L'Enclume named UK's best restaurant in 2017 Good Food Guide

By Sophie Witts

- Last updated on GMT

Good Food Guide 2017 names UK's top 50 restaurants

Related tags Good food guide Restaurant nathan outlaw Michelin guide starred restaurants and chefs Heston blumenthal London

Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume has been named the UK’s best restaurant for the fourth year running in the 2017 Waitrose Good Food Guide

The Cumbrian fine dining restaurant won praise for its 17-course tasting menu made using ingredients grown on L’Enclume’s own 12-acre farm.

It beat off competition from Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Port Isaac, which took the second spot in the top 50 after being awarded a ‘perfect 10’ rating for the first time.

"It's amazing news to be number one for the fourth year running,” said Rogan.

“It’s a huge achievement but could not happen without a massive team effort. For me, it’s a privilege to lead this outstanding group of people. There’s no doubt that L’Enclume is approaching the most creative period in its history, and achieving the quality I dreamed of when I first opened its doors.”

James Close, from The Raby Hunt in Darlington, was named Chef of the Year, while Orwells in Henley took the title of Restaurant of the Year.

This year’s edition also features the first award for Best Front-of-House team, which was won by Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social in London.

Ben Murphy, from The Woodford in London, was named as Chef to Watch.

Good food Guide editor Elizabeth Carter, who is celebrating her 10th year in the role, described the last decade as a ‘golden era’ for UK restaurants.

“London will always have an extraordinary wealth of top restaurants and chefs but I love the fact that the restaurant scene is flourishing beyond the capital; more affordable start-up costs outside of London have made our great regional cities viable dining destinations,” said Carter.

Some of the more unusual entrants in this year’s Guide include three shipping container restaurants, a gourmet café at the Gloucester Services on the M5, and Shuck’s at the Yurt, which is housed in a tent in Norfolk.

The Good Food Guide’s Top 50 Restaurants 2017 (10 being the perfect score):

1 L’Enclume, Cumbria (10)

2 Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Cornwall (10)

3 Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottinghamshire (9)

4 Pollen Street Social, London (9)

5 Hibiscus, London (9)

6 The Fat Duck, Berkshire (9)

7 Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London (9)

8 Hedone, London (8)

9 Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Tayside (8)

10 Fraiche, Merseyside (8)

11 The Ledbury, London (8)

12 Midsummer House, Cambridgeshire (8)

13 Le Champignon Sauvage, Gloucestershire (8)

14 Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London (8)

15 Fera at Claridges, London (8)

16 Le Gavroche, London (8)

17 Marcus, London (8)

18 The French, Manchester (8)

19 André Garrett at Cliveden, Berkshire (8)

20 The Peat Inn, Fife (8)

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

22 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh (7) New to the top 50 this year

23 The Kitchin, Edinburgh (7)

24 Bohemia, Jersey (7)

25 The Greenhouse, London (7) New to the top 50 this year

26 The Waterside Inn, Berkshire (7)

27 Casamia, Bristol (7)

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

29 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London (7)

30 Artichoke, Buckinghamshire (7)

31 Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire (7)

32 Restaurant Story, London (7)

33 Gidleigh Park, Devon (7)

34 Restaurant James Sommerin, Glamorgan (7)

35 Simpsons, Birmingham (7) New to the top 50 this year

36 Sketch, London (7)

37 Forest Side, Cumbria (7) New to the top 50 this year

38 Murano, London (7)

39 Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh (7)

40 Ynyshir, Powys (7)

41 Adam’s, Birmingham (7)

42 The Raby Hunt, Durham (7)

43 Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire (7)

44 Orwells, Oxfordshire (7) New to the top 50 this year

45 Restaurant Marianne, London (7) New to the top 50 this year

46 Hambleton Hall, Rutland (7)

47 The Whitebrook, Gwent (7) New to the top 50 this year

48 Llangoed Hall, Powys (7)

49 Lake Road Kitchen, Cumbria (6)

50 The Dairy, London (6)

The Waitrose Good Food Guide 2017 Editors' Awards​:

Chef of the Year - James Close, The Raby Hunt, Durham

Chef to Watch - Ben Murphy, The Woodford, London

Restaurant of the Year – Orwells, Oxfordshire

Best New Entry - Forest Side, Cumbria

Best Front-of-House - Pollen Street Social, London

Best Small Group – Dishoom, London

Local Restaurant of the Year - Wine & Brine, Moira, Armagh

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