Rogan & Co
Cartmel, Cumbria
There’s a modest elegance about this neighbourhood restaurant in the quiet southerly reaches of the Lake District. White walls, alluring photography of Lakeland fells, and simply laid tables are reminders that you’re in the realm of Rogan, a place where unfussy deliciousness and a peerless approach to ingredients rule. Snacks launch a refreshingly uncomplicated offer from head chef Tom Reeves. A tartlet with whipped cod's roe is palate-quickening; a Parmesan sablé with artichoke cream and flutter of petals is richer; a croquette of mushroom and truffle duxelles umami-laden. To follow, Simon Rogan's 'Our Farm' provides ‘Aynsome offerings’ (the farm is on Aynsome Lane, just outside Cartmel), a pert little bowl of carefully prepped veg. Green beans are fresh from an exuberant harvest, so too little kale leaves, purple-tinged baby turnips and peppery nasturtium. They’re combined with fermented cucumber and pickled radish from last year, the tussle of ingredients anchored by a forthright sauce of Isle of Mull Cheddar. Elsewhere, tenderly smoked eel tumbles around a caramelised potato terrine that's dotted with two emulsions (one of eel, the other of wild garlic), its richness balanced by a buttermilk and mussel sauce that's split prettily with dill oil. Mains might centre on Jerusalem artichoke or a sublime piece of hake, grilled just-so and served with spinach cooked in miso butter, plus a fermented celeriac and mussel sauce. The tenderest St Brides chicken breast is stuffed with hen of the woods mousse (the mushroom is also roasted for that umami win) – the dehydrated skin mixed with toasted yeast provides yet more umami, and acts as a foil for sweet heritage carrots. A mirror-glossy chicken sauce ties everything together gloriously. Proper puds include dark chocolate fondant with apple marigold, and a playfully nostalgic vanilla rice pudding that’s pitch-perfect on an early autumn day – served in a wooden bowl with blackcurrant sorbet, fresh blackberries, toasted macadamia nuts and crimson oxalis. Coffee provides a bolster, while bouncy little sticky toffee pudding madeleines nod in a neighbourly way to what is arguably Cartmel's most famous export. A creative cocktail list includes spirits infused with Our Farm pickings – anyone for a woodruff Old Fashioned? – while the wine list leans towards natural styles, suggesting plenty of 125ml pours before topping out at £185 for a Californian Cabernet. Service is notable, from the confidence of a young apprentice waiter to the expertise of restaurant manager Kayleigh Thorogood.
Dining Information:
Accommodation, Wheelchair access, Credit card required
Devonshire Square, Cartmel, Cumbria LA11 6QD
015395 35917
