The story
Upstairs at Wilder is dedicated to a single, evolving eight-course tasting menu. The kitchen changes the dishes constantly, so each visit brings a genuine surprise. Guests choose between a carefully matched wine flight or an alcohol-free pairing of unusual sparkling teas and homemade kombuchas. The experience begins with Champagne and a nibble, then moves through five matched drinks, tea or coffee, and petit fours. It is a focused, intimate affair – and the reason this Modern British restaurant earned its Michelin Recommended status.
This spring and summer, the team opens a second, more relaxed space downstairs. No reservations are needed. It is a casual counterpoint to the upstairs tasting menu, giving locals and visitors alike a chance to drop in for a different kind of evening.
Wilder offers two private dining rooms. The Bar Room seats ten and is light and airy, with a high ceiling and a view over Market Street. The Kitchen Room is smaller and cosier, seating eight, with a view of the chefs working the pass. Chef Matthew, who brings more than thirty years of experience, designs custom menus for these gatherings.
The team contacts guests ahead of the evening to discuss any dietary needs or allergies, adjusting the menu so that all surprises are good ones. Tables of up to four can be booked online; larger parties should call the restaurant. Taxis are recommended for the journey home – a rural reality that the team suggests booking in advance.
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Surprise is of the essence at chef-patron Matthew Beardshall’s smartly appointed but intimate restaurant, where dinner starts at 7pm for everyone and there’s no printed menu. Instead, customers can look forward to eight meticulous planned dishes inspired by what’s in season. The results are ambitious, enlightened, innovative and peppered with on-trend detailing, while accompanying drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are as impressively researched and innovative as the food. Everything is prepared in the tiny kitchen by Matt himself, who chats happily over the pass and occasionally emerges to serve one of the dishes himself. The front of house staff are equally friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. A shot of homemade kombucha opens service. Then it’s time for a glass of Joseph Perrier, Cuvée Royal Champagne to go with clever canapés such as medjool dates with red miso or a goat’s curd and kimchi tapioca cracker. Breads stay with the seasonal theme, ranging from oat soda bread in winter to sourdough with wild garlic oil in summer. Inspired fish and vegetarian courses such as koji-marinated celeriac with celeriac purée, mushroom ketchup and chestnut mushrooms are the prelude to a big meaty main course of, say, roast sirloin of Angus beef or slow-roast shoulder and loin of goat with Mediterranean companions including aubergine caponata and crispy parsnip gnocchi (excellent with a glass of Bulgarian Enira from the Bessa Valley). Sweet dishes might feature a ‘snowball’, crispy rice-pudding beignets with sour cherry sorbet and ‘drunk cherries’ or – in summer – a trio of rhubarb in various guises. As well as accompanying small glasses of wines from around the world, there are cold-brew teas and other creative non-alcoholic concoctions. There's also the boozy bonus of a five-course Champagne brunch on Saturdays (from 11.30am). In the end, it’s all about enjoyment, and reporters confirm that Matt ‘definitely succeeds’ in every department.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
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