Summer Hours
Monday to Sunday: Opens 9:00AM, Last Orders 4:00PM
Kitchen: Opens 9:00AM, Last Orders 3:00PM
Walkins Only, Dogs welcome on our outside terrace
About Us
Mathilde’s Cafe prides itself on its heritage. With roots firmly placed in both the Lake District and Norway, Mathilde’s Café has become a perfect setting for delicious Scandi-inspired breakfasts, lunches and cakes crafted using the best of locally-sourced ingredients.
The cafe itself is a seamless continuation of the studio and art shop, with artworks from the Heaton Cooper family proudly on display in a room that feels just as considered as the gallery spaces around it.
The large windows create a bright and airy space with sweeping views of Stone Arthur, Seat Sandal and parts of the Fairfield Horseshoe. Whether you’ve just got back from an adventure in the fells, or you prefer a day keeping your feet on the valley floor, Mathilde’s café offers a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for you to sit and enjoy the surroundings.
Since opening in 2017, Mathilde’s Café have worked hard to gain a reputation as one of the best cafes in the Lake District. This work has been rewarded, being featured in the Good Food Guide in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and also winning ‘Café of the Year’ at the 2025 Cumbria Food Awards.
We’re also proudly Green Small Business Certified. We’ve established a contemporary menu that changes with the seasons, created in our kitchen with ingredients sourced from carefully chosen local suppliers.
It’s not just the food that makes Mathilde’s Café such a special place to visit. The family history, from the 19th century up to present day, has had an immeasurable impact on the site.
In 1891, watercolour artist Alfred Heaton Cooper travelled to Norway, eventually setting up a studio in the small village of Balestrand, beside the magnificent Sognefjord. While there he met Mathilde Marie Valentinsen, the daughter of a leather dyer. The pair married in 1892, marking the start of the Heaton Cooper art family, before returning back to England in 1894.
Once back in England, the couple went on to settle in the Lake District in 1898. Here, the family grew, with William Heaton Cooper being born in 1903. It was William who went on to build the Heaton Cooper Studio, completing the project in 1938.
The studio has had several iterations, with extensions being added over the decades to match the increased offerings available. Mathilde’s Café, the most recent of these, was opened in 2017 under the supervision of Alfred and Mathilde’s great-granddaughter, Rebecca Heaton Cooper.
Now an established part of the Heaton Cooper Studio, Mathilde’s Café brings in visitors from all over the country, delivering understated, tasty food in a beautiful setting.
Our Menu
Our Specials
Our specials vary day to day, but here’s a selection of some exciting dishes we sometimes have on offer.