Lunar, World of Wedgwood, Barlaston

Lunar, at the World of Wedgwood in Barlaston, near Stoke-on-Trent, opened last year to great interest.

Offering fine dining with a Michelin-starred chef at the helm, I went along last weekend to try the new Lunar Experience tasting menu. And was suitably impressed.

Lunar opened its doors in November 2021 to huge anticipation. The brainchild of two-Michelin-starred chef Niall Keating and The Great British Experience Company (TGBEC), the prospect of a top-end fine dining restaurant a few minutes from Stoke-on-Trent was genuinely exciting.

THE LUNAR SOCIETY & LUNAR

Both Keating and the pair behind TGBEC are from Staffordshire and the concept of Lunar has its roots firmly in the history of the county and, more specifically, The Potteries.

The restaurant sits in the old dining hall at World of Wedgwood and takes its name from The Lunar Society, among whose founders was the ‘Father of English Potters’ Josiah Wedgwood. At Lunar the food is served, of course, on Wedgwood china.

Part of the Midlands Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, The Lunar Society met once a month to debate philosophy, arts, science, and commerce over dinner. Members’ journeys home afterwards would be lit by the full moon – hence the Society’s name and the huge, glowing moon hanging from the ceiling of the restaurant.

Lunar sees itself in the same progressive tradition as the inventors, scientists, artists and entrepreneurs of the Lunar Society who helped to forge the Industrial Revolution and push for social change.

But Lunar also recognises the harms to people and planet that some of those changes brought. So, while embracing the past, Lunar’s philosophy is for ‘a future that requires more sustainability, less food miles and more creativity’.

LUNAR EXPERIENCE MENU

When it first opened, Lunar had a conventional a la carte menu. But in mid-June, apart from Sunday lunch, this was replaced with a twelve course ‘Lunar Experience Menu’.

I’m a huge fan of tasting menus such as this. Not only do you sample more of what’s on offer, but I often come away loving something I probably wouldn’t have ordered given a choice. According to Alain Ducasse, ‘tasting menus are great to understand the world of the chef – the vision, the philosophy and the cuisine. It’s a summary of what a chef can offer’.

By the way, don’t assume you’ll spot Niall Keating himself in the kitchen. Because running it is head chef Craig Lunn. But you won’t be getting short-changed. Lunn has his own impressive cv including working with Keating at the Whatley Manor Hotel where he earned his two Michelin stars.

Lunar’s tasting menu, which they aim to change regularly, is currently £90 per person. They’ll tailor it to individual dietary requirements provided they’re notified of them when booking. There’s also an optional wine flight.

There was no written menu on the night I ate there. It was explained that the idea is to enjoy the surprise when dishes are presented to you.

Read about another recommended Staffordshire tasting menu here: The Flintlock at Cheddleton

TO BEGIN

The first three courses arrived together, served and explained to us by one of the chefs. The two described as ‘snacks’ sat on a Wedgwood plate with a simple gold pattern. And they looked beautiful. We were given a suggested order in which to eat the three courses and duly followed it.

First was a delicate, crispy tart of smoked cod roe. My first bite of Lunar’s food didn’t disappoint. The light and airy, smoky fish filling had good bold flavour. The crunchy pastry was as light to the tooth as it looked.

The second snack was aged beef tartare on toasted bread. Really only one bite big, I eked it out to two or three so I could savour it.

If you’re wary of raw beef, please don’t be. You’re getting quality, local meat here handled by experts.

I found the flavour of the incredibly tender beef much richer than I’d expected. Not being overly excited by tartare when I’ve had it before, at Lunar I was surprised at just how good beef can be without a bit of searing.

I also loved how the little nuggets of gold leaf on top, carefully placed among the other elements, echoed the gold of the plate.

Lastly came a palate cleanser of mango sorbet. From a teapot, a mango wine was poured over at the table.

This was another unexpected delight. Not overly sweet, with accents of chilli and calamansi lime (which has a mandarin flavour as well as lime), the sorbet gradually melted into the wine. A great finish to round one.

CHAWANMUSHI

The next three courses were also served simultaneously. One of them reflected Lunar’s Japanese influences. The others, if there was a written menu, would sound rather pedestrian. In the eating, however, they were anything but.

Chawanmushi is a Japanese savoury egg custard. Chawan means teacup and mushi is steam. A neatly appropriate choice for a restaurant at Wedgwood.

Traditionally served with different toppings, here the wibbly wobbly custard was covered with slivers of black truffle, vegetables including asparagus and broad beans, plus a broth.

I was expecting this attractive little bowl of goodies to have a strong flavour. But was surprised at its subtlety and freshness.

BREAD & BUTTER

The fifth and six courses, served alongside the chawanmushi, were certainly not what you’d associate with Japanese cuisine.

We each got what I think must be the largest, thickest hunk of bread I’ve ever had as part of a fine dining menu. But I’m not complaining.

Full of flavour with a chewy, satisfying texture and crunchy crust it was fantastic. With many restaurants at this level baking their own bread, it was unexpected to hear it wasn’t made in-house. But when you have a great artisan bakery like Trentham Bakehouse on your doorstep, perhaps it’s understandable.

Talking of great suppliers, Lunar has made the excellent choice of Dalton’s Dairy for its butter.

Famous for their grass-fed milk, butter, cheese, and ice-cream, I wrote a whole blog post about this family-run farm in east Staffordshire, including a taste test of their butter.

And look how Lunar showcased this fantastic product:

Set in a flower-like mould, the butter was served on a golden-edged plate. This echoed the deep buttercup yellow of the butter – a result of the grasses and flowers that form the diet of Dalton’s pasture-fed cows.

As if that wasn’t enough, the hollows made by the butter mould were filled with complexly flavoured Dalton’s honey. Spread lavishly on the bread it was a truly awesome treat.

I see I’ve written around two hundred words just about the bread and butter at Lunar. If you’re one of those people who can’t understand why someone would pay £90 for a meal, then this should be a clue. Top-notch ingredients, handled expertly and presented artistically, are an experience to savour and enthuse about!

SCALLOP

Our seventh course was another very pretty dish. It was also one I have to immediately deeply inhale its wonderful aroma.

Because there’s something about the smell of fresh, hot seafood that I just love. And a golden, seared scallop has to be near the top of my favourites.

The plump, hand-dived Orkney scallop was cooked flawlessly for my taste: appetizingly crusty on top, just cooked within.

I love dill with seafood so the pea-like blobs of intense dill sauce encircling the scallop were right up my street. Add to that perky capers, little crispy fried morsels of bread plus a light, foamy mussel velouté and you’ve got a memorable dish.

SWEETBREAD

If you haven’t eaten them before, or don’t really know what they are, then the sweetbread that came as our eighth course might make you a little wary. But there’s really no need.

Yes, coming from organs rather than muscle, sweetbreads are technically offal. But they have nothing like the strong flavour of liver or kidney. In fact, the ‘sweet’ bit of their name is thought to come from the very fact of their mild yet rich taste.

You could say that the sweetbread I ate at Lunar was a little more cooked than is usual. But, with its crispy coating and glossy, sweet, savoury, and spicy sauce, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

PLAICE

Our ninth course was another exquisitely presented seafood dish. This time, it was a neat parcel of plaice sat on a scallop mousse, all wrapped in thinly sliced courgette.

The fish was fresh, sweet, and moist. When I tasted a little on its own, the scallop mousse seemed to have a kick of chilli-like heat. I loved the little pieces of apple and pear in the garnish.

Luxury came in the form of a good spoon of caviar on top of the plaice. Bringing the whole plate together was a yeast beurre blanc. This was one of my favourite things of the evening: rich, buttery and deeply savoury.

BEEF

We’re coming into the home stretch now with the tenth and final savoury course: melt-in-the-mouth tender, aged beef.

Although this may look like a classic French-style dish, it actually represents Lunar’s fusion cooking as the flavours were well to the east of Europe.

In my ignorance, I’ll say the sauce (sweet, savoury, with spicy undertones) reminded me of hoisin. But I know it wasn’t because we asked a member of staff and they told us. Unfortunately, I’ve a brain like a sieve and stupidly didn’t write it down.

Anyway, the accompanying fermented lettuce, was a great, tangy contrast to it.

SEA BUCKTHORN

Next came a dinky little portion of sea buckthorn sorbet as a palate cleanser.

I think sea buckthorn has an intriguing taste. Slightly orangey, but more tart, it has complex fruity flavours that might remind you of mango or passionfruit.

Moving us from the savoury to our pud, I enjoyed it. Small it may have been, but with a little balsamic underneath and crispy puffed rice on top there was lots of interest.

RHUBARB & GINGER

After such an impressive meal, you’d expect something rather special to finish. And that’s exactly what I got.

Balanced on top of the dessert bowl was a crispy, crisscross tuile. Little dabs of honey or syrup had been carefully placed at some of the intersections along with delicate petals and leaves. It reminded me of a garden trellis, with wonderful things growing up it.

Breaking through the tuile, I found a delightfully summery pudding with different layers to discover. First there were fluffy, creamy clouds.

Then a rich, smooth confection that tasted of gingerbread. Imagine mixing up a luxurious ginger cake then licking the bowl clean.

At the bottom was lots of saucy, tender rhubarb with the ideal balance of sweet and tart.

A (NOT SO) LITTLE EXTRA

As it turned out, that generous pudding wasn’t quite the finale. Because, after I’d asked for the bill, we were served an unexpected, complimentary course. And it was no teeny bite-sized thing either.

What we got was a sizeable choux pastry apiece. The crispy top had been sprinkled with pistachio powder. Sandwiched between it and the bottom half was a wonderful chocolatey mousse or cream. Despite not being the biggest fan of chocolate desserts, I loved it: opulent, but not overly sweet.

LUNAR: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

With expectations of Lunar so high, I admit I was a little apprehensive at my first visit. Would it be a case of style over substance?

Thankfully, the answer was no. What I got was twelve (or rather thirteen) beautiful courses that seemed to me to be executed pretty perfectly. Each individual dish, as well as the tasting menu as a whole, was well balanced.

The Lunar kitchen may produce top notch food, but the restaurant isn’t at all stuffy. The atmosphere is relaxed, and front of house staff were chatty and knowledgeable.

I appreciate that recommending you cough up £90 per person (plus drinks and tip) is no small ask. But I think it’s worth it. Because the notion that Lunar’s tasting menu is an experience rather than just a meal most certainly isn’t hype.

Highly recommended.

UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED PHOTOS & TEXT © MOORLANDS EATER. NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION

MORE EATING OUT REVIEWS