L’Enclume
We had forgotten to bring the directions on how to find L’Enclume in Cartmel. It was easy enough to find Cartmel - the OS map helped with that, but we drove around looking in vain for L’Enclume. So we had to park and call the restaurant.
L’Enclume is down a narrow street, through a 14th Century archway off the village square. It is the old blacksmith’s (l’enclume is French for anvil).
Our room (Beaumont and Fletcher) was spacious and comfortable, and we had time for a relaxing bath after our walk up the Old Man of Coniston and before dinner.
Dinner
It is difficult to think of the right superlatives for this meal, and it confirms Simon Rogan as one of the UK’s most exciting chefs. We decided on the Introduction menu, although we could have gone for the Intermediate or Gourmand (20 course) menus!
- Flavours on a whim, take it as you want
cheese froth, a shot glass with beetroot jelly, pea jelly and pea foam and a cocktail stick with cheese, pea, beetroot and ham). Just a pre-starter! - Parsnip and tonka bean cream, grains of paradise, malt extract
a creamy soup, flavoured with Jamaican spices. - Glazed pork cheeks as seen previously but in a new way
the most tender pork cheeks, almost oxtail in their depth of flavour. - Diver caught sea scallops, salsify and shrimp, hot violet mayonnaise
Superb flavours, perfectly cooked scallops. - Lightly smoked sea bass, smith apples, walnut and watercress
a delicate sea bass, perfectly combined with the apple and walnut. - 24 hours lamb shoulder, feta cheese flageolet, cardamom milk
the combination of tender lamb with feta cheese was a surprising pleasure, and the background tastes of mustard and cardomom gave this dish an astonishing depth of flavour. My second favourite dish of the evening. - Cheese table
we could not resist this - the cheese board had around 20 French and English cheeses, all in perfect condition. - Expearamenthol frappe
pear jelly covered in a richly aromatic eucalyptus mousse. Wow! - Upside down coconut souoffle, mili-melo
the souffle was turned out at the table, and covered in a buttery cinnamon sauce, and served with a fairly solid pineapple jelly and a chocolate ice cream. Not sure if all the tastes themed together for this one. - Coffee and petit fours
the coffee was good, but the petit fours didn’t arrive. No matter, we were stuffed anyway!
We groaned up to bed and slept soundly all night!
Breakfast
Luckily, breakfast service did not start until 9 am. By then we were ready for fresh fruit, porridge and a nicely presented eggs benedict. We needed a walk after that, even in the rain!
Overall verdict: This could be the best restaurant in the UK, it is definitely at the top of my list, along with Hibiscus. I still think the whole atmosphere of Hibiscus means that it is top of the tree, still.