Kendal Minted
Simon Rogan opens with, “Welcome to Cartmel, our home in The Lakes. Having you stay with us in this special village means a lot to me and my team. We hope that you love this small corner of The Lakes as much as we do. Breakfast is served at our Michelin starred neighbourhood restaurant, Rogan and Co. Our breakfast menu changes with the seasons and we can assure you that it’s not one to be missed. Our Shop, offering Simon Rogan keepsakes, is in the village square.”
Cavendish Street and Cavendish Arms Village Inn hold the clue to who owns much of the village as well as Cartmel Racecourse. The Dukes of Devonshire, family name Cavendish, are best known for their Derbyshire seat of Chatsworth but they own a scattering of country houses across the British Isles. Their Cumbrian holiday home, Holker Hall, and its 6,900 hectare estate, lies 4.5 kilometres southwest of Cartmel.
The Buildings of England Guide to Cumbria by Nikolaus Pevsner (1967) and Matthew Hyde (2010), states, “The square with its cross, fish slabs and pump extends to the church, and is visually enjoyable everywhere. A bridge divides it in two. The best house is close to the church, early 18th century of five bays, with arched keyed in windows and doorway with big segmental pediment. More attractive houses through the gatehouse arch in Cavendish Street, and east of the Priory.”
Purslane is one of three first floor bedrooms clustered around the tiny – suitably French feeling – courtyard of L’Enclume House. The other two rooms are Juniper and Rosehip. Simon explains, “Our Rooms were decorated with the help of our favourite local artisans including Charlotte Chaplin, who makes sustainable Herdwick tweed, and Cable and Blake, who create cushions, lampshades and blinds reflecting the seasonal colours of the Lake District landscape using locally sourced wool.”
There’s a bath in the ensuite bathroom! How has that become a disappearing luxury, even at County Wexford’s finest Marlfield House Hotel? Surely the room should always live up to its name? He says, “To adorn the walls of Our Rooms, we have selected pieces form artists Heidi Schramli and Joanna Farrow, who have both been inspired by the beautiful scenery of The Lakes. Heidi uses wire and ink to create unique pieces that emulate everchanging nature of our environment. Oil painter Joanna was captivated by the craggy fells, rugged hills, quiet tarns and drystone walls of the Cartmel area.”
It’s hard to imagine Cartmel before Southampton born Simon arrived on the scene. As well as Rogan and Co he has a three Michelin star restaurant L’Enclume and a total of 16 bedrooms located throughout the village. Rogan and Co takes up the ground floor of the building next door to L’Enclume House. Both exteriors are rubblestone and Georgian sashed.
Wallpaper that Oscar Wilde could certainly live with dominates the interior of Rogan and Co. Perfectly portioned conalbumin centric vegetarian breakfast, decisively yet delicately cooked, is accompanied by bottomless coffee, orange juice and toasted Kendal sourdough. A cinnamon slice goody bag extends the experience. Brown sauce can be bought from Our Shop across Cavendish Street to extend the experience even further.
Over to Simon: “L’Enclume opened over 20 years ago and initially worked with a local farm but when I was given the opportunity to build my own farm in the Cartmel Valley I jumped on it. In 2011 we started work on Our Farm, learning almost everything from scratch and were pleasantly surprised by our first trials. The proximity to the restaurants means that the flavour of these ingredients is incomparable to those which have been freighted over from Europe to further afield.” Something that our ancestors took for granted is now pure luxury.
He continues, “We wanted to create a space where cooking and growing are in harmony and where the chefs could understand and help with the growing process. To this day our chefs and growers work side by side to determine what is grown, how to grow it and how much is harvested each day before service. It’s a system that relies heavily on the seasons which can bring its challenges but also means that we are deeply connected to nature.”
And finally, “Working with the seasons can result in a glut of one plant or variety. We make preserve, pickle, ferment or juice from whatever isn’t needed, creating a vast reserve for the winter months and a range of larder products to sell in Our Shop. Whilst reducing waste at the source, we have also created a closed loop system by installing nine Ridan composters at Our Farm. These composters break down any waste from the restaurants, turning it into rich compost for our beds.”
The skyline of Cartmel is dominated by the hugely impressive Priory Church of St Mary and St Michael. A square tower rises over a cruciform of high pitched gabled roofs. Back to Pevsner, “Founded for Augustinian Canons circa 1189 by William Marshal, a landless second son who rose to be the parfait knight, courtier and magnate … Marshal’s death in 1219 gives us an end date for the eastern limb, crossing and transepts, and the monastic quarters on the south.” Major construction work continued up to the 15th century and restoration took place 200 years later.
The Reverend Nick Devenish welcomes visitors, “I am delighted you have come to The Priory Church of St Mary and St Michael, Cartmel, part of the Church of England. The Priory Church is a living church that has a rich heritage. We are open daily with a range of activities happening during the week as well as Sunday services. The Priory Church has been a place of pilgrimage for over 800 years and is a sacred place that energies and shapes religious meaning.”
An effigy in the north aisle is of a marble figure in repose. Inscribed on the plinth is: “In loving memory of Edward Cavendish, son of William 7th Duke of Devonshire and Blanche Georgiana his wife, born January 28, died May 18 1891. This memorial is placed here by his brother and sisters Hartington, Louisa, Egerton and Lucy Cavendish.” Outside, on a misty Sunday morning, sheep gambol through the graveyard.
