My much-missed mum adored poppies so heading into Poppies in Ulverston I was already pre-disposed to like it.

Arriving late to meet two old schoolfriends I fell into the packed-out and warm café in Union Street.

Late holidaymakers were sheltering from the summer rain over a leisurely lunch and the atmosphere was buzzing.

One of our group, a highly organised former police superintendent, had wisely booked a table for our catch-up – otherwise we wouldn’t have had a hope.

The lunch menu ranges from “Nowt Fancy” – chip buns, egg and chips, cheese on toast etc – to full lunches and specials. Plenty to suit everyone.

Sarah, Ali and I all chose from the main lunch menu: a small macaroni cheese for Ali (£6.90), with fish and chips (£10.50) for Sarah and smoked haddock on a potato rosti (£12) for me.

With the café packed to the rafters, the food understandably took its time coming; and by the time it did, the cafe was so boiling hot that – to the relief of everyone in the place – we asked staff to open the door.

Ali’s pasta was rich and creamy, with a small but well-dressed salad, crusty rolls and bread sticks. My smoked haddock was excellent: flaky, perfectly cooked and subtly-smoked haddock, sitting on a crispy rosti, with a lusciously runny poached egg, all surrounded by a moat of piquant hollandaise sauce. Scrumptious.

Sarah’s fish and chips actually drew gasps from the entire clientele of the café (to her embarrassment), so gargantuan was the portion.

It came on what seemed to be a 10-ft-long wooden board and comprised the largest piece of battered fish I’ve seen, a mountain of chips and a vast dollop of mushy peas. So much that attempting to eat it from the board would have made the most ludicrous mess, so a dustbin-sized dinner plate was brought from the kitchen at Sarah’s request.

No one would leave Poppies feeling hungry. The fish was delicious, Sarah reported, her only slight complaint being that some of the chips were a little soggy – the fat from the fish batter having drained into them. That said, she pluckily managed to polish off the lot.

None of us could possibly have fitted in puddings, a treat I will be reserving for the next time I visit Poppies, which I most surely shall. Great place, great food – and a great name.

RATINGS

Food 4.5

Service 4

Atmopshere 3.5

Value 4.5

PROS

Open all day, with a popular weekend bistro

Town centre location

Everything freshly cooked

CONS

Feels a little cramped when busy