Lakeland (Lakeland)

Member Name: jacqueline101

Product:	Lakeland
Date:	04/10/08 (89 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality kitchen and homewares

Disadvantages: None

Lakeland is one of my favourite shops, as I love cooking, baking and innovative products for the home. Lakeland was founded 45 years ago in the Lake District, and was originally called Lakeland Plastics, as they specialised in food storage boxes and plastic food storage bags. The company has grown a lot since then, and is still run by the same family from their base in Windermere, Cumbria. There are now 39 stores nationwide, with the flagship store at Windermere. Three of the stores also have an in-store cafe.

Lakeland sell much more than just kitchenware. There are also many products for the rest of the home, too, such as, cleaning products that are often unavailable elsewhere, home storage, cookery books, food, laundry products, bathroom accessories, environmentally friendly products and gadgets that you never knew you needed.

When I am visiting one of Lakeland's shops, I usually take the train to either Chichester or Eastbourne in Sussex, as these are the closest to where I live. There isn't a Lakeland in the Brighton/Hove area yet. I have also been to the shops in Aberdeen, and at Handforth in Cheshire. The latter has a lovely cafe. I have always found the staff at Lakeland's shops to be extremely helpful and polite, something which can be quite rare these days. They also seem to be very knowledgable about the range of products that they stock. It is worth remembering that you will need to take your own bags with you now, as Lakeland have started to charge for theirs (10p each I think).

I have also used the website to order from quite a few times. This is really easy to navigate, and the delivery arrives within a few working days. You can also order over the phone and by post by using the form that arrives with the catalogue. The catalogues are sent out several times a year, and often have a specific theme, such as cooking, cleaning products, or Christmas or Easter. Lakeland is very good for buying Christmas presents, as they have some really unusual gifts, especially foods, that are beautifully presented. Lakeland also do gift vouchers.

Some of my favourite products from Lakeland are - Lock and Lock boxes, for storing food in the freezer and fridge. I have a variety of these in different sizes. They are also useful for other household items. The EasiYo Yogurt Maker was a good buy, as I can now make fresh yogurt using the different mixes. I find the Vacusac vacuum bags very good for storing and protecting clothes and bedding, as it reduces bulky items in size. The Roll bags are a similar concept, only you don't need to use a vacuum cleaner to remove the excess air. I also have quite a lot of plastic storage boxes and toy boxes, as well as clothing protector bags to store clothes in the wardrobe. The range of cake and bread tins and cooking pots and pans is very good. Lakeland is also a great place to go to if you enjoy cake decorating, as they have a wide range of speciality equipment. There are also a wide range of products to get children involved in cooking and baking. The Children's De Luxe Bakeware Set for £15.99 looks very good (age 3 plus) and I will probably buy this for my daughter when she is a little older.

Overall, I think that Lakeland is an excellent shop for those who love cooking, baking and want interesting products for their home. It is sometimes a little expensive, but the products are always very good quality.

The website address is www.lakeland.co.uk

Summary: A great place to buy products for the home