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L'Enclume

British, Modern European·
££££
·
Gold Award
·

SquareMeal Review of L'Enclume

Gold Award

“An amazing end-to-end experience” chimes a fan of Simon Rogan’s cleverly reconfigured Lakeland smithy – and we’re not about to disagree. L’Enclume looks and feels gorgeous, although there are precious few distractions – apart from views of the garden from the conservatory-style dining room. Rough stone walls and unclothed tables make this one of the most relaxed Michelin-starred restaurants in the country; turn up in a suit and you may feel overdressed.

Rogan’s cooking is all about distilling the essence of flavour, allowing nature, landscape and the seasons to gel harmoniously on the plate. Everything revolves around produce from the chef’s organic farm, combined with foraging trips and an unswerving commitment to Lakeland ingredients. The result is a multi-course tasting menu, devised on the day and delivered in style by “fine-tuned” staff who are at the top of their game.

Proceedings begin with a swift procession of tiny mouthfuls: a glistening carmine beetroot leaf; fermented cabbage and Ragstone cheese; flaky crab and carrots. After that, it’s a hugely pleasurable avalanche of revelatory flavours, taking in everything from native lobster with broad beans and elderflower to Goosnargh duck with cherries and smoked beetroot.

Elsewhere, an “exquisite” bowl of turnip broth with lightly pickled turnips, wild mushrooms and cheese dumpling wowed one visitor, as did the clutch of sweet/savoury conceits – notably a sorrel granita with forest berries and buttermilk. Alternatively, Rogan’s chef’s table and development kitchen (Aulis) provides a more intimate culinary journey.

An “exceptional” wine list adds the final gloss, though readers have also been wowed by an “amazing” non-alcoholic drinks pairing – typical of the “obsessional perfection” that goes into every aspect of a restaurant that embodies the notion of destination dining. “It’s unlike anything you’ve ever tried”, concludes a determined fan who took two trains and walked for 40 minutes to eat at this holy grail of modern gastronomy.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - Over £80
Cuisines
British, Modern European
Ambience
Cosy, Fine dining, Luxury, Quiet conversation, Traditional, Unique, Widely spaced tables
Awards
SquareMeal UK Top 100, Three Michelin stars
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Special Features
Vegan options, Vegetarian options
Perfect for
Birthdays, Celebrations, Special occasions

About

Simon Rogan's L'Enclume is one of the most highly regarded restaurants in the UK, and indeed the world, boasting three Michelin stars and a host of awards for its pioneering field-to-fork philosophy. The restaurant was awarded three Michelin stars in 2022, but has retained its Michelin-starred status since 2005 when it was awarded its very first star.

Located in Cartmel in Cumbria, L'Enclume serves an ever-changing tasting menu inspired by British seasonality. The ingredients used in the dishes at L’Enclume are sourced from Simon Rogan’s very own farm just up the road from the restaurant, and many dishes start with L'Enclume's farmers, who highlight ingredients when they're at their peak, before Rogan and team develop the resulting dishes. It’s one of the reasons the restaurant was also awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2021, an accolade that recognises restaurants that are leading in their industry for their sustainable practices.  

There is only one tasting menu available and it can be taken for lunch and dinner. It’s comprised of more than ten courses and can be paired with multiple wine flight options if desired – choose from the taster wine pairing, signature wine pairing or select wine pairing. Taking inspiration from British produce and dishes, expect exciting, inventive and unexpected creations such as Chalk Stream trout, pine cured, gooseberry tart, cherry belle radish and marinated trout roe. Other dishes might include the likes of seaweed custard with beef broth and bone marrow, Porlock oysters and caviar; Aged Cornish duck with Cylindra beetroot and Kalibos cabbage, aromatic herbs and seeds, smoked beetroot and elderberry vinegar; and Chamomile cake with cobnut cream, candied pumpkin, pumpkin juice and sea buckthorn. 

The dining room is cosy and traditional, with low ceilings and dark wooden beams to create a country house feel. It provides a relaxing contrast to the high calibre of cooking here, encouraging guests to feel relaxed while they make their way through multiple courses of Michelin-starred food.  

Guests can also book into Aulis Cartmel, which is a chef’s table experience adjacent to L’Enclume.


FAQs

Does the restaurant have a Michelin star?

It has three Michelin stars, and a Michelin green star for sustainability.

Helpful? 0

Who is the head chef?

Paul Burgalières is executive head chef of the restaurant, working under Simon Rogan.

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Is there a dress code?

There is no dress code at the restaurant.

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Meet the team
L'Enclume

Simon Rogan

Chef patron

Simon Rogan is the chef patron of three Michelin starred (and green starred) L'Enclume, which he opened nearly 20 years ago. He now also runs Our Farm, Rogan & Co., Aulis, Henrock and more. He also has a meal kit service, Simon Rogan at Home, which delivers all over the UK.


Location

Cavendish Street, Cartmel, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6PZ

01539 536362 01539 536362

Website

Opening Times

Lunch
Mon Closed
Tue Closed
Wed 12:00-13:30
Thu 12:00-13:30
Fri 12:00-13:30
Sat 12:00-13:30
Sun Closed
Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue 18:30-20:00
Wed 18:30-20:00
Thu 18:30-20:00
Fri 18:30-20:00
Sat 18:30-20:00
Sun Closed

Reviews

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8 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Mark R

29 March 2019  
Wow. 14 courses with wine. Too many tasty dishes to name in a cracking dining room. Attentive service without being ott. Will definitely be going back.

Emma B

24 April 2018  
Consistently flawless French brasserie dishes served by implausibly charming staff, in the only remaining authentic old-Soho atmosphere, all orchestrated by the city's unsung hero of English hospitality, Brian Clivaz.

David D

04 May 2017  
Sheer perfection - in terms of food, drink, service and ambience. It is clear that all involved are dedicated to making this the customer's best / perfect / most-unforgeable dining experience.

Helen L

16 August 2015  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 3.5
There’s more to Cartmel than pastry and puds… and it’s wonderful
The gregarious maître d' was generous with warmth and his time, right from the moment he bounced outside to greet our cab. Most staff are local, in keeping with L’Enclume's ingredients; the landscape produces a ludicrous natural bounty, and Simon Rogan clearly revels in all things Cartmel. But prepare for surprises. There’s no menu - exciting! Intriguing! Essential to ring ahead with dietary requirements! - and scant opportunity to gauge prices (unnerving, particularly when a wine flight's on the cards). Luckily, the lunch deal’s a doozie offering six courses for 60 quid. That’s half the damage of the 17-course evening extravaganza, but still leads to a perfectly paced gourmet experience. There were glimmers of theatre throughout, from the moment a discreet envelope appeared at the table to reveal the courses to come. Ingredients are as likely to change from table to table as they are from day to day, and the unexpected highlights for us saw fruit and veg headlining. Never has the humble carrot brought such pleasure as when salt-baked and served with a silken dumpling; then imagine poached plums turned up to 11 and served with apricot kernels ground into a fabulous, frangipani mousse. This reverential treatment of plants proved a refreshing contrast to the pastry and pudding-fest we'd encountered elsewhere in the Lakes (albeit happily), and the only time it came into question was during our final course. (A painterly plate of foraged berries, sorrel and cream was scrumptious, but lacked the technical sophistication you might expect from such a lauded kitchen). Our sommelier made fine recommendations for a food-matching flight. At risk of nitpicking, I found him a little too sure of his craft on a couple of occasions. While eager to please, he had a tendency to inform us that pairings were ‘flawless’ rather than attentively listening to our thoughts; our good-natured debate over a controversial pinotage was very-nearly dismissed in favour of his expert last word. But all was well when the magnificent cheese trolley rattled to the table - be still, my beating heart! - and even the goat sceptics in the room were wowed by the ten varieties we sampled. Having plumped for this extra course, we felt satisfied rather than stuffed, and were relieved to learn the bill was little over £100 per head (for all seven courses, an aperitif and matching wines). Along with sublime food and enthusiastic service, the sympathetic conversion of a locksmith’s workshop into L’Enclume's beauteous dining space culminates in pure joy. Undoubtedly worth a splurge.

Paul A

10 June 2015  
Food & Drink 3.5
Service 2.5
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 2.5
Not as good as before
On our previous visit, with Simon Rogan himself in the kitchen, we had raved about the experience and understood at once why so much noise was being made in the media, both general and specialist, about the approach and the execution at this stand-out restaurant. Indeed, we were at a loss as to why the big two ratings were anything less than the maximum. But that was then. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that we had booked in on a Monday and the fact that Mark Birchall was not in the kitchen and Sam Ward was having a night off from his front of house duties, but this time our general impression was less positive. We seemed more aware of the uninspiring dining room and this was accentuated by the, to us, strangely unnatural system of having staff bringing out dishes from the kitchen and standing stiffly against one wall with the trays in their hands until someone designated to wait on table was finally in a position to do so. Perhaps it was also to do with the acting wine waiter both refusing to allow my wife to take only some of the choices on the wine flight because of "weights and measures" making it impossible, something we have never heard of nor encountered anywhere else, and showing a clear disinclination to engage in a two-way discussion of the wines. In fairness, we were offered a menu reprinted with the wine flight included, which we gladly accepted, most of the staff were on top of their game, and the service tempo for the dishes, six amuses, six starters and mains and five palate cleansers and desserts, was just right. No wine was served with the initial dishes, so we made do with a perfectly respectable English rosé fizz from Hugh Johnson's favourite Ridge View. We had had some of the introductory courses before in slightly different guises, and while they were all interesting this time we were not struck as much as before by the sweetish oyster pebbles and oyster leaf, nor the squid ink crisp with crunchy chicken skin, the richness cut through by redcurrant gel, nor the smoked eel coated in ham fat and wrapped in crispy onion strings which was not really up to the scotch egg lookalike we remembered. We did enjoy the steamed oxtail dumplings bursting with flavour and contrasted with a chicken liver parfait and crunchy breadcrumbs, the raw scallop with caviar, a deliciously complementary strawberry vinegar and caramelised cauliflower cream, and the melted Tunworth topped with blackened mushroom crunch and surrounded by lamb's tongue chunks. Moving on to the next set of dishes, we commenced with fashionable and remarkably delicate salt-baked turnip wallowing in turnip soup with a set Maran egg yolk, cured pork strip and nasturtium flowers. Then came one of the highlights of the evening, just as it had been two years before, melt-in-the-mouth Cartmel valley venison tartare with a gorgeous boule of fennel both apparently infused in charcoal oil and with a local mustard cream. Things were looking promising again, and sure enough the grilled Scottish langoustine with a parsnip crisp and purée pointing up the perfect shellfish taste with the aid of some slightly salty scurvy grass was sublime. Simon Rogan seems to have a thing about artichokes, and a juicy, flavourful pack of three, Japanese, Jerusalem and globe was enclosed in a wonderful Jerusalem crisp with excellent local goat's cheese and perched on a stout vinegar smear. The following dish was less convincing: the sea bass had been poached in butter and then grilled, which had somehow modified its texture, and it was accompanied by too much smoke - smoked broccoli purée which tasted almost fishy itself, smoked bone marrow which would have great on its own, and slightly smoky mussels which unfortunately dominated the fish as far as we were concerned. The final main dish was Holker milk-fed lamb with onions cooked off in whey, ramson leaves and flowers and potato; the lamb loin and belly was tender enough, but quite honestly if tasted blind it would have been have been difficult to identify as lamb. The desserts were uniformly surprisingly light, just as well after the 12 preceding dishes. Apple tart with gingerbread ice cream was really special, birch sap (akin to maple syrup we were informed) with an oat granola and muscovado caramel tuile had a touch of American diner about it, beetroot in apple jelly with minty tasting apple marigold leaf and home-baked cobnut cake came on a thick, heavy chunk of slate almost too heavy to set down easily on the table, and finally a spectacular sheep's milk ice cream quenelle with granité and chunks of lovely Yorkshire rhubarb, sweet wafers and delightful sorrel leaf and smear. The signature cornets, apple, pear and cream cheese, rounded the evening off, and as we reflected on why our impressions were what they were, we posited the theory that perhaps there are now more restaurants that have caught up with L'enclume, thus making it seem less special.

Paul A

20 May 2015  
Food & Drink 4
Service 3
Atmosphere 3
Value 4
Not as good as before
On our previous visit, with Simon Rogan himself in the kitchen, we had raved about the experience and understood at once why so much noise was being made in the media, both general and specialist, about the approach and the execution at this stand-out restaurant. Indeed, we were at a loss as to why the big two ratings were anything less than the maximum. But that was then. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that we had booked in on a Monday and the fact that Mark Birchall was not in the kitchen and Sam Ward was having a night off from his front of house duties, but this time our general impression was less positive. We seemed more aware of the uninspiring dining room and this was accentuated by the, to us, strangely unnatural system of having staff bringing out dishes from the kitchen and standing stiffly against one wall with the trays in their hands until someone designated to wait on table was finally in a position to do so. Perhaps it was also to do with the acting wine waiter both refusing to allow my wife to take only some of the choices on the wine flight because of "weights and measures" making it impossible, something we have never heard of nor encountered anywhere else, and showing a clear disinclination to engage in a two-way discussion of the wines. In fairness, we were offered a menu reprinted with the wine flight included, which we gladly accepted, most of the staff were on top of their game, and the service tempo for the dishes, six amuses, six starters and mains and five palate cleansers and desserts, was just right. No wine was served with the initial dishes, so we made do with a perfectly respectable English rosé fizz from Hugh Johnson's favourite Ridge View. We had had some of the introductory courses before in slightly different guises, and while they were all interesting this time we were not struck as much as before by the sweetish oyster pebbles and oyster leaf, nor the squid ink crisp with crunchy chicken skin, the richness cut through by redcurrant gel, nor the smoked eel coated in ham fat and wrapped in crispy onion strings which was not really up to the scotch egg lookalike we remembered. We did enjoy the steamed oxtail dumplings bursting with flavour and contrasted with a chicken liver parfait and crunchy breadcrumbs, the raw scallop with caviar, a deliciously complementary strawberry vinegar and caramelised cauliflower cream, and the melted Tunworth topped with blackened mushroom crunch and surrounded by lamb's tongue chunks. Moving on to the next set of dishes, we commenced with fashionable and remarkably delicate salt-baked turnip wallowing in turnip soup with a set Maran egg yolk, cured pork strip and nasturtium flowers. Then came one of the highlights of the evening, just as it had been two years before, melt-in-the-mouth Cartmel valley venison tartare with a gorgeous boule of fennel both apparently infused in charcoal oil and with a local mustard cream. Things were looking promising again, and sure enough the grilled Scottish langoustine with a parsnip crisp and purée pointing up the perfect shellfish taste with the aid of some slightly salty scurvy grass was sublime. Simon Rogan seems to have a thing about artichokes, and a juicy, flavourful pack of three, Japanese, Jerusalem and globe was enclosed in a wonderful Jerusalem crisp with excellent local goat's cheese and perched on a stout vinegar smear. The following dish was less convincing: the sea bass had been poached in butter and then grilled, which had somehow modified its texture, and it was accompanied by too much smoke - smoked broccoli purée which tasted almost fishy itself, smoked bone marrow which would have great on its own, and slightly smoky mussels which unfortunately dominated the fish as far as we were concerned. The final main dish was Holker milk-fed lamb with onions cooked off in whey, ramson leaves and flowers and potato; the lamb loin and belly was tender enough, but quite honestly if tasted blind it would have been have been difficult to identify as lamb. The desserts were uniformly surprisingly light, just as well after the 12 preceding dishes. Apple tart with gingerbread ice cream was really special, birch sap (akin to maple syrup we were informed) with an oat granola and muscovado caramel tuile had a touch of American diner about it, beetroot in apple jelly with minty tasting apple marigold leaf and home-baked cobnut cake came on a thick, heavy chunk of slate almost too heavy to set down easily on the table, and finally a spectacular sheep's milk ice cream quenelle with granité and chunks of lovely Yorkshire rhubarb, sweet wafers and delightful sorrel leaf and smear. The signature cornets, apple, pear and cream cheese, rounded the evening off, and as we reflected on why our impressions were what they were, we posited the theory that perhaps there are now more restaurants that have caught up with L'enclume, thus making it seem less special.

Jon B

14 October 2013  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Lunchtime treat
On a thoroughly wet & miserable day in Cumbria, I was fortunate enough to have a lunch booking at L’enclume, a 2 michelin starred restaurant, also rated the week before my visit (September 2013), as the best restaurant in the country by The Good Food Guide. (given 10/10, the only other to get this is The Fat Duck of Heston Blumenthal!) Having looked up various sites on the internet to try to get a menu, (even their own site doesn’t list one) my best guess would have been a selection from the pictures I viewed on Tripadvisor. Anyway, we could choose between the 6 course lunch menu at £45 per head, or the 21 course tasting menu at £120 per head. The lunch menu was nearer to my budget! (although I had been saving for a good while for it too!) Drinks were ordered (water for me as the car driver ?) 1; Cod “yolk” with watercress, runner bean, salt & vinegar. – the “yolk” was a gel filled with something like a brandade, on a bed of salted crisped rice. Initially this seemed a little salty, but if you combine a bit of each element then it works well. 2; Atlas carrots, hen of the woods, truffle, nasturtium. Well I couldn’t detect truffle, but again the balance of the whole thing was excellent, the whole carrot just done so had texture, the hot soup over saw a little “melting” of the cream quenelle, and the pepper of the leaves adding against the sweetness and cream. The bread rolls arrived with this course, a stout and grain one, an onion and wholemeal, and a plain. Served with whipped butter that had a slight cheesey hint. These were excellent. 3; Valley venison, charcoal oil, mustard, fennel. Served raw, not a carpaccio but not a tartare either. Tender small dice of venison, made zingy with mustard, the aniseed of the fennel and the sharp onion rings. Delicious. 4; Suckling British lop, turnip, leek, blackberry. Porcine perfection! The crackling on the pork as thin, crispy and delicate as a tuile biscuit, the meat moist but not fatty, the charred leek giving contrast of chew, crunch from the baby turnip, sweetness from the blackberry and a “jus” of deeply intense porky flavour I just had to use my finger to dip up every spot of it (It wouldn’t have done to lick the plate!) 5; Plum with malt and brown sugar. Soft sweet plum dice under a caramel icecream, surrounded by crispy malt with a caramel shard. Another dish of taste and texture contrasts. 6; Meadowseeet, blueberry, bucklers sorrel, walnut. Here the meadowsweet was incorporated into the mousse, a sweet light tang but a bigger tang from the blueberry and puree it sat on. Another different tang from the sorrel, and a nice crunch and sweetness from the walnut crumble. Finished with coffee but didn’t ask for petit fours. You might think you would be hungry looking at the size of the portions, but i was well fed, perhaps because i had an extra bread roll? Who knows? Final bill with 2 drinks and 2 coffees included was £153 for 3 people. (No charge for tap water) I would go again as a treat, save up even longer for the full 21 course taster, as although the menu “changes” often, you may see from the tripadvisor pictures many of the elements are repeated so only seems minor changes. It is an experience to do at least once though.

Wendy M

11 July 2013  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 5
Move over Heston, Simon Rogan is about to sprint passed…….
A masterful performance by L’Enclume Restaurant, was slightly let down by their accommodation. Eventually issues were put right regarding the room, which is all that mattered. The restaurant is where the looks, the taste and the textures vie for position. For me, Sunday 7th July was an evening of sheer joy and delectable food. Discussions were inevitably focused on the topic too. Mr Rogan ensures that balanced flavours and interesting textures come first but sometimes the subject looks so gorgeous that one hesitates to dismantle the casual, and yet precise arrangement. The props of ceramic sacks, wood and slate etc. thankfully do not detract from the main event appearing before your eyes, whilst your ear tries to assimilate the detailed description, enthusiastically and knowledgeably delivered (by one delightful lady in particular whose name escapes me). All staff, however, deserve mention. I don’t think I have ever been so close to being mesmerised by a ‘plate’ of food. I do not favour statistics, but it is impossible to ignore the fact that in one evening alone, as many as a thousand dishes pass under the chef’s eye – 20 courses per head. To achieve this is no mean feat in itself, but to deliver with such precision, beauty and consistently good flavour causes rapturous waves to ripple through the dining space (I was clearly not alone in opinion). L’Enclume surpassed enjoyment delivered in Bray’s Fat Duck, although it is a number of years since I have dined there. Having sampled Roganic in London, I couldn’t have dreamt that L’Enclume could be quite this good – what the chef does is not only clever, but exceedingly well thought through and refreshingly very British. Our English sparkling wine took us through the first 8 morsels, which included sensational smoked eel with ham fat encased in a crisp crumbed exterior. Crispy intertwined strands of potato and onion, a piece of chicken skin and black pudding, asparagus with crab to name a few. Then there was a divine turnip and ‘English’ truffle dish which also left us wanting more…… Wild sea bass was divine and then the duck left me almost lost for words. As if this wasn’t enough my partner had alternatives to fish and I tasted his sublime roasted cauliflower. We chose a very good burgundy with the help of the sommelier which lasted through to the main course. Two stunning dessert wines, completely contrasting but complemented the range of delicious dessert selection. What I like so much is that the menu changes regularly according to season. Produce is sourced locally and even better some ingredients are foraged. Everyone deserves a taste of heaven and in L’Enclume this is probably the closest anyone of us will get. Simon Rogan himself was at the pass. Had he not been there, then I would have been astounded at the impeccable standard.
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01539 536362 01539 536362

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