Simon’s life is established in Cumbria, but he travels regularly for work and has restaurants in Hong Kong, Malta, London and Thailand. But The Lake District is “home, where I’m most comfortable and relaxed. I’ve lived here for 22 years, and I miss it terribly when I’m away. It’s my manor if you like.” While it may not have the reputation of somewhere like London or Edinburgh for its food scene, “we are spoiled for choice when it comes to fine dining up here, he says. “But I don’t eat in Michelin-style restaurants on my days off. I love informal dining when I choose to eat out and relax. I love a place where you can just kick your shoes off and really soak up the atmosphere. We’ve actually got the most Michelin-star restaurants outside of London up here, which is absolutely incredible, and I’m very proud to be a part of that, but there’s so much stuff below the radar in Cumbria which isn’t often mentioned.”
When I ask Simon to reflect on his favourite time of year in The Lakes, he tells me, without pausing, that it is the autumn. “I love the spring because you’re coming out of the winter, and everything is starting to appear. But, in The Lake District, spring is difficult because the greens are still scarce. Autumn is always the winner because you’re coming out of, hopefully, a long summer, and we get different summers up here: it’s late to start and early to finish, but we have very, very long days in that period, so we get all our growing done in that short space of time. So, coming into the autumn, the abundance of produce to be used is massive, and it’s still quite warm. It’s a beautiful time of year. The colours are amazing, especially in Grasmere, when it’s starting to get a bit moody, and there’s a nip in the air, but the sun is shining. It’s just heavenly.”
With that, Simon gives us his five favourite spots to eat in Cumbria, though proudly insists, “I’m going Michelin star free and fine dining free; these are the places I enjoy eating on my day off, though there are no favourites amongst these. They’re all fabulous.”
Lovingly Artisan
“This is a wonderful bakery just outside of Kendal. I think it used to be on the train station platform, the gateway to The Lakes, but it’s relocated to a place just outside Kendal with many little restaurants around it. We have our bakery in Cartmel, but when doing functions elsewhere, like Ascot, where we have to do over a thousand covers in a week, we usually use their sourdough and take it with us. Aiden, who founded it, is a great guy, and they have the same ethos as we do, and we love what they do.”
Who comes here?
“Lovingly Artisan has won some major national awards, so they get people who make pilgrimages to the Lake District, especially for their bread.”
