The Flintlock at Cheddleton — Restaurant in Staffordshire Moorlands

I'm almost lost for words to describe how good Friday night was at The Flintlock at Cheddleton. The stylish restaurant sits upon the Caldon canal, in amongst the picturesque Staffordshire moorlands. The menu, curated by Instagram legend Thom @bboxfood, boasts seasonality and the use of local ingredients. Thom is also a keen forager which is reflected in the inclusion of Woodruff in a dessert. Having known Thom for the last year I've admired his unrivalled passion for good food and quality ingredients; having the chance to eat his food in his restaurant filled me with a sense of awe knowing he had put his all into serving this meal.

After a drinks reception we were invited to seat in the restaurant, it was relaxed, bright and stylish, and we were given a bao bun and bread to snack on.

To start, I ordered the Chicken and Black Garlic Terrine, Thom had turned a humble dish into an elegant starter. A shard of what I would call chicken crackling was pierced into the chicken, it tasted like what walker's chicken crisp should taste like. That comparison is not to downplay the crackling but it's what spring to mind as the flavour was so bold. This was completed with the sweet fennel jam, slight pickle from the carrot ribbons, and earthy hints from the black garlic. Texture wise, there was a great combination of tenderness from the chicken and crunch from the crackling and carrot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this starter and it gave me confidence knowing the rest of meal would be equally as good, or even better.

The steak, cooked to perfection, was finished on a chargrill which gave it the most amazing crust. For sauce I opted for the Staffordshire Stout and bone marrow; when I read that on the menu I assumed it was personally included for my enjoyment as it seemed tailored to my taste. I poured the sauce on the steak but the majority of it I used for dunking the impeccablge beef fat chips in. I was in heaven.

Chocolate Delice was the perfect end to an incredible evening. The Delice was an indulgent dessert and a chocolate lovers dream with it's silky smooth chocolate. Combining the delice with the hot chocolate was incredibly indulgent, it melted the delice in my mouth and Jade had to tell me stop pulling faces. The salted honey ice-cream is what convinced me to order this and it did not disappoint, the flavours complemented the rich...

We have been following @chefthombateman for a few years now and love his style of food. @the.flintlock.cheddleton is understated yet charming and in keeping with its lock-side roots.

Settling in with a G&T we dived into the taster menu, getting our pallets going in style with a trio of snacks, the perfect way to start a culinary journey!

⭐️4.5/5 Recommend👍🏻 Price 💸💸💸

What we had…

▪️Staffordshire Cheese Tartlet Salt Baked Beetroot - Black Garlic

▪️Tortelli Pig Cheek – Winter Squash - Bisque

▪️Cornish Hake Fermented Lettuce - Sea Vegetables - Charcoal Butter Sauce

▪️Venison Celeriac – Red Cabbage – Deer Stalker Pie

▪️Pear Sauternes - Cucumber – Dill - Gingerbread

▪️Salcombe Chocolate Sour Cream Brownie, Woodruff, Pedro Ximenez, Cocoa Nib

The highlights…

Diving into the first of 6 courses we started on a high. Earthy yet sweet, a salt baked beetroot volcano bomb. We were both obsessed with this dish which also provided a bit of theatre.

The bread course was surprisingly well worth a mention. Tearing apart the cloud like, squishy parker house roll and smothering it in salty miso onion butter was a delight.

Tortelli, denser than expected but enjoyable and loved the complementing prawn flavoured bisque.

The fish course was up there cooked well and complemented with samphire and silky butter sauce, hake heaven.

Pre desert was all about texture, bringing a unique desert with tartare sauce vibes. Yes this sounds odd but was delightful. Pops of freshness everywhere, gingerbread subtle and barely there but that took away nothing from this ultimate palette cleanse.

Chocolate lovers would be in heaven with this dense chocolate ganache brownie though a little rich for our taste. Probably the least memorable course although we fully admit this sort of desert rarely gets us excited but is a fave for many.

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening. Flo stole the show, friendly and approachable, a real asset to the team. For a taster menu experience in a laid-back unpretentious environment we would recommend a date at The Flintlock.

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A lovely greeting and move to the table that was pleasant and relaxing. First five on the taster menu were out of this world and off the scale - in this business, the rough must come with the smooth and honest appraisals must be given. The 'lobby' was a dish for two, the consistency of a haggis with congealed barley with some strands of brisket; lobby is a huge dish in the area and I would be lost to find someone who could call this lobby, there was no sauce. Yes, there was no sauce that the lobby is cooked in, a thin (quite tasteless) jus doesnt compliment lobby guys, however much the modern thinking is, that overshadowed the whole meal to be frank. The restaurant itself was nice but a very loud (so loud it set off my decibel warning on my Apple Watch (!)) group went unchecked that destroyed the tranquillity of a pleasant evening. The old excuse of mention it so it can be corrected was not the environment available, you do not approach people who were 'enjoying themselves loudly' having consumed a lot of profit, sorry alcohol at the table alone and ask them to be quiet, that should be a basic and dealt with. Team were good but I sense there is poor leadership as it looked like senior people had to get involved with service with the supervisory consequences of being too close and other things not happening (please dont give me the busy and helping bit, its a high level/standard restaurant not a take away). Lets just say the first experience wasnt good, it will...