Welcome to Chestnut House
Pooley Bridge and its iconic ‘bridge’ has been attracting visitors for centuries, but since 2016 the village has become a destination for repeat visitors for another reason too …
“Chestnut House is a gem of a shop with good old fashioned customer service, a massive bank of gin knowledge and a tasting experience that will be etched on your memory for a lifetime.”
Gin lovers Andrew and Emma Kaye opened Chestnut House in May 2016. Set in the heart of Pooley Bridge, it is a two-storey independent grocery shop and off licence servicing the local community and Cumbria’s thriving tourist trade.
Vowing to offer something different, and building on this love of gin, Andrew and Emma developed a shop that has a passion for locally sourced produce, a reputation for stocking the largest wall of gin in the North West, and a quirky and extensive range of other wines, spirits, and local beers too.
Proud to support Cumbrian businesses, we seek out local producers to give visitors a real taste of Cumbria.
Provenance is paramount – our team can tell you about all the local producers: the farmers and butchers, the greengrocer, the bread and cake bakers, jam and chutney makers, beer brewers and spirit distillers.
Appearances are deceptive, from a small shop front, Chestnut House is a Tardis; there’s our local food hall upstairs and on the ground floor you’ll find fresh produce, local meats and of course, our wall of gin, bays of spirits and racks of locally brewed ales.
Our Wall of Gin: we’ve a reputation! We stock one of the widest selections of gins (over 400) in the North of England. Why not take a trip to see us?
Introducing our own Cumberland Saucy Gin: Our brand was inspired by Andrew. He wanted to create a contemporary gin with Cumberland tradition at its heart.
Spirit sample table: Visitors travel for hours to experience our wall of gin and try a daily array of samples, discussing botanicals and flavours with our knowledgeable Gin Loving Team.
Online shopping growth: During lockdown we developed a hamper delivery and our online shop helped Lake District lovers still get a taste of Cumbria. It seems that even when customers couldn’t visit, they still want a taste of Cumbria.
Award winner – thank you team: We were presented with an award from the High Sheriff of Cumbria – in recognition of the special performance and business innovation during the Covid-19 crisis. Thank you to whoever nominated us.
The shop is open all year round (except Christmas Day), open well into the evening during the summer, but closing early evening in winter.
Tripadvisor review
“Probably the best selection of deli style foods, beers, wines & spirits I’ve ever seen in such a compact store. Owners & staff super friendly and absolutely know their stuff, and stock some stunning local produce and lots more – if you like gin then this will be your ‘Gin Nirvana’ and I’d highly recommend you pay them and the lovely little village that is Pooley Bridge a visit”
