It's always nice to pay a visit to the handsome town of Kendal, where I recently met up with a friend for a spot of lunch.

With time tight between meetings, we chose to avoid the town's one-way system and head up to Plumgarth's farm shop complex just off the roundabout at the north end of Kendal.

This popular place is home to a lovely collection of all sorts of businesses, including the eponymous farm shop, an artisanal bakery and a bustling cafe, the 2 Sisters, which is where my friend and I were headed.

It was a crisp, sunny autumn day and when we arrived there were plenty of hardy souls - northerners all, I'm sure - occupying the outdoor tables at the cafe. We two softies went inside to the nearly-full cafe, nabbing the only spare table in the place.

At the side of the main farm shop, the cafe has built up a reputation for its home cooked food and welcoming atmosphere - and, settled at our table, we could see why.

Its rustic and quite charming, with a lovely buzzy atmosphere and a selection of table seating and casual squishy sofas. Very inviting.

Lunch is served from 12 to 4.30pm, with exactly the varied sort of menu and specials you'd expect of this type of establishment - loads of different teas and coffees, and everything from light bites to full meals; and with a cake cabinet positively groaning with delicious goodies.

I chose the day's special quiche (£7.50) which was broccoli, topped with almonds, while my friend went for chicken liver, Cointreau and orange parfait at £6.50. She had a pot of Earl Grey while I had a vast cup of cappuccino.

Despite being at the height of the lunchtime rush, our food came quickly (not suspiciously so, I must add) and it was absolutely excellent.

My quiche was a-quiver with a beautifully-set filling, a rich and creamy egg and cream concoction with tender broccoli floating at the top. Toasted almonds added a pleasing texture; and a nicely-dressed side salad with potato salad completed the dish. It was spot on for a cafe lunch.

My friend's parfait was equally good - smooth as silk, with rich flavours and accompanied by some delicious home made bread (which I'm assuming must have come from the bakery on the same site).

With plenty of time to spare after this excellent spread, we shared a large slice of banana caramel cake, which was, as Pat Coombs used to say, naughty but nice. Very, very nice. Don't care how many calories, it was worth it.

After a quick browse in the farm shop - which most definitely merits a longer visit - we emerged in to the sunshine, to find the outside tables still occupied by those doughty outdoor diners. Spying what looked like a gin shop across the car park, I resolved to pay another visit to Plumgarth's at the earliest opportunity, in search of some locally-produced festive goodies for family and friends.

The 2 Sisters cafe is a charming little place at the heart of this bustling business complex. I'm nit remotely surprised to see that it has built up a devoted following. Just out of town and handy for the Lake District proper, it's well worth a visit.

Food 4.5

Atmosphere 4

Service 4

Value 4

Pros

Home made everything

Buzzy atmosphere

Outside seating

Cons

Very busy at peak times

Waistline-busting cakes