Rogan & Company - Cartmel

It may be just round the corner from his Michelin-starred L'Enclume, but Simon Rogan's new venture is a world away when it comes to food and style. Forget the rarefied of world of molecular gastronomy and complex tasting menus, Rogan & Company offers sound modern brasserie cooking in the unassuming surroundings of a converted antique shop.

Inside it has been tastefully done out in chic neutral tones, with exposed beams and lots of original features. The swish ground-floor lounge is ideal for quick lunches of sandwiches or fish and chips, while more ambitious meals are offered upstairs in three inter-linked, open-plan dining areas.

The kitchen delivers sharp, imaginative food along the lines of herb-crusted halibut with anchovy fritter, asparagus and herb risotto or no-nonsense organic chicken fricassee with macaroni cheese and buttered chard. Open with, say, confit guinea fowl sausage and white bean stew, and round off with black cherry and lemon trifle with mint sorbet or spiced pineapple tart with gingerbread ice cream. The zesty wine list has a fascinating global spread.