Starry starry night

Finally! We went away & it all (pretty much) worked out! To celebrate our 5th year of wedded bliss we booked a stunning restaurant (L'Enclume), a stunning 2 bed cottage 5 metres from the door of the restaurant in a stunning village (Cartmel) in the stunning south lakes. Yes, stunning. There were bed issues (as there always are - WHY do cottage people think you want to sleep on a marshmallow? Just one night in the soft mess & I was swallowing painkillers & being carried by hubby; naturally we then swapped rooms and the second night was, if not brilliant, better) so on balance all was excellent.

The weather was kind, the antique shops & cafes were amazing, the pubs were brilliant; as well as L'Enclume we ate at Nigel Howarths pub The Bull at Broughton - I had a celeriac souffle to die for -  but the rest of this blog is dedicated to L'Enclume.

I must admit FauxSurreyHubby & I were more than a tad nervous as we reached the restuarant door. We had read mixed reviews, we are difficult customers (he is seriously allergic to nuts & all soft fruit, me a sort of veggie I eat fish but loathe shellfish ..) and there was no menu and no sense of what we would be offered as Simon Rogan, the chef & proprietor is well known as a forager. He gets the best of what he can on the day. But our concerns were dissipated the second we walked in. The staff were amazing. The sommellier was brilliant, the maitre d' a joy. No pompous service or people looking down their noses but a heap of personable talented & engaging people.

And the food. 17 courses of sheer bliss. All foibles were catered for and each dish superceded the last for inventiveness & sheer brilliance of flavours. I have my personalised menu somewhere in the house but am still unpacking so from memory I was knocked out by a duck egg yolk with baby leeks & onion ash; a pocket full of scrambled eggs & garlic & light potato foam; stunning Jersualem artichokes (no idea what they did to them but OMG) and a mouthful of creamy perfectly cooked Hake.

I did have 2 tiny 'hmm not sure' moments, for 2 of the pud courses but I am not really a pud person and the flavours were slightly bizarre BUT they were meant to be! Overall top marks. 10/10 and I would go back in a heartbeat & would encourage EVERYONE to go there & taste a piece of heaven at least once on their lives!