Two Cumbrian restaurants have emerged as the standout story of the National Restaurant Awards 2026, with The Cottage in the Wood and Simon Rogan's L'Enclume group between them collecting a string of honours at Monday's ceremony at The Magazine in London's Docklands.

The Cottage in the Wood, the destination restaurant with rooms near Braithwaite, made its first appearance in the Top 100 under the ownership of Jack and Beth Bond, landing at number 62. The evening brought further recognition when the restaurant collected the Liberty Wines Service Award, with judges praising the atmosphere created by Beth Bond and restaurant manager Joel Pennington as relaxed, personal and technically accomplished without the formality associated with high-end dining.

(L-R) Members of the Umbel Hospitality Group team - Oli Marlow, Irene Lentsch, Nicolas Perdrier, Mark McCabe, Simon Rogan MBE, Paul Buralieres, Claire Moffat, Sam Ward & Tom Barnes

(L-R) Jack Bond, Beth Bond and Joel Pennington at the National Restaurant Awards

Earlier that day, Pennington had collected an Acorn Award at a ceremony at Swinton Park in Yorkshire. Now in its 40th year, the awards — sometimes called the 30 Under 30 — recognise rising talent across the hospitality industry, with previous recipients including Beth Bond herself, Jamie Oliver and Marco Pierre White.

Simon Rogan received the Outstanding Industry Contribution Award in recognition of his influence on British dining and his promotion of farm-led, seasonal cooking. L'Enclume was placed 34th on the list, while Henrock by Simon Rogan in Bowness-on-Windermere made its debut at number 40.

The Cottage in the Wood also received a new entry in the Opinionated About Dining Top European Restaurants list on Wednesday.