L’Enclume was the main reason for the road trip in November. A five hour or so drive from my home in Surrey to Cartmel is no mean feat, especially for someone who suffers from travel sickness. I blame my weak inner ear fluid. My desire to visit L’Enclume was born from my visit to Fera at Claridges (which Simon Rogan has recently announced parting ties with) earlier in the year. By no means was the meal at Fera bad. It felt rather industrialised which is unsurprising giving the number of covers. The cooking was polite and correct, but lacked character. It lacked soul. But as Rogan’s food is so highly rated by both food writers and chefs alike, I decided to make the long trek up to Cartmel to experience his cooking first hand.
My husband and I had a bit of a mini holiday up in the Lake District. I clearly use way too many hair products as I had earned us enough points buying Aveda products for two free nights at a spa hotel on Lake Windermere (annoyingly not good on weekends and also I don’t use that many as it took me about ten years worth of gathering points). It also included two free massages, so it seemed like a nice relaxing trip. We also found out that Simon Rogan’s restaurant L’Enclume in only a twenty minute taxi ride away, so we decided that if we were going to be in the Lake District, we should probably eat at the best restaurant there, right?
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Getting to L’Enclume is an adventure in itself as it isn’t exactly a stone’s throw from central London. However, the trip is more than worth it. The Lake District is stunning and the entire L’Enclume experience is certainly one to remember (and definitely one you will want to repeat!).
We opted to stay in the restaurant’s own accommodation, which is conveniently located in the tiny village centre of Cartmel. I could not recommend doing this more! The rooms are simple but comfortable, suitably rustic and very homely. Furthermore, the room included a lovely breakfast at Rogan and Company the following morning, which which proved to be the perfect way to end our stay.
As far as dinner goes, L’Enclume was perhaps the most enjoyable and delicious meal I have had in the UK to date. Service was polished and professional but also kept it fun and friendly. Each and every dish was beautifully presented and totally tasty, with my absolute favourite part being the parade of snacks we were presented with at the beginning to get us started.
If you get the chance, request to be seated in the conservatory out the back to get pretty garden views and an all together brighter dining experience.
But to be fair, wherever you end up, I don't think you will be disappointed.
I absolutely cannot wait to go back! My only apprehension is that I would hate to have an experience even so much as slightly less enjoyable than my first...and it is hard to beat perfection.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes