J’AIME DECEMBER 2021
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F O O D & D R I N K<br />
A Lunar experience<br />
LUNAR BY NIALL KEATING OPENED WITH A RED CARPET RECEPTION AT<br />
WORLD OF WEDGWOOD IN STAFFORDSHIRE THIS NOVEMBER. KATY<br />
EDGINGTON LEARNS MORE FROM THE TWO MICHELIN-STARRED CHEF<br />
Staffordshire-born Niall Keating is one of just a<br />
handful of chefs in the UK to hold two Michelin<br />
stars right now, as Executive Chef of The Dining<br />
Room at Whatley Manor in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.<br />
You may recognise him as the BBC’s Great British<br />
Menu Champion of 2020.<br />
When Ed Myhill and Craig Wilkinson of The Great<br />
British Experience Company (the minds behind The<br />
Great British Drive In, London experience ‘The<br />
Murder Express’ and Stafford’s Alberts Cafe) invited<br />
Niall to oversee Lunar, a new modern dining concept<br />
opening at World of Wedgwood’s Barlaston site in<br />
the heart of Staffordshire, he leapt at the chance.<br />
With a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading<br />
chefs in the country today, Niall has of<br />
course had various different proposals<br />
and opportunities present themselves over<br />
the last few years, but he says “nothing<br />
felt quite right as coming home”.<br />
“It’s always been a dream of mine to<br />
open a restaurant in Staffordshire,” Niall<br />
says. “I’m so proud of home and to have<br />
the opportunity to create something<br />
special in the area is really exciting.”<br />
Lunar takes over the former dining<br />
hall at the historic Wedgwood estate.<br />
The canteen-style setting has been<br />
transformed into a sophisticated new<br />
restaurant where guests can experience<br />
modern British cuisine served only on<br />
Wedgwood fine bone china. The team<br />
hope it will bring a welcome breath of<br />
fresh air to the local food and drink scene.<br />
“Being so close to bigger cities such as<br />
Manchester and Birmingham, which<br />
have great restaurants and bars, means<br />
Stoke often gets forgotten about as<br />
somewhere that has great potential for<br />
the hospitality industry,” Niall says. “A<br />
modern dining experience like Lunar<br />
is perfect for the area - and what has<br />
been missing. It’s a great chance for people to try<br />
something new and for both the staff and guests to<br />
get excited about local produce and celebrate the<br />
history that’s always been here.”<br />
The opening comes in the wake of a very tough<br />
period for the whole hospitality industry, but Niall<br />
for one has clearly not been resting on his laurels for<br />
the past 18 months. The Paradise Carriage started<br />
life as a street food trailer at the Exchange Bar and<br />
Kitchen in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Niall began<br />
using it during the first lockdown in 2020 to cook<br />
and deliver meals to key workers, before taking it to<br />
Whatley Manor as a drive-through takeaway venture.<br />
He explained that it played a really important role<br />
STAFFORDSHIRE-BORN NIALL<br />
KEATING, LEFT, IS OPENING LUNAR<br />
AT THE WORLD WEDGWOOD<br />
32 www.jaimemagazine.com