A combination of classic British ceramic design, and the passion of a celebrity chef, is set to create a new dining experience in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent and The Potteries this autumn.
Top visitor attraction World of Wedgwood, which already has a world class reputation for showcasing the very best of British industrial and design heritage, will now offer a new modern dining concept when Lunar opens at its Barlaston site in November.
Lunar – named after the Lunar Society, an 18th century supper club for the Midlands enlightenment movement which included Josiah Wedgwood as a founding member – will be overseen by Staffordshire born Chef, Niall Keating, one of a handful of chefs in the UK to currently hold two Michelin stars.
Niall, who many will know as the BBC’s Great British Menu Champion of 2020, has partnered with events firm the Great British Experience Company for the project, which will open on 25 November.
The new restaurant, which has transformed the former canteen-style dining hall, is the latest new development at World of Wedgwood, home to the iconic Wedgwood Tea Room, Wedgwood Factory and Wedgwood flagship store, as well as The V&A Wedgwood Collection.
A new garden Landpod will allow guests to enjoy takeaway afternoon tea in a quirky, woodland-style outdoor seating alternative, while a new store, Josiah and Co, ‘Purveyors of Local Goods’, which sells products exclusively handcrafted by local artisans across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, opened in October.
Lunar will have a focus on local produce and nurturing local talent, with sustainability also being an important element in the design and creation of the new dining venue, from upcycling furniture to working with sustainable suppliers.
Celebrating the history and heritage of the area, the venue also has an industrial aesthetic as a nod to Wedgwood’s place in pioneering the industrial revolution.
The Wedgwood story began in 1759, when Josiah Wedgwood, aged just twenty-nine, started as an independent potter in Burslem, where he began to experiment avidly with clay, exploring its many possibilities. Today he is remembered as the “Father of English Potters”.
Fittingly, diners will be served their food exclusively on fine bone china from Wedgwood, founded in 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood, while the interior colour scheme has been influenced by his famous experimentations with colour.
For more information about the new dining venue, visit www.lunarwedgwood.com.
For more information on Stoke-on-Trent as a destination, see www.visitstoke.co.uk.
Photo: World of Wedgwood