L’Enclume (*) – Cartmel, England

I've recently returned from a short stay in the UK's Lake District, the main reason of which was to visit L'Enclume (I also visited Heft in High Newton, and Albatross Death Cult on my way back to London via Birmingham; I'll write about those separately in the coming days).

This won't be a long review, as by and large I concur with the many reviews that have come and gone of L'Enclume to date, which is that this is one of the UK's finest restaurants (for me, there's not much in it between L'Enclume and The Fat Duck, but they both do different things, so it is like comparing apples to oranges. That, and comparison being the thief of joy, as the saying goes).

Some context: L'Enclume (French for 'Anvil') is situated in a 13th Century blacksmith's in the little village of Cartmel in the Lake District. Holding three Michelin stars, the restaurant was opened by Simon Rogan in 2002, and was a pioneer of the farm-to-table movement in the UK; nearly all of the produce used in their cooking comes from the twelve-acre farm a mile down the road. Cartmel is a village whereby the Rogan influence has thoroughly permeated; as well as the restaurant and farm, there is a unit that is used for pickling (head pickler is known among the restaurant staff as The Pickle Prince) and dry-aging; a homeware shop; rooms in multiple locations; and Rogan & Co, the one Michelin star restaurant where I had breakfast the night after staying at L'Enclume. There are probably more parts of the Empire based in Cartmel that I have missed.

For the 20th Anniversary, L'Enclume commissioned a pewter cutlery set from Smith Alex Pole, which are used throughout services today. Service is attentive and informative, as one would expect from a three star, with tables generously spaced so as to offer privacy for each party of guests. The food itself is beautifully and delicately plated, portion sizes running small so as to emphasise savouring the flavours in each bite. I found that – bar a few dishes – the emphasis is less on producing rich and/or punchy flavours, but more about creating dishes that highlight the excellent quality of the fresh produce. There really wasn't a poorly-conceived dish on the menu; all desserts were fabulous (and varied, though the frozen cheese with malt crumb was a particular standout), while the potatoes with crispy chicken skin, and the seaweed custard with kelp and oysters, were both dishes where each element could be clearly picked out, but also together created these wonderfully deep flavours. The pork dishes also deserve a mention – as finest an homage to pork as one could hope for.

A thoroughly enjoyable meal in a pleasantly rural setting, when I think of restaurants doing the absolute best with British produce, L'Enclume sits at the top of that list.

Courses:

1. Cherry Belle radish, preserved rose and Chalk Stream trout tart, juices infused with cherry blossom (pictured second, with the rest following)
2. Fritter of Duroc pig and smoked eel, lovage and fermented sweetcorn
3. Corra Linn pudding caramelised in Birch sap, Stout vinegar, aged Corra Linn
4. Boltardy beetroot with hogweed, rosehips and salted Cornish mackerel
5. Sweet Belle turnips cooked with dulse, Orkney scallop, lemon verbena, horseradish
6. Red King Edward potatoes cooked in chicken fat, crisp skin, pickled walnut and Doddington
7. Pumpernickel and onion butter
8. Marjoram brined Gem lettuce and elderflower, grilled langoustine from Gairloch, oxalis
9. Seaweed custard, Maldon oysters, sugar kelp, beef tendon broth and bone marrow
10. West Coast turbot steamed with pine, Spring brassicas, fungi sauce with yellow wine.
11. Grilled pork neck from Gaythorne Hall farm, Duncan cabbage, black apple and fig leaf
12. Blood sausage dumpling, Ibis celeriac and braised Gaythorne Hall pork, pickled Primor garlic, preserved Welsh truffle
13. Frozen Tunworth cheese, malt crumb, Champagne rhubarb and lemon thyme
14. Malwina strawberries and perilla syrup, pumpkin seeds, meadowsweet
15. 'Anvil' – caramel mousse with miso, apple and spruce (pictured first)
16. Petits fours – sweet Cicely, pine cone, tart, mint stones