Food and Drink

L’Enclume, Cavendish Street, Cartmel, Cumbria, LA11 6PZ - Visit now

On its 2nd Michelin star, Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume is an idyllic combination of location, exciting cooking, ingredients sourced mainly from the restaurant’s own six acre farm (whatever’s to hand dictates the menu and not the other way around) and, remarkably for such fine dining a very relaxed atmosphere with almost rustic charm. It is far from cheap but if innovative, theatrical food is your thing get saving. They also have 15 gorgeous rooms.

Rogan & Company, Devonshire Square, Cartmel, Cartmel, Cumbria, LA11 6QD - Visit now

Sister venue to L’Enclume is Rogan & Company, also situated in Cartmel – a sleepy village straight out of an Enid Blyton book. Once inside the venue is much like the menu, modern and understated. As you’d expect from one of the most exciting chefs in Britain, Rogan & Company serves up exceptional food. It takes a special touch to take familiar ingredients and turn them into awe-inspiring dishes without resorting to gastro-molecular gimmicks.

Forest Side Restaurant, Keswick Road, Grasmere, Ambleside, LA22 9RN - Visit now

In just a couple of years, Forest Side has become one of Cumbria’s most outstanding restaurants. Suitably, considering his surname, Kevin Tickle’s tasting menu brims over with sheer fun – full of lively colours and playful imagery that enhance the brilliance of each dish. This is more than matched by the front-of-house, who are some of the most engaging and entertaining waiting staff in the North of England.

The Gaddum Restaurant, Lake District Visitor Centre, Windermere, LA23 1LJ - Visit now

The Gaddum Restaurant has its sense of self nailed down: classic British cooking, with a modern high-end twist, in a laid-back beautiful location.  As you’d expect – this is the Lake District after all – the surroundings are stunning.