A NEW eco-conscious eatery has opened in Ambleside.

Jayne Birkett, who owns The La’al Burger Bar with husband Stuart, said: “The aim was to provide a really tasty, nutritious burger that was also helping the environment.”

The La’al, on Lake Road, was formerly the Tarantella Italian Restaurant. It is largely a family run operation, with the Birkett’s son Cameron, 26, working as a chef in the eatery and sister Lily, 21, front of house.

Much of its stock is supplied by Primal Meats, a company which focuses on providing grass-fed, organically-reared produce.

Mr and Mrs Birkett have tried to make the restaurant environmentally-friendly and of good quality in other ways too. Compostable packaging is supplied for takeaways, FriPura filters are used to try to improve the quality of the oil, and organic salad is used in dishes - which Mrs Birkett felt tasted better.

“I think a lot of supermarket food is very bland tasting, and a lot of mass produced food is very bland in comparison to organic food, and it’s often sprayed with chemicals,” she said.

They are also aiming to use food that is more seasonal. For example, The La’al currently sells a lamb burger with red pepper; however, Mrs Birkett, who has a background in catering and shamanic therapy, said: “When they [peppers] go out of season, we’ll look at a different product.”