Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume restaurant in Cumbria has been crowned with the top spot in Waitrose’s Good Food Guide for 2014 for the very first time beating The Fat Duck to the post who has held it for the last six years.
Rogan scored top marks for a second year in a row for his cooking at Le’Enclume but also scored 8/10 for his other restaurant The French at the Midland hotel in Manchester, taking the award for Best New Entry. L'Enclume and the Fat Duck are the only two restaurants in the country to score 10/10 in the guide, and it is the sixth year in a row that the Fat Duck has achieved a perfect 10, longer than any other restaurant under the current scoring system, which has been in place since 1998.
Simon Rogan, head chef at L’Enclume, said: “I’m so proud of my staff and this phenomenal achievement with The Good Food Guide. This is something we have always dreamed about. We have received this accolade because of our focus on both the food product and the customer - keeping it natural and fresh in the kitchen, and friendly but professional in the dining room.”
Elizabeth Carter, consultant editor of the Good Food Guide, said: ‘After achieving the top score in last year’s Guide, Rogan and his team haven’t missed a beat, despite the pressures of the past year – from opening the French at the Midland Hotel in Manchester to overseeing a pop-up restaurant in London. Rogan rightfully takes his place as leader of the pack when it comes to modern British cooking. His fantastic way with seasonal ingredients from the Cumbrian land and coast brings dishes that are a joyful celebration of this county’s magnificent diversity. L’Enclume is truly deserving of the number one spot.’
The Good Food Guide, which has been in publication for 63-years now, is now owned by Waitrose after they acquired it from Which? last month. This was the first year the publication was published and now sits within Waitrose’s expanding portfolio of foodie publications which include weekly newspaper Waitrose Weekend and monthly magazine Waitrose Kitchen. The retailer also operates Waitrose TV, via its website Waitrose.com, which offers cookery and gardening advice.
The top 10 restaurants chosen by the guide are as followed: L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria; The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire; Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Rock, Cornwall; Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham; Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London; Pollen Street Social, London; Hibiscus, London; The Square, London; The Ledbury, London; and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire.