Low Sizergh Barn tea rooms, near Levens

My much-missed mum was born a Burns; not, as far as we know, related to the Scottish bard Robert Burns, but she claimed an affinity.

That affinity began with her having a plate on the wall of her and Dad's dining room bearing Burns's portrait but stopped short of sharing the poet's fondness for those wee, sleekit, tim'rous beasties also known as mice.

As far as I remember though, she quite liked haggis. It was with our mum very strongly in mind – as always – that my sister and I set out on Wednesday for a Burns day lunch.

We had decided upon Sizergh Barn near Levens, it having a cafe of which our parents had been very fond; it also being a regular shopping place for my sister, as it has a very upmarket farm shop, as well as an art gallery and gift shop.

The cafe, shop and gallery is also part of a working farm, and a quirky but popular feature of the cafe is its viewing gallery from which customers can watch the cows being milked. It wasn't milking time when we arrived, so we partook of our lunch sans full-uddered cows.

The cafe is on the first floor of the complex (there is a lift for those with mobility problems) and ranges over a large area.

Rustic beams abound and the walls are covered with assorted prints of animals. It's all very homely, light, pleasant, spacious and clean.

Settled at a large table, my sister and I eventually ordered cappuccinos (decaf for her, as she's a bit of a lightweight), followed by ham quiche and salad (£7.95) for Nicola and the Burns day special of haggis, neeps and tatties (£8.95) for me.

The initial service could have been a bit more prompt. There isn't a particularly huge menu to digest, and we were gagging for our coffees. The cafe was busy for a January lunchtime, which give the place a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Despite the rather long wait to order, our food arrived quite quickly – long before we had finished our coffee.

Nicola's quiche was a generous, home-made portion, with a good salad, and all the standard quiche accompaniments such as coleslaw and couscous. Very colourful and very tasty.

My Burns special was excellent but, for me, far too much to contend with for a midweek lunch. The haggis was well-seasoned and delicious.

Many of the meats and pies sold in the farm shop at Sizergh come from the award-winning Higginsons butchers of Grange – and I am prepared to go out on a limb and suggest the haggis may have come from there, too. It was certainly high quality.

With it was a huge quenelle of smooth, mashed tatties, a timbale of carrots and swede, some roasted turnips and a watercress garnish, with a creamy whisky sauce to finish it off.

It all tasted as good as it looked – and was great value for the price. It left me wondering why we English don't eat more haggis. Apart from on Burns's birthday we never touch the stuff as a rule: the haggis season lasts but one day.

I have to confess here that, as a child, I was one of those idiots who fell for the myth of haggises being some sort of Highland creature. In my childish imagination, they were short-legged, long-nosed, hairy little things which lived on heather moors. Sort of McWombles. I know better now, of course. Their noses aren't long at all.

For pudding, Nicola and I shared a whopper of a piece of homemade chocolate cake – a goodly chunk of which was wrapped up and taken home as a treat for my husband. In all, the bill came to just over £24, which was more than acceptable for good quality food in appealing surroundings.

Inspired by my Burns lunch, I stopped at Booths in Ulverston on my way home in order to buy a haggis and accessories for my husband's supper but, as the great poet himself would say, the best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft agley.

Steering my trolley towards the neeps in the veg section, I bumped into my cousin Beth, family reminiscences ensued and I clean forgot about the neeps, the tatties and the haggis. On the plus side, I didn't forget to buy wine.

By Louise Allonby

RATINGS (out of five)

Food 4

Service 3

Value 4

Atmosphere 4

Pros:

Buzzy atmosphere

Milking time will keep children entertained

Cake lover's heaven

Cons:

Convoluted approach heading eastbound from the A590

Very busy in high season