Simpsons announces L’Enclume as latest guest chef collaboration
Simpsons, in Edgbaston near Birmingham, will welcome chefs from the iconic Cumbrian venue – itself the holder of two Michelin stars since 2012 ‒ on Monday 30 January.
Together the teams will serve an eight-course tasting menu – created and prepared by the L’Enclume team and supported by Simpsons ‒, priced at £90 per person, with reservations beginning at 7pm.
Simon Rogan will not be present, but his team - led by head chef Tom Barnes - will be there.
The collaboration is the latest in a planned series of guest chef visits, and follows on from a successful dinner with the team from Gary Usher’s Cheshire restaurant, Sticky Walnut, which sold out within three hours of being announced on social media.
Further guest chef dinners at Simpsons will be confirmed in early 2017.
L’Enclume is the flagship restaurant from chef Simon Rogan, whose other operations include Rogan & Co – also in Cartmel, Cumbria – and London site, Michelin-starred Fera at Claridge’s.
He also re-launched The French at the Manchester Midland Hotel in 2013, but in October announced he would be stepping away from the site.
Chef director Tipping has himself spent time working at L’Enclume, and cites it as one of his favourite restaurants.
He said: “L’Enclume has long been one of my favourite restaurants and it deserves all the accolades it receives. I learnt so much working there earlier this year that I wanted to bring some of that magic to Simpsons.
“The dinner will not only provide a unique opportunity for Birmingham diners to experience L’Enclume’s stunning food but it will be a fantastic experience for my team to work alongside its chefs.”
First announced in August, the guest chef dinners are expected to be held every four weeks or so, with the aim of giving the team a chance to see how other brigades work, and allowing Simpsons to diversify away from its usual style.
Speaking to BigHospitality at the time, Tipping explained: “We’re planning to have more collaborations in future. Simpsons has got a reputation as being a bit stuffy, and with restaurant collaborations…we can try to break those barriers down. It’s just about good food, good company, and just getting on with it.”
