How a tiny Cumbrian village became the nation’s gourmet capital
telegraph.co.ukL’Enclume, in the medieval village of Cartmel on the fringes of the Lake District, became one of only eight restaurants in the country currently to hold three Michelin stars.
The Dog & Gun Inn in Skelton also received one, swelling the Cumbrian constellation to 10. The county has 50,000 inhabitants per star; London has 99,000.L’Enclume is Britain’s first restaurant outside London or Berkshire to win a prestigious third star, and only the 13th in this country’s history.
Some modern chefs downplay Michelin’s importance but, for Simon Rogan, L’Enclume’s chef-owner, this is the pinnacle. ‘I became a blubbering wreck,’ he says the day after the news was announced. ‘It’s a dream come true.
Every chef worth their salt’s ambition is to obtain three Michelin stars. But they’re not my stars, they’re L’Enclume’s.’Bookings have gone through the roof – since the pandemic there has barely been an empty seat anyway, thanks to more travel within the UK – for the £195 tasting menu of 15-16 courses.Gastronomically speaking, the North is now leading the way.
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