Chef of the Week: Chef Simon Rogan of L’Enclume, Cumbria
Few chefs have shaped the modern farm-to-table movement as profoundly as Simon Rogan. As the visionary behind L’Enclume, one of the UK’s most celebrated restaurants, awarded three Michelin stars and a Michelin Green Star, Rogan has built a culinary philosophy rooted in seasonality, sustainability, and an uncompromising connection to the land. Through Our Farm, the regenerative farm that supplies his restaurants, he has redefined what ingredient-led cooking can look like at the highest level of global fine dining.
From the Lake District to Hong Kong, Malta, Phuket, and Australia, Rogan’s influence now extends far beyond the UK, yet his approach remains remarkably grounded: let nature lead, respect local produce, and continuously evolve. In this week’s Chef of the Week feature, Simon Rogan shares insights on creativity, sustainability, leadership, scaling a global restaurant group, and why cabbage remains one of the most inspiring ingredients in his kitchen.
1. “Our Farm” has evolved far beyond a traditional kitchen garden. Today, do you see it more as a supplier of ingredients, or as a research space where you’re actively shaping soil, seeds, and flavour?
I see it as both. We’re incredibly fortunate that Our Farm produces enough exceptional quality ingredients to supply all of our UK restaurants, as well as Home by Simon Rogan, our at-home dining experience. But beyond being a supplier, it’s also a place of constant research and experimentation.
We’re always testing what can be grown successfully in Cumbria’s unique climate and often unpredictable weather conditions. Since we established the farm in 2011, both the number of crops and the varieties we grow have expanded enormously. That evolution comes from a very close relationship between the chefs and the growers.
Our chefs work alongside Adam Frickel, our head grower, exploring new ingredients and varieties. The farm gives us the freedom to shape flavour from the ground up, which is incredibly exciting.
2. How much of the L’Enclume menu is driven by what the farm produces, rather than what the kitchen requests? In other words, who leads the creative process—the chef or the soil?
The soil leads more often than not. There’s a constant dialogue between the chefs and the growers, and that relationship is fundamental to how we create menus. The chefs need to understand what can realistically be produced, when ingredients will be at their peak, how much we’ll harvest, and how the seasons evolve.
That communication shapes everything we do. Our tasting menus are continually changing because they’re built around what’s in season at the time. It means every guest experience is slightly different and deeply connected to the landscape and time of year.
Rather than forcing ingredients into dishes, we allow the ingredients themselves to guide the direction of the menu.
3. Your philosophy has successfully translated from the Lake District to places like Malta and Phuket. What is the non-negotiable core of a Simon Rogan restaurant, and what are you willing to adapt to respect local culture?
Seasonality is completely non-negotiable. Wherever we open a restaurant, host a residency or collaborate internationally, we work with the natural rhythm of the seasons. You’ll never see asparagus on our menus in winter or kale in summer; that principle remains constant everywhere.
What changes is the local expression of the food. Our international restaurants are heavily influenced by local ingredients, traditions and flavours, but interpreted through our own style and philosophy. We want every restaurant to feel connected to its surroundings rather than imposed upon them.
For me, it’s about respecting local produce and working with local suppliers, while still maintaining a clear identity in the cooking.
4. You operate across very different markets. Do you find that expectations of fine dining vary by location, and how does that influence the guest experience you create?
Absolutely. Expectations around fine dining vary hugely from country to country, and understanding those nuances is incredibly important. Over time, we’ve learned that you have to evolve and adapt aspects of the experience while still staying true to who you are as a restaurant group.
Hong Kong has probably been one of the most interesting examples for us because the dining culture there is very different to the UK. Guests dine differently, expectations around pacing and atmosphere can vary, and the overall relationship people have with restaurants is unique.
By working closely with local teams and listening carefully to guests, we’ve been able to find the right balance between maintaining our philosophy and creating an experience that genuinely resonates with the local audience.
5. Your recent residencies in Australia, including the Australian Open, highlight your global reach. What have you learned from bringing your cooking into new environments?
Every new environment is an opportunity to meet new people, discover different perspectives and try things you might not experience at home. Some of the most exciting parts of taking our cooking to new places are collaborating with local producers, working alongside new teams and seeing how different cultures connect through food.
Australia was especially inspiring because the food culture is so open-minded and produce-focused. We were able to work with incredible local ingredients, learn from the people around us and create dishes that felt fresh, exciting and unique to that experience. Those kinds of residencies always leave you feeling energised and full of new ideas.
6.With three Michelin stars, a Green Star, and top global rankings, how do you maintain the mindset of a challenger rather than becoming a guardian of your own legacy?
I think the moment you become too comfortable, you stop evolving. Awards and recognition are obviously something we’re incredibly proud of, but they are never the end goal. The focus has always been on improvement, whether that’s refining dishes, developing the farm, improving sustainability initiatives, or nurturing young talent within the group.
We’re learning all the time. Nature moves constantly, seasons shift, and the hospitality industry itself is always evolving. That naturally keeps us curious and pushing forward.
7. Sustainability is central to your work. Beyond the farm, what are some of the less visible changes you’ve made that have had a meaningful environmental impact?
Across the group, we focus heavily on reducing waste. Our tasting menus and drinks programmes are designed with a zero-waste mindset, finding creative ways to use ingredients fully rather than discarding elements that still have value. For example, at Aulis London, our restaurant manager and sommelier, Charles Carron-Brown, repurposes the leftover trimmings from the Truffle Pudding snack on our tasting menu in his take on an Old Fashioned cocktail, aptly named “A Fashionable Pudding.”
At Henrock, Mark McCabe and the team have also achieved a completely single-use plastic-free kitchen, which is a huge achievement. Often, the most meaningful sustainability changes are the ones guests don’t immediately see, because they’re embedded into the day-to-day culture and systems of the restaurant.
We also want to create a working environment that’s sustainable for the people behind our restaurants. One of the most important changes we’ve made is ensuring the team is properly supported and rested, with at least two consecutive days off each week to spend time with family and recharge. It’s been key to building a healthier culture and maintaining consistency in the restaurants long term.
8. Across your group, how do you maintain consistency in quality and vision while giving your head chefs the freedom to develop their own identity?
It’s about trust and communication. I try to spend as much time as possible with each head chef across the group, but I’m also fortunate to have two exceptional executive chefs: Oli Marlow, who oversees our international restaurants and Aulis London, and Paul Burgalières, who looks after our restaurants in the North West of England.
We speak constantly about menus, seasonality, sourcing and the overall direction of the restaurants. There’s also a weekly farm meeting where the teams decide together what produce each UK restaurant will take. That creates consistency in philosophy and standards, but at the same time, I want each chef to bring their own personality and creativity to the table.
9. When building your team, do you prioritise cultural fit within your philosophy, or do you actively seek out people who challenge your way of thinking?
Both are important. Everyone who joins the group needs to understand and believe in our core values and what we’re trying to achieve. That shared foundation is essential.
At the same time, I actively value people who bring different perspectives, experiences and cultural influences. The best kitchens are diverse environments where ideas are constantly being challenged and refined.
If everyone thinks the same way, creativity stagnates very quickly. Bringing together people from different backgrounds ultimately makes the team stronger, more dynamic and far more innovative.
10. Opening and scaling restaurants across different countries comes with unique challenges. What have been the toughest lessons, and what advice would you give to chefs looking to build a restaurant group today?
One of the biggest challenges has been finding suppliers and growers internationally who operate at the same level as the team at Our Farm. We’re incredibly fortunate in the UK to work with suppliers and producers who understand our philosophy completely and collaborate closely with the chefs.
Replicating that standard elsewhere takes time, patience and commitment. You can’t rush it. We have built long-lasting relationships with partners who genuinely share our values around quality, sustainability and seasonality.
My advice to young chefs would be not to scale too quickly. Focus first on building a strong identity, a clear philosophy and the right team. Growth only works when the foundations underneath it are genuinely solid.
11. Looking at the UK dining scene, how do you see the farm-to-table movement evolving over the next decade?
I think it will only continue to grow stronger as people become increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it’s produced. Diners today want greater transparency, authenticity and connection to ingredients than ever before.
At the same time, climate change is forcing all of us to rethink the way we grow and source food. Growing patterns are shifting, weather conditions are becoming more unpredictable, and the need to replenish the soil is becoming more pressing.
The restaurants that will succeed long term are the ones that adapt to those changes responsibly and remain deeply connected to the land and the producers around them.
12. For young chefs starting, is formal culinary education still important, or can a strong foundation be built entirely through hands-on experience?
I think the strongest foundation comes from combining both. Programmes such as apprenticeships or academies allow young chefs to develop technical and theoretical knowledge while also gaining real experience in professional kitchens.
That balance is incredibly valuable because cooking is ultimately a craft learned through repetition, discipline and practical experience. At the same time, understanding the theory behind ingredients, techniques and hospitality gives young chefs a much broader perspective.
We’ve seen firsthand through Academy by Simon Rogan how effective that combination can be in developing confident, well-rounded chefs.
13. What’s one ingredient from Our Farm that continues to inspire you, and why?
Cabbage. It’s one of my favourite vegetables in the world, and an ingredient I think deserves far more respect than it often receives.
It’s incredibly hardy, versatile and full of character. Raw, it can be crunchy, peppery and slightly bitter, but when cooked properly, it becomes beautifully sweet, tender and deeply comforting. It also responds brilliantly to different cooking techniques, whether that’s roasting, grilling, fermenting or simply cooking it slowly with butter.
For a chef, it’s an ingredient that offers texture, depth and flavour in so many different ways, and I never get tired of working with it.
14. Finally, what’s one simple principle or technique from your kitchens that home cooks can apply to improve their cooking?
Taste constantly. It sounds simple, but it’s probably the most important habit any cook can develop.
Taste as you cook, adjust seasoning gradually, and keep tasting again as flavours change. That continual process of refinement is what leads to balanced, confident cooking. Recipes can guide you, but your palate should always make the final decision.
L’Enclume | Instagram
Cavendish Street, Cartmel Cumbria, LA11 6QA UK
Featured image credit: Cristian Barnett
