Village restaurant is named second best in country

But the Cartmel venue has again lost the country's top spot to Nathan Outlaw in Cornwall which also gained the accolade last year.

The guide placed Simon Rogan's restaurant at number two in the country overall.

But, it secured a cooking score of 10, making it the seventh year the restaurant has received a perfect 10.

The guide says: "Simon Rogan has achieved something of a miracle.

"His farm-to-table operation has influenced chefs right across the country; it's beyond dispute that British food owes him a lot.

"The obsessive search for flavour begins on the farm and continues in the kitchen where Rogan's approach is to extract maximum flavour from produce that is already pretty intense.

"L’Enclume delivers a complete package, with unobtrusive but attentive service that underscores the impressive food and drink."

Mr Rogan's London restaurant, Roganic, is also in the top 50, at number 20.

Two other Cumbrian restaurants make it into the Good Food Guide Grasmere's Forest Side has been ranked 27th, with a cooking score of seven. Last year it was a new entry on the influential list at 37.

Lake Road Kitchen in Ambleside has jumped four places this year and was ranked at 45. Among the new entries in the guide is Virginia House in Ulverston.

A Good Food Guide spokesman said: "The list recognises the very best talent in the country and a place on it represents a huge achievement.

"Each position is decided by a combination of cooking score, editor appraisal and the strength of reader feedback.

"A cooking score of 10 means ‘Just perfect dishes, showing faultless technique at every service; extremely rare, and the highest accolade the guide can give’."

The Good Food Guide champions local eateries that are not found in more traditional restaurant guides. In addition to anonymous inspections, the GFG’s research list is based on the huge volume of feedback received from readers which helps uncover foodie finds from across the UK each year.