Few restaurants have made more of a mark on the UK’s culinary landscape than Simon Rogan’s Lake District flagship, its distinctive brand of modern yet naturalistic cooking having been replicated in dining rooms up and down the country with varying degrees of success.
Launched in 2002, this iconic restaurant is set within an old forge (L’Enclume means ‘the anvil’ in French) a few miles south of Lake Windermere. Immortalised in Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s BBC series The Trip, the dining room is sparsely furnished with a subdued colour palette so as not to distract from Rogan’s world-class cooking.
Diners can look forward to a procession of small, intricate dishes that have an organic look and feel despite the brigade not being adverse to modern techniques (there’s an adjoining restaurant called Aulis at L’Enclume where much of the development work takes place). L’Enclume’s multi-course tasting starts with an onslaught of snacks and continues with some of the most breathtaking and confident cooking on show in this country. Unlike some restaurants that serve a procession of small plates the momentum here is never lost, with every bite as good as the last.
L’Enclume is close to being self sufficient, with the bulk of its produce grown on Rogan’s nearby 12-acre farm. The team also rears its own meat – including cows, chickens and pigs – and retains a full-time forager.
If there was any doubt about Rogan's dedication to his beloved flagship, After 20 years, the restaurant finally bagged the third Michelin star that many thought was long overdue.
