food

UK’s best restaurant in Cumbria, northern England

August 27, 2015

Simon Rogan is the chef at L'Enclume and Fera at Claridge's. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, August 27, 2015.In the UK, since 1951, the "Good Food Guide" has been the go-to for epicureans looking for the best culinary addresses. This year, for the third time in a row, the guide's experts have unanimously judged L'Enclume, in northwest England's Cumbria county, to be the top culinary destination in the UK.

The 2016 "Good Food Guide" won't hit shelves until September 7 but the legendary guide's inspectors have already revealed their winners. For the third consecutive year they were all blown away by what Chef Simon Rogan is serving at his restaurant in the village of Cartmel.

The chef draws inspiration from the produce in his garden to serve organic cuisine in his bucolic restaurant. The building that houses the restaurant is made of stone, a perfect representation of the traditional British countryside, and has a 5-hectare farm behind it. Simon Rogan is one of the country's most lauded chefs, and his other address, located in London, took the 12th spot on the rankings. That restaurant is called Fera at Claridge's.

Gordon Ramsay in second place

Food television mainstay Gordon Ramsay is also on the podium, proving that his TV career hasn't diminished his ability to please the critics. The Scottish chef has taken silver with his eponymous London restaurant, moving up one spot from last year.

Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck did not make the list this year. However, this is due to the fact that the culinary heavyweight's restaurant, located in Bray, in Berkshire, was closed for renovations during the guide inspectors' tour. The famed address should reopen in September.

The "Good Food Guide" this year also includes staples such as Gavroche (13th), in London's Mayfair neighbourhood, where French chef Michel Roux has already been granted two stars by Michelin. His son, Alain Roux, is responsible for The Waterside Inn, also located in Bray, which in 2010 became the first restaurant outside of France to retain three Michelin stars for 25 years and is a regular in the "Good Food Guide" rankings (22nd in 2016 and 23rd last year).

The complete rankings list the 50 best restaurants in the UK.

More than 1,200 comments accompany the addresses detailed in the guide, which is already available for pre-order. The guidebook also includes the rankings of the 50 best pubs.

Here is the list of the 50 best restaurants in the UK (and their food ratings):

1 L'Enclume, Cumbria (10)

2 Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London (10)

3 Pollen Street Social, London (9)

4 Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Cornwall (9)

5 Hibiscus, London (9)

6 Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottinghamshire (9)

7 Midsummer House, Cambridgeshire (8)

8 The Ledbury, London (8)

9 Fraiche, Merseyside (8)

10 Le Champignon Sauvage, Gloucestershire (8)

11 The Square, London (8)

12 Fera at Claridges, London (8)

13 Le Gavroche, London (8)

14 Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Tayside (8)

15 Marcus, London (8)

16 Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire (8)

17 The French, Manchester (8)

18 André Garrett at Cliveden, Berkshire (8)

19 Whatley Manor, The Dining Room, Wiltshire (8)

20 The Kitchin, Edinburgh (7)

21 Bohemia, Jersey (7)

22 The Waterside Inn, Berkshire (7)

23 Artichoke, Buckinghamshire (7)

24 Restaurant James Sommerin, Glamorgan (7)

25 Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London (7)

26 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London (7)

27 Paul Ainsworth at No. 6, Cornwall (7)

28 Casamia, Bristol (7)

29 Adam's, Birmingham (7)

30 Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh (7)

31 Pied à Terre, London (7)

32 Restaurant Story, London (7)

33 Murano, London (7)

34 Ynyshir Hall, Powys (7)

35 Sketch, London (7)

36 Llangoed Hall, Powys (7)

37 Hedone, London (7)

38 Hambleton Hall, Rutland (7)

39 The Peat Inn, Fife (7)

40 Gidleigh Park, Devon (7)

41 Fischer's Baslow Hall, Derbyshire (7)

42 Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire (7)

43 The Hand & Flowers, Buckinghamshire (6)

44 Yorke Arms, Ramsgill, Yorkshire (6)

45 The Dairy, London (6)

46 OX, Belfast (6)

47 The Raby Hunt, Durham (6)

48 Lake Road Kitchen, Cumbria (6)

49 The Sportsman, Kent (6)

50 Northcote, Lancashire (6). – AFP/Relaxnews, August 27, 2015.