David Mellor Cutlery Factory & Café, Hathersage, Peak District, Derbyshire

The late David Mellor was a key figure in British design with an international reputation as designer, manufacturer and shopkeeper. His sleek and modern cutlery is still made at the David Mellor Cutlery Factory in Hathersage close to Sheffield, the historic centre for cutlery making in Britain.

The award-winning Round building at David Mellor Hathersage

Londoners will know David Mellor’s landmark shop on Sloane Square which first opened in 1969. It still gleams with cutlery today. Escape to the Peak District for the weekend and you can tour his beautiful factory in Hathersage and watch the cutlery being made. With its own café, country shop and Design Museum, all housed in an award-winning building and visitor centre, it’s one for stylish Foodie Travellers.

The Foodie Travel Guide

  • Tour the cutlery factory
  • Visit the Design Museum
  • Have lunch in the café
  • Enjoy countryside walks

Take Pride in David Mellor’s Designs

Sir Terence Conran described the late David Mellor as “Britain’s most serious, modest, and greatest postwar product designer”. Born in Sheffield, a town world-famous for its cutlery making, he set up his first silversmithing workshop in 1954. Always operating from the simple principle that ‘well-designed equipment can improve your life’, his designs such as ‘Pride’, which encaptured the ethos of the Festival of Britain in 1951, have won numerous awards.

Tour the Cutlery Factory

Located in Hathersage in the Peak District National Park, the David Mellor cutlery factory is both a beautiful place to work and visit. Purpose-designed in 1990, The Round Building has won numerous architectural and environmental awards. Take a tour at the weekend to learn about the cutlery making process and you’ll see that a surprisingly high degree of hand finishing is still required to give the cutlery its perfectionist quality.

 
 Plants outside the Cafe at David Mellor Hathersage
 David Mellor Pride Cutlery Boxes Hathersage 

Visit the Design Museum

It would be a huge mistake to think of David Mellor purely in terms of cutlery design. Wander around the factory’s Design Museum and you’ll discover his versatility. He was responsible for designing bus shelters (1959), the national traffic light system (1966) and the ‘Embassy’ teapot (1963) which has graced the tables of British embassies around the world. In 1969, he even designed a range of plastic cutlery, produced in its millions.

 
 Traffic lights inside the cafe at David Mellor Hathersage
 Cafe terrace at David Mellor Hathersage 

Have Lunch in the Design Museum Café

David’s talented son Corin, designed the Café building. A fine example of informal modern dining style, it’s equipped, as you’d expect, with the best David Mellor tableware. Relax and enjoy a seasonally-inspired lunch and ponder what to buy from its utterly stylish shop, a shrine to modern British design and rural crafts.


Tips

  • Tours of the cutlery factory are free and take place every Saturday and Sunday at 3pm
  • When buying new cutlery, weight is an important consideration. Buy a few pieces to try out first at home
  • The factory is located close to Chatsworth House and Gardens making it easy to combine the two in one day
  • Find out more about the work of David Mellor in the book David Mellor: Design

Cook’s Tip

To preserve knife blades always dry up knifes immediately after washing.


Where to Stay in the Peak District 

The Devonshire Arms Pilsley Peak District

The Devonshire Arms

Pilsley, Peak District

Devonshire Arms at Pilsley is only a 20-minute walk from Chatsworth House.

Rooms from £106 a night.


Dogs 

Fox terrier, Mr Hendricks expert dog friendly days out Peak District

They thoughtfully provide water bowls for dogs but only assistance dogs are allowed inside the café and Design Museum. There are lots of beautiful walks nearby.

Mr Hendricks


How to the Find the David Mellor Cutlery Factory

The David Mellor Cutlery Factory and Cafe, The Round Building, Hathersage, Sheffield, Derbyshire, S32 1BA

Visit the David Mellor website

The Foodie Travel Guide

The Foodie Travel Guide

Sally is the founder and editor of The Foodie Travel Guide. She travels around the UK and beyond in search of the best foodie days out, tasting experiences and delicious places to stay. She loves a glass of English sparkling wine, afternoon tea with friends and escaping London for gastronomic adventures.