A new fine dining restaurant featuring bespoke menus made from local seasonal produce is set to open in Staffordshire.
The team behind Westwoods Bespoke Dining is preparing to launch The Potting Shed, which will be based at the Plant Plot garden centre on Stafford Road in Lichfield.
The restaurant will feature an open kitchen with seating for 20 people at a single long table which is currently being made by Lichfield Furniture Co.
Diners will be able to book in advance to enjoy an eight-course tasting menu on Friday and Saturday evenings, with the restaurant available at other times for private hire for celebrations with bespoke menus. They also plan to host working lunches and daytime conferences, as well as community events.
The new restaurant has been in the planning for almost two years and will be open in the spring, after suffering delays due to last year’s storms and the recent freezing weather.
News of its upcoming opening comes as Daily Focus also reports today that Feasted and Chef’s Table dining experience in Stoke-on-Trent has closed.
Managing Director Richard Cummins declined to put a figure on the total investment, although around one-third of the funding has come from their share of a £200,000 Rural England Prosperity Fund grant from Lichfield District Council, which has been split between eight businesses.
Several full- and part-time jobs will be created, including two full-time chef positions, a full-time kitchen assistant and a full-time front of house manager, as well as part-time waiting on positions.
Richard told Daily Focus: “We set up Westwoods in 2015 and the emphasis was always on fully bespoke events, where you talk with the chef about exactly what you would like, not a sales department. This has created a fantastic reputation for us and we have helped a good number of returning customers to celebrate amazing life events.
“The natural next step was always to open a small restaurant where we could focus on the same completely bespoke events on a weekly basis and celebrate seasonal local produce from Staffordshire and the surrounding counties as much as possible.”
Richard has been working with fellow chef Gareth Williams to plan the new menus and plan to use as much local produce as possible, including Elmhurst asparagus, Hoar Cross lamb and Packington pork.
The pair have 50 years’ combined experience in kitchens and have worked together all over the UK, including at Chandlers in Lichfield where they created dishes such as rhubarb and ginger tiramisu, monkfish and king prawn curry and Roquefort cheesecake with candied walnuts.
Richard added: “I think the Covid lockdown made a lot of people so withdrawn and anxious about dining out or meeting new people. We wanted to champion local food and support our amazing farmers, growers and producers, but also do it in a custom designed space that encourages people to enjoy the evening, try new foods and maybe even make new friends.
“We are hoping to open by the start of spring and bookings will be available online as soon as we have a set date.”
Funding from the Rural England Prosperity Fund grant has also enabled Westwoods to make use of more cost-effective greener technology.
Councillor Janice Silvester-Hall, Lichfield District Council’s cabinet member for visitor economy, ecology and climate change, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to deliver a Rural England Prosperity Fund grant to Westwoods Bespoke Dining. The money has helped the business establish a great restaurant space and I wish them every success.
“The full allocation of £200,000 has been granted to a total of eight projects to support the growth of farming businesses and the creation of new or improvement of existing rural hospitality venues. It’s great to be able to support brilliant local small businesses.”
