While many picturesque villages struggle to keep a pub or even a shop ticking over in the current climate, stroll into the village of Cartmel in Cumbria and it's an extraordinary gastronomic scene. There are cafes, there are bakeries, there are bars, pubs and an ice cream parlour - and at the heart of it all are two restaurants that can lay claim to FOUR Michelin Stars between them.
Over the past 20 years, thanks in no small part to the culinary genius of chef Simon Rogan, this idyllic village has become a foodie hotspot quite like no other. L'Enclume, his original Cartmel restaurant, claimed its third Michelin Star earlier this year making it the most celebrated restaurant in the north.
Based inside a former smithy (L'Enclume is the French for anvil) the restaurant is one of only 135 restaurants across the world to hold three Michelin stars, deemed to be the highest foodie accolade. In 2018, his second Cartmel restaurant, Rogan & Co, also won its first Michelin Star.
