Cartmel has long made a place for itself on the map with its food scene, which spans everything from its world-famous Sticky Toffee Pudding shop, all the way up to its three-Michelin star restaurant L’Enclume, widely considered to be the best restaurant in the UK.
For such a tiny dot on the map, just on the edges of the Lake District, they cram in an awful lot of gastronomy, and boast four Michelin Stars on a single street.
This is the home of some of the best produce – whether that’s a mallard or a marrow – on the planet, and a lot of that reputation is thanks to chef Simon Rogan’s enterprise.
The Cartmel Valley is the home of Our Farm, where produce for his group of restaurants is carefully grown and harvested before being prepared and served to diners. The level of care that is taken at every single step of the process is outstanding.
And while L’Enclume is many people’s first thought when they hear ‘Michelin’, especially here up north, there’s a more modest and accessible little sister restaurant just next door, which acts as an incubator for all those shiny accolades.
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Rogan & Co has a Michelin star of its own making, and chefs who have passed through its doors include Tom Barnes, who is now chef patron of Skof, his very own Michelin star restaurant in Manchester city centre.
The village of Cartmel. Credit: The Manc Group
One of the best things about Rogan & Co is that it acts as a gateway introduction for the magic of L’Enclume (which is a big treat for most people at £265 per person for the tasting menu).
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You’re still eating the same great produce, and experiencing the same level of service, just in a more laid-back, neighbourhood restaurant setting.
And you don’t have to go the whole hog – there’s a set lunch menu where you can get three courses for just £49.
The restaurants that fall within Simon Rogan’s group are always proudly local, and never shy of shouting out their suppliers.
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But this hits its stride in a really special way twice a year, when Rogan & Co celebrates Local Heroes week and crafts special menus to show off local artisans, craftspeople, growers and suppliers.
Inside Rogan & CoThe Local Heroes menuThe cheddar scone snacksCredit: The Manc Group
Dining here during Local Heroes Week means that your menu will highlight where everything is sourced, and I don’t just mean the veggies on your plate. I also mean the plate.
Each menu lists the people who have been integral in its creation – Northern Wine filling your glass, Lake District Farmers supplying the beef, Winter Tarn on the butter.
Rogan & Co also shouts out its chefs and floor staff, even crediting Beth and Kayleigh for ‘the tunes’ (and the music is local – they were playing a playlist inspired by Kendal Calling headliners through the years).
So onto that menu – it begins with a dinky cheddar scone made with cheese from Torpenhow Cheese Company just down the road, sliced in half then sandwiched back together with a pickled allium cream.
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It’s like no scone I’ve ever tasted before, and yet the ritual of eating it (pulling apart the two halves, spreading the cream evenly, admiring the little shower of crumbs that falls down) feels so familiar and comforting.
Then comes a tangle of brassicas offset by some tangy preserves made by ‘The Pickle Prince’ (that’s Liam, the head chef at Our Farm).
BrassicasCartmel Valley Game mallardParkerhouse rolls
I always find bread to be one of the highlights of any tasting menu – will it be a tiny sourdough loaf, or a fluffy brioche roll?
Here, it’s a neat row of glossy buns inspired by a Parkerhouse roll, made fresh in the village bakery and glazed in Our Farm honey. They’re springy and sticky to the touch and are quickly demolished via a few pats of butter.
I expected a reduced set lunch menu to be on the simpler side, but the main course still consists of an impressive number of elements.
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Romney’s mint cakeDamsons and caramelised rice pudding
There’s the leg of a Cartmel Valley Game mallard, its skin audibly crispy, a tiny copper saucepan of shepherd’s pie on the side, along with a snarl of leeks and a wedge of soft celeriac. I’m absolutely delighted with all of it.
And for pudding, damsons sourced from nearby Witherslack are cooked all the way down to a tangy jam, layered into a caramelised rice pudding and then topped with ice cream and homemade toffee popcorn.
To cap things off, there’s a Romney’s mint cake – imagine if an After Eight and a fudge took a tumble in the sheets and produced a top-class after-dinner treat. That.
Pound for pound, Rogan & Co has to be one of the best-value Michelin experiences in the country. So get in the car immediately and head up to Cartmel.
This year’s Local Heroes Week is taking place between 4 and 8 November, but it’ll be back again twice next year.
Bask is BACK – bosses confirm return to ‘golden era’ of popular Stockport spot
Danny Jones
In brilliant news for Stopfordians, Bask is officially coming back, as current boss Jon Fitzpatrick is bringing back one of the key core members of the OG owners and staff, co-founder Benji Taylor.
Very exciting times for the town centre.
While local DJ, musician and entrepreneur, Jon, is the man behind the Irish-American bar and grill reboot under his surname that began in June of 2025, the business has gone on to become more of a morning and afternoon venue in the time since then.
However, with the help of Benji returning after a bit of well-deserved time off and having spent a period working on other ventures, they’re looking to dip back into the evenings as well and make this more of an all-day spot.
Writing a statement in the caption of the post, the duo said, “We couldn’t be more proud to announce that Bask is back, and we are pleased to reveal one of the original crew returns to help our team return it to the golden era.
“Live music, great bands, entertainment all week, and non-stop fun. We’re not a late-night venue like it was recently; we want to keep it mature and [aim] to enhance the experience for our customers.
“Our daytime, sport and relaxed atmosphere won’t change, and our kitchen will actually be open later than it is now! We have many goals, but our main aim is to put credible, exciting live music back on the Stockport map. With Benji and Jon’s experience, it’s gonna be a magical time for Stopfordians.”
We met face-to-face with the prolific pair last week, and they made it clear that their shared vision is simple: marry Fitzpatrick’s steady daytime trade with the initial magic of that very first iteration of Bask.
Get it right, and they could very well create a new all-seasons superpower on the Stockport bar scene, as the brand certainly had a taste of that when they first captured attention with inside that packed-out unit just outside the train station.
Speaking to The Manc, the Bask boys admitted it was a “real shame” how things transpired towards the end of the previous setup, acknowledging that trouble with some problematic punters (especially in the early hours of the morning) effectively “spoiled” what became a weekly pilgrimage for many others.
That’s why, although they’re opening well into the evening and nighttime – with a full schedule of regular events such as live music, stand-up, karaoke, quizzes, darts nights and more already lined-up – they haven’t gone for a late license this time around, as they want to preserve what made it special.
Set to fully re-launch on 1 May from 5pm onwards, we’re expecting them to be off to the races the second the word about the comeback spreads.
Ben and Jon also still believe that in the era post-Bamboo in Hazel Grove closing, Stockport hasn’t really had a well-known and reliable night out, comparable to that kind of experience. Other than here.
Now, Bask isn’t a club, nor was it ever supposed to be; it was a bar that, on its day, was one of the biggest parties in all of Greater Manchester, and although it won’t be ’till two’ this time around, we can’t wait to see the gang get back to their best.
Locals will also be glad to hear that borough favourite Stock Party will also be returning this summer, and you can bet on seeing some familiar native faces taking part.
Glamorous new pan-Asian restaurant Zadie’s to open at Medlock Square
Daisy Jackson
The flagship restaurant for the new Medlock Square development on the Etihad Campus has been revealed.
Zadie’s will be an intimate and glamorous pan-Asian restaurant, offering high-end dining, cocktails which ‘border on the chaotic’, and late-night entertainment.
It will be opening above Medlock Square, a new entertainment destination that’s being constructed alongside the expansion of Manchester City’s homeground and the new The Medlock hotel.
Zadie’s comes from some renowned hospitality heads, including Laura Montana (who created Sexy Fish alongside Richard Caring and also launched Monkey Bar in Manhattan); head chef Paolo Bianchi (Lucky Cat, Alain Ducasse); and Cressida Lawlor, a well-known face on the local bar scene, who’ll step in as head of bars.
The stylish new launch will be designed in collaboration with international hospitality studio Gorgeous Group, which counts Dishoom and Six Senses among its previous collaborations.
Laura said of the project: “I’m delighted to be leading this incredible project – Zadie’s is the culmination of years of work, hundreds of ideas and tiny details I’ve spotted, collected and loved as I’ve travelled and opened operations around the world.
“I’ve moved to Manchester and it feels alive with the kind of energy I’ve not felt in a long time – this is going to be a huge year for us!”
Founder of Gorgeous Group Robbie Bargh said: “What a project for the team and I to be involved in! And to be working in my home town of Manchester too, it’s so exciting.
“We love to bring desire and emotion to restaurants and bars we work on, and this one has mountains of it – Zadie is cool and she’s fun – she’s the girl you want to follow and the girl you want to hang out with – we can’t wait for you to meet her.”
Daisy Jackson -
7th November 2025 
