The best restaurant in the UK has just been named as L’Enclume, the much-loved Lake District restaurant owned by Simon Rogan.
And the north west has shone across the board in the Harden’s Top 100 Best UK Restaurants, with eight other local spots making the prestigious list.
There were two entries for Greater Manchester, three for Lancashire, and three in Cumbria.
Both Mana in Ancoats and Where The Light Gets In in Stockport were awarded positions in the top 100, with the latter storming into the top 50.
It comes off the back of Where The Light Gets In being awarded a fourth AA rosette just a few months ago, to go on its mantelpiece with its Michelin Green Star.
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But the top spot this year in the Harden’s guide has gone to L’Enclume, a restaurant that has always featured on the list but never before made it to number one.
Diners hailed the 17-course set menu at L’Enclume as ‘a completely faultless experience’.
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Chef owner Simon Rogan says: “My team and myself are honoured that L’Enclume has been rated the number 1 restaurant in the UK by diners on behalf of Harden’s.
Simon Rogan of L’Enclume restaurant, just named the best in the UK. Credit: Supplied
“To have been featured in Harden’s Top 100 every year since its inception in 2011 is an amazing achievement and being awarded the top spot for the 2024 edition is a testament to the amazing year we’ve had.”
Peter Harden, co-founder of Harden’s, added: “L’Enclume has always been consistent in its top quality offering and it was wonderful to hear the recent news that Paul Burgalières, who has been a key figure in L’Enclume’s evolution over the past six years, has now been appointed Executive Chef.
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“Coming in at £300+ it’s certainly one of the higher priced restaurants in our listings, but we see none of the resistance from diners with regards to paying those prices that we’ve seen at other top establishments. Those who’ve made the pilgrimage think it’s money very well spent.”
Paul Burgalières added: “I am very proud of everything we have achieved at L’Enclume over the past couple of years. To take the position of Executive Chef has been a great honour, and I am excited that our work at the restaurant has achieved such a high level of recognition.”
The number of London restaurants on the list has fallen to an all-time low as the spotlight moves further north, with the North West now one of the best-performing regions outside the capital.
Where The Light Gets In in Stockport. Credit: Instagram, @arestaurantwherethelightgetsin
Mana was praised for its ‘outstanding all-round’ form while Where The Light Gets In was celebrated for its ‘major emphasis on sustainability and local sourcing’ with ‘delicious wine pairings’ all served by ‘lovely staff’.
Mark Birchall’s Moor Hall, just up the road in Aughton, also shot into the top 10 and placed at number six.
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Northcote, also in Lancashire, ranked 70th in the top 100 and the White Swan at Fence was labelled ‘restaurant of the year’.
Peter Harden, co-founder of Harden’s, comments: “This year it has been interesting to note that London’s grip on the Top 100 list is the weakest that we have ever recorded (the lowest previous figure was 41 in the 2020 guide). Whilst 12 months is too little data for firm pronouncements, this swing to the shires may reflect the increasing excellence of dining out across the UK.
“The North-West has made a strong showing in this year’s list, not necessarily for the cities themselves but for top dining in leafy touristic locations such as the Lake District and Lancashire. With more and more diners seemingly valuing and indeed seeking out these types of dining experiences, the region could have even more to gain by drawing further attention to its stunning countryside locales.”
New Year’s Eve fireworks and special Albert Square party confirmed for Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Council have confirmed that a special firework and lights display will be held right in the centre of town this New Year’s Eve.
Better still, the festivities will be continuing over on Albert Square, as the recently restored ancestral home of the Manchester Christmas Markets will be hosting a celebration of its own.
Yes, for the first time ever, we’re being given the choice of two different NYE events at two of the most stunning central points in the city – the other being the Central Library.
Hosted by former presenter at The Manc, Joe McGrath, as well as DJ Jimmy the Gent, there’ll be tunes and plenty of family-friendly fun from St Peter’s Square right up until the big countdown, when the stunning light display will go off and ring in the New Year.
Credit: Manchester City Council (supplied)
The all-ages, alcohol-free event kicks off at 10pm with entry into the square through security-controlled entry points around the square and bag searches in operation.
Of course, hot drinks and food will be available as the MCR Christmas Markets proper wrap up for 2025, and the fireworks and light displays themselves will be launching right off the top of the library roof.
It’s going to be fantastic.
As for over on the other side of the Town Hall, the Markets will still be in full swing, with bratwurst, beers and cheer aplenty, and so will the truly massive Ferris Wheel – the biggest mobile wheel in the country, in case you hadn’t heard.
That’s right: in case you hadn’t put two and together quite yet, if you’re lucky enough and you don’t mind heights, you might just get to watch the NYE 2025 fireworks going off all over Greater Manchester from the top of the wheel. How magical would that be?
Honestly, it’s been so great seeing Albert Square looking back to its stunning and buzzing best.
Councillor Pat Karney, Christmas and New Year spokesperson for Manchester City Council, said of the plans: “We all know how much Mancunians of all ages love to get together and party, which is why we’re thrilled this year to give them not one but two celebrations to take their pick of this New Year’s Eve.
“Whether you’re a Ferris Wheel fanatic with a head for heights, or a music-loving feet-on-the-ground firework fan, it promises to be a brilliant night out. So get yourselves ready to have some fun and dance the night away – wrap up warm, grab your family and your friends and come down and join us!”
Promising to work closely with local councillors and therefore businesses and residents in turn, they’re promising to keep any inconveniences and nuisances to a minimum; they want everyone to be able to enjoy the night as much as possible.
You can find out more information, including timings, accessibility, road closures and parking suspensions in the full Council statement right HERE.
Featured Images — Manchester City Council (supplied)/Anna Louise (via Pexels)
Travel & Tourism
Manchester has been ranked one of the ‘most influential cities’ in Europe
Danny Jones
As per a development that we’d consider so obvious it’s barely worth writing about (even though we are), Manchester has been ranked one of the most influential cities in Europe.
In other news, water is still very much wet.
While there’s plenty of it here in Greater Manchester, given our standard rainy forecasts, when it comes to anything besides the weather, we deliver in spades.
Let’s be honest: we know it, you do too, and apparently so do plenty of other folks – and there’s some concrete statistics to back it up.
Case in point – First Chanel, now Vogue… (Credit: The Manc Group)
You’ll find all manner of surveys, polls and studies diving into how Manchester ranks across various categories, but knowing we boast nods such as ‘the original industrial city’, the place that helped split the atom and the place that the first modern computer was born, we know all about our global impact.
With that in mind, when we saw that Sixt had recently named us as one of the most influential cities in all of Europe, we couldn’t ignore the well-deserved pat on the back.
That’s right, although you might not associate the car rental company with this sort of stuff, as part of their new exclusive ‘Sixt Ride’ offering (think a posh taxi service), they looked into which cities have the most luxuries, tourist attractions and other cultural bonuses to their name.
Per their recent research, Manchester city centre didn’t just break into the top 100 but found itself among the 30 most influential cities in Europe.
You can see the full rankings table down below.
#
City
Country
*Fortune 500 Companies
Fashion weeks
Film Festivals
International Airports
5-Star Hotels
High End/Luxury Shopping areas
Michelin Restaurants
1
Paris
France
10
6
77
2
122
11
134
2
London
United Kingdom
12
3
241
3
182
5
81
3
Milan
Italy
1
4
52
3
29
5
22
4
Rome
Italy
2
0
97
2
65
4
21
5
Stockholm
Sweden
0
3
14
2
12
2
13
6
Madrid
Spain
5
0
38
1
42
2
29
7
Zurich
Switzerland
6
0
10
1
12
4
18
8
Munich
Germany
5
0
10
1
16
4
17
9
Berlin
Germany
1
1
76
1
40
2
21
10
Hamburg
Germany
1
0
16
2
17
3
16
11
Amsterdam
Netherlands
4
0
24
1
29
1
30
12
Copenhagen
Denmark
1
2
12
1
12
2
20
13
Barcelona
Spain
0
0
45
1
47
1
31
14
Lisbon
Portugal
1
0
38
1
49
1
20
15
Athens
Greece
0
0
41
1
52
2
12
16
Vienna
Austria
1
0
24
1
24
3
14
17
Bucharest
Romania
0
0
22
2
12
2
0
18
Warsaw
Poland
0
0
22
2
17
1
3
19
Glasgow
United Kingdom
0
0
17
2
4
2
2
20
Lyon
France
0
0
9
2
7
0
16
21
Prague
Czechia
0
0
16
1
60
1
2
22
Brussels
Belgium
0
0
18
1
14
1
29
23
Oslo
Norway
0
1
8
1
6
1
11
24
Manchester
United Kingdom
0
0
20
1
7
3
2
25
Budapest
Hungary
0
0
16
1
24
1
7
26
Dublin
Ireland
2
0
16
1
11
0
6
27
Naples
Italy
0
0
34
1
5
0
22
28
Porto
Portugal
0
0
8
1
28
0
10
29
Turin
Italy
1
0
21
1
4
0
10
30
Sofia
Bulgaria
0
0
22
1
14
1
0
31
Helsinki
Finland
0
0
5
1
10
1
5
32
Belgrade
Serbia
0
0
32
1
9
0
1
33
Marseille
France
0
0
5
1
4
0
12
34
Birmingham
United Kingdom
0
0
12
1
4
0
6
35
Minsk
Belarus
0
0
11
1
0
0
0
Read it and weep; we Mancs landed 24th on the leaderboard, just behind Norway’s capital, Oslo, and ever so slightly ahead of Budapest in Hungary.
As you can see, to identify the ‘most influential European cities’, they broke down how the 35 most populous cities on the continent and here UK (barring Russia and Ukraine) and what noteworthy cultural touchstones they possess.
For instance, did you hear that our very own Warehouse Project recently found itself breaking into the top half of the best nightclubs on the entire planet?
Going on to analyse everything from the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city, their connections to film, fashion, fine-dining and more, they found that Paris, London and Milan were the most influential (no surprises there), but we’re glad to be keeping such good company.
After all, in the last couple of years alone, Manchester city centre has welcomed the Metiers D’art fashion show, opened one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, and still takes eternal credit for giving the world Oasis and, therefore, the Live ’25 reunion. Again, you’re welcome.
What do you make of Sixt’s study, and do you agree with their findings on the whole?
It goes without saying that we’d probably put ourselves higher on the list if anything, but then again, maybe we’re getting too used to being told how brilliant it is to live in this region.
Daisy Jackson -
13th December 2023 
