Levens Kitchen and Levens Bakery are open beyond that date, subject to their own opening schedule that you can find online.  Both are headed up by Robert Stacey, who acquired his superb culinary skills at Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, Le Caprice and Galvin at Windows.

Contemporary eatery, Levens Kitchen, has been serving wonderfully comforting dishes since March 2019.  All truly embody the true ethos of ‘comfort food’, the notion of which has been around since the 1960s but was popularised in 1977, when the Washington Post referenced it.  Some say that actress Liza Minnelli was the first celebrity to talk about comfort food, when describing a hamburger.

What is comfort food?

Comfort food can be that food which we grew up eating at home or with our family, involving memories of that classic that granny used to rustle up, or the food that was on the table when returning from school.  Alternatively, it can just be food that deliver the feelgood factor because it is high in carbohydrates, sugar or fatty acids, all of which trigger the brain’s reward system.

When we eat such foods, ’happiness’ neurotransmitters are released, which is why treating ourselves and indulging a little can be so enjoyable.

Lake District comfort food - Levens Kitchen style!

Enjoyment is certainly what those food lovers visiting Levens Kitchen have discovered and it’s probably at this time of year that comfort food comes into its own.  Whilst the menu at Levens Kitchen is always evolving, with new dishes being added, it is also always seasonal and always features a comfort-food extravaganza of brunch, served between 10am and 12 noon each day.

With delights such as a McLevens – a sausage patty with hash brown, brown sauce and sourdough muffin – and a Black Pudding Hash with poached eggs, brown sauce and rocket, to tuck into, there are plenty of comfort food choices ‘early doors’.

By the time it gets to lunchtime, the comfort food is served up steaming in soup bowls, or in a delightful stew or casserole, or perhaps even in the form of buttermilk fried chicken with fries.  We are also mindful that comfort food in Italy comes in the form of pizza, so we have a range of sourdough pizzas that also tick all neurotransmitter boxes!  Spend time with us in the afternoon and you may well discover that our cake range provides the ultimate comfort food pleasure.

Comforting eats, treats and bakes from Levens Bakery

If this were not already enough, we have this year done all we can to allow our comfort food to be taken away and eaten at home.  The opening of Levens Bakery this summer has allowed a range of gorgeous comfort food breads and cakes to be bought here, from our team of bakers and pâtissiers, and then devoured in your own kitchen or dining room – or even during your lunchbreak at work. 

With a wide variety of baked goods available, it’s well worth stopping by, just to get some Levens Hall comfort food into your daily routine.

Remember that, whilst it may not always be the super-healthiest food, comfort food does bring its own rewards and that anything, if enjoyed in moderation, is usually fine.  Treating yourself to some simple food pleasures can’t be a bad thing and, if you treat others, even better!

Come along and see us this autumn and winter and you can at least decide for yourself!