Our guest this month has been described as “hospitality personified”. Sam Ward is the managing director of the Umbel Restaurant Group, a collection of restaurants launched by chef Simon Rogan, who’s considered one of the pioneers of the ‘farm-to-fork’ movement in the UK. The group’s holdings include one restaurant in London, three in Hong Kong, and three in the Lake District village of Cartmel — including the group’s flagship restaurant L’Enclume, which turned 20 earlier this year. Named the UK’s top restaurant for four years in a row by the Good Food Guide, L’Enclume won a third Michelin star in February — making it the only restaurant north of London to receive that accolade.  Sam Ward has been integral to the Umbel restaurant group’s success. Born and raised a few miles from Cartmel, he worked at Rogan and Co — the group’s more casual eatery — in his early twenties, before moving to London and working at The Ritz hotel as a sommelier. He returned to Cartmel in 2012 to head up L’Enclume's FOH team, helping it become a culinary destination on a par with the likes of Noma or Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Following a stint as the group’s operations manager, he became its managing director in January 2020. Sam gives us the lowdown on his career so far, sharing what he's learned about good service from his local pub, The Ritz, and L'Enclume alike. He also discusses Simon Rogan's expansion to Hong Kong, the group’s "nimble" response to the pandemic, the ongoing popularity of its home meal kits, and what winning a third Michelin star means for everyone at L'Enclume, as well as for its future.