With a restaurant like L’Enclume on its books, Cumbria could contain no other restaurants at all and still be a world-class culinary destination. But the county is home to a plethora of other fantastic restaurants – Gilpin Lodge, The Samling, The Punch Bowl Inn and Forest Side to name a few. The list keeps growing, too, and it looks like Virginia House in Ulverston, headed up by chef Craig Sherrington and his wife Louise, is quickly becoming an attraction in its own right. And that’s thanks to Craig’s classical training, his love for the North West and a passion for local produce – which he’s held since childhood.
‘I used to cook with my mum in the kitchen when I was young, pulling out a recipe book on dark winter nights to work through,’ says Craig. ‘High school never did anything for me – I even got an F in my Home Economics GCSE – but when I went to Lancaster and Morecambe College I found my calling. I had a lecturer called Robert Marshall Slater who really instilled the passion for cooking in me and helped me find some placements, including a week at Le Champignon Sauvage under David Everitt-Matthias. When I stepped out into the big wide world I moved down to the Cotswolds and took a job at the Lygon Arms in Broadway, before going onto Lords of the Manor at Upper Slaughter and eventually back to Le Champignon Sauvage in 1996.’
After eighteen months at the two-starred Le Champignon Sauvage, Craig had risen to the rank of sous chef. However, he decided it was time to get some experience in London to see how the food scene was evolving there. He joined Eric Chavot’s team at The Capital Hotel, helping to gain the restaurant its second Michelin star. ‘I started as chef de partie and eventually became a junior sous, which was a fantastic experience. My heart was still in the north of England, though, so I moved back up there to the Lakeside Hotel at Newby Bridge, where I was senior sous and helped take the restaurant to 2 AA rosettes.’