The nationally known dessert, Bakewell Tart, is named after the original local delicacy, Bakewell Pudding. This famous sweet came about by mistake, when the cook at what is now the Rutland Arms Hotel was making a strawberry tart with a rich egg pastry. She assembled the ingredients incorrectly and poured the egg mixture on top of the strawberry jam, ending up with a barely set gelatinous pudding.
Bakewell's three pudding shops all claim to possess the original (and supposedly secret) recipe, so the only way to find which is the best is to try one of each!
About Bakewell
Recorded as an important area as far back as pre-Norman times, much of Bakewell's growth has taken place since the 1600s and the town now has many fine buildings, notably the old Market Hall, which is home to the Tourist Information Centre.
Originally a crossing point on the river, parts of Bakewell still retain the names from this era, an example being Lumford, where the ford is still to be found alongside the later Holme Bridge. Built in 1664 with refuges at the sides for pedestrians and low parapets to allow the panniers on the horses to travel over them easily, Holme Bridge is a good example of how narrow a packhorse bridge would have looked hundreds of years ago.