Chef Simon Rogan’s Cumbrian restaurant, L’Enclume, has achieved the top spot in Waitrose Good Food Guide 20141 for the very first time, it is revealed today, as the bestselling restaurant guide publishes its annual ranking of the UK’s Top 50 restaurants2.
Restaurants in the Good Food Guide are awarded a cooking score out of ten, with L’Enclume achieving the top score for the second year in a row. In the number two spot is Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, which has scored a perfect ten for six years in a row – longer than any other restaurant since the guide adopted its current scoring system3. Currently, L’Enclume and The Fat Duck are the only two restaurants in the UK to achieve such a score.
Elizabeth Carter, Consultant Editor of the Good Food Guide, explains what makes L’Enclume so special: ‘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.’
Simon Rogan, head chef at L’Enclume, comments on his success: ‘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. The development of the infrastructure behind the scenes has also been a key factor to our success as we are constantly evolving and improving what we have in place, and will continue to do so.’
The Good Food Guide’s annual Top 50 restaurant ranking is highly regarded by chefs and restaurant-goers alike, with particular attention paid to those chefs and restaurants who make it into the Top 10. The 2014 edition has seen all ten restaurants from 2013 hang on to their Top 10 ranking, with Cornish favourite Restaurant Nathan Outlaw rising to number three. Restaurant Sat Bains, in Nottinghamshire, and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London are at the number four and five respectively. Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social in London remains at number six. Hibiscus, The Square and The Ledbury, also in London, have risen to spots seven, eight and nine respectively. Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is ranked at number ten.
ENDS
Details of the top 10 restaurants, including cooking scores, are as follows:
Cooking scores are between one and ten. Last year’s Top 50 ranking is shown in brackets.
1. L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria. Cooking score 10. (2)
2. The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire. Cooking score 10. (1)
3. Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Rock, Cornwall. Cooking score 9. (5)
4. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham. Cooking score 9. (3)
5. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London. Cooking score 9. (4)
6. Pollen Street Social, London. Cooking score 9. (6)
7. Hibiscus, London. Cooking score 8. (8)
8. The Square, London. Cooking score 8. (9)
9. The Ledbury, London. Cooking score 8. (10)
10. Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire. Cooking score 8. (7)
Rest of the Top 50 Restaurants in Waitrose Good Food Guide 2014 (cooking scores in brackets)
11. Le Champignon Sauvage, Gloucestershire (8)
12. The French, Manchester (8)
13. Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, London (8)
14. Midsummer House, Cambridgeshire (8)
15. Le Gavroche, London (8)
16. Whatley Manor, The Dining Room, Wiltshire (8)
17. Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London (8)
18. The Waterside Inn, Berkshire (7)
19. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London (7)
20. Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Tayside (7)
21. The Kitchin, Edinburgh (7)
22. Pied-à-Terre, London (7)
23. Fraiche, Merseyside (7)
24. Gidleigh Park, Devon (7)
25. Michael Wignall at the Latymer, Surrey (7)
26. Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh (7)
27. Murano, London (7)
28. The Peat Inn, Fife (7)
29. Fischer’s Baslow Hall, Derbyshire (7)
30. Hambleton Hall, Rutland (7)
31. Artichoke, Buckinghamshire (7)
32. Paul Ainsworth at No. 6, Cornwall (7)
33. The Pass, West Sussex (7)
34. The Old Vicarage, Ridgeway, Derbyshire (7)
35. The Hand & Flowers, Buckinghamshire (6)
36. Mr Underhill’s, Shropshire (6)
37. Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, London (6)
38. Purnell’s, West Midlands (6)
39. The Sportsman, Kent (6)
40. Tyddyn Llan, Denbighshire (6)
41. The Yorke Arms, Ramsgill, North Yorkshire (6)
42. Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire (6)
43. OX, Belfast (6)
44. The Royal Oak, Paley Street, Berkshire (6)
45. The Red Lion, East Chisenbury, Wiltshire (6)
46. Castle Terrace, Edinburgh (6)
47. Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor, Cheshire (6)
48. The Clove Club, London (6)
49. The Box Tree, West Yorkshire (6)
50. Tuddenham Mill, Suffolk (6)
