Mathilde’s Café at the Heaton Cooper Studio, Grasmere, may well be named after Mathilde Marie Valentinsen, a gentle Norwegian country girl who stole the heart of acclaimed artist Alfred Heaton Cooper, but there is more to this café than a simple love story. As you will discover the café reflects a deeply rooted shared culture, a culture of simple, tasty food done well.

Scandinavian food culture offers a unique chance to enjoy meals that have been perfected over thousands of years. Food influenced by Viking tradition, healthy everyday food for the people. Food that is very much about simplicity, where the main ingredients flavour the dish.

This style of cooking isn’t only limited to fish as many think, and it is by no means bland, dishes found across Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, and Finland are made with a variety of ingredients sourced from both the land and sea.