Mathilde's Cafe at The Heaton Cooper Studio

About

Opened in 2017 as part of Heaton Cooper Studio, Mathilde’s Café is an award-winning fusion of timeless Scandinavian cuisine, the studio’s Cumbrian heritage and the best local ingredients. With a menu that changes with the seasons, the food at Mathilde’s Café is a delicious reflection of the setting it’s created in. 

The café is a relaxed space, perfect whether you’re looking to start the day with breakfast, call in for a hearty lunch or spend the afternoon having coffee and cake.
Featured in the Good Food Guide in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and winner of ‘Café of the Year’ at the 2025 Cumbria Food Awards, Mathilde’s Café has earned a reputation as one of the best cafes to visit in the Lakes. 

Mathilde’s Café is walk-in only. Dogs are welcome on the outside terrace. 

Mathilde’s History 

Mathilde’s Café is named after Alfred Heaton Cooper’s wife, Mathilde Marie Valentinsen. The pair met in 1891 when Alfred was painting in Norway. They married in 1894 and travelled back to England, eventually settling in the Lake District in 1898.  

Over 100 years later, Mathilde’s influence on the Heaton Cooper family is still being felt, with Scandi-inspired dishes and baking available to eat in a friendly space surrounded by good people.