The World’s Best Vegetables Restaurants: L’Enclume (Cumbria) by Chef Simon Rogan wins Discovery Award United Kingdom

We’re Smart® Awards announces the world’s top plant-based restaurants.

September 20, 2021

Restaurant La Distillerie (Luxembourg) crowned the Best Vegetables Restaurant in the World
Restaurant L’Enclume (Cumbria) receives Discovery Award
Restaurant L’Enclume (Cumbria) also leads Top 10 in the UK
Six restaurants in the UK in Top 100 Best Vegetables Restaurants in the World
Launch We’re Smart Green Guide 2021: discover the world’s top plant-based restaurants

Brussels, 20 September 2021 - We’re Smart® World, the undisputed culinary reference in plant-based cuisine, announced the world’s best vegetables restaurants. Luxembourg’s La Distillerie, run by Chef René Mathieu, wins the We’re Smart Award ‘Best Vegetables Restaurant in the World’ for the second year in a row. In the UK, restaurant L’Enclume in Cumbria wins the Discovery Award and leads the Top 10 of the country. The latest edition of the We're Smart Green Guide — the guide to the best plant-based restaurants around the world — is also being launched today.

In the past year, We're Smart World has visited hundreds of restaurants worldwide. The team evaluates the restaurants on whether their menus are comprised of at least two-thirds fruit and vegetables, but also on criteria based on their culinary creativity, ecological footprint and social impact. The best plant-based restaurants are awarded from 1 to 5 Radishes in the We're Smart Green Guide. The We're Smart Awards is seen as ‘icing on the cake’ and awards a number of top restaurants each year for their excellence.

Restaurant L’Enclume (Cumbria) of Chef Simon Rogan wins the
We're Smart Discovery Award, ahead of Acorn (Bath) and Farmstand (London). This award recognises the most recent innovations in the domain of fruit and vegetables cuisine. Restaurant L’Enclume also leads the Top 10 of the best vegetable restaurants in the UK.

Chef Simon Rogan: “It’s great to receive an award that recognises our dedication to the farm-to-table philosophy. Our menu, though not entirely plant-based, champions organic ingredients sourced predominantly from the Lake District and surrounding area. A large proportion of the produce we use in the restaurants is grown on ‘Our Farm’, my farm located just a mile away from my restaurants in the village of Cartmel where we work tirelessly to harvest vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers to the most exceptional quality. A better understanding of our relationship to the food we eat is vital and I’m excited to see this idea gaining momentum.”

Chef Simon Rogan (L'Enclume) - winner We're Smart® Discovery Award 2021

Read here which other British restaurants were included in the We're Smart Green Guide .

La Distillerie from Luxembourg is the Best Vegetable Restaurant in the World

Restaurant La Distillerie (Luxembourg) by Chef René Mathieu is named the Best Vegetables Restaurant in the World for the second year in a row. Chef Xavier Pellicer (Barcelona) from his namesake restaurant preceded him in 2018 and 2019, becoming the first We're Smart Plant-based Untouchable.

Chef René Mathieu: “The recognition by We're Smart World touches me deeply. More than ten years ago, I started with 100% vegetable-based culinary creations, a rather big challenge! This award motivates me to go even further. I also want to thank my team because without them I would never have achieved this result."

"My first source of inspiration is nature. It brings calm and allows me to sharpen my senses. And just like my kitchen, nature is always in motion. The wealth of plants is incredible: we discover new applications every day, and will continue to learn all our lives. My suppliers also inspire me with their beautiful products."

"Plant-based cuisine is not a substitute kitchen, but a kitchen in itself. It is delicious, colourful, comforting, light, highly gourmet, uplifting, fine, rustic... It is what you want it to be. In the coming years, we want to continue to surprise our customers, and pass on the benefits of the fascinating world of plant-based, healthy and sustainable cuisine to future generations.”

Chef René Mathieu (La Distillerie) - winner We're Smart® Best Vegetables Restaurant in the World 2021

Frank Fol, founder We’re Smart World, says: ‘We see a growing number of chefs discovering the culinary possibilities and ecological benefits of fruit and vegetables—as well as putting them on the menu with impressive mastery. No fewer than 1,000 restaurants in 46 countries were included in this year's We're Smart Green Guide. Through We're Smart World’s ecosystem, we bring not only restaurants, but also businesses and consumers, together around health, ecology, and sustainability. By learning from and strengthening each other, we want to further evolve towards smart solutions for the body, nature and the world’.