Cartmel Village Shop's sticky toffee pudding is the kind of thing that gives Gillian McKeith sleepless nights. This deluxe dessert - rich, light date-laced sponge slathered in a proper thick, buttery toffee sauce - has won a loyal cult following across the UK, via mail order (www.stickytoffeepudding.co.uk), and distribution through more discerning delicatessens.

Given this claim to fame, you might expect CVS to be a pudding-themed novelty shop. Not a bit of it. Instead, this is one of those exemplary delis that is a useful community resource and a lure to passing foodie tourists; a culinary Aladdin's cave where you can buy everything from fruit, veg and Sam Smith's lager to chocolates, rice and chic kitchenware.