Wilder Restaurant — Restaurant in Stroud

The service was excellent, very attentive, and fast.

The non-alcoholic drinks were a refreshing experience and sometimes a good surprise, offering a good alternative to wine.

The first couple of appetisers, although well presented, were actually on the underwhelming side in terms of flavours. In particular, the crumpet with marmite butter was a bold idea on paper, but the marmite flavour was too tamed (believe me, I'm no big fan of marmite), and the crumpet abnormally greasy on its own. The duck egg had some good flavours at the bottom (pickled bits), but the scrambled bit was too soggy, almost sickly.

The lobster course, although nicely constructed visually, sadly tasted very bland. A stronger seasoning or sauce would have elevated the whole dish completely. By far, the most disappointing course during the evening!

The star of the show was the lamb, perfectly roasted and seasoned, buttery, crispy on top, with terrific textures and tasty side dishes.

The cheese course had good textures, good flavours and a nice presentation.

The woodruff parfait was a good surprise in terms of flavour, though underwhelming visually and could have done with another texture. The following strawberry sorbet had powerful flavours, however the accompanying drink (also strawberry based), made the pairing a bit sickly and redundant (a more herbal focused drink could have brought more contrast).

The last 3 courses (parfait, strawberry sorbet and petits fours), technically all desserts, had good flavours individually, but they lacked texture when eaten sequentially. For instance, some of these courses could have done with a génoise, shortbread base or a caramelised sheet, to provide more satisfying texture variations and richness. I was craving cake and biscuits by the end of the meal...

The petits fours didn't deserve their name by French standards: they had no layering nor visual intricacy, and were rather "cold mini bites". The lemon "bite" did have a surprisingly explosive flavour: great on its own, but it did clash with my coffee.

Overall, certainly not a bad experience: the lamb, the cheese course and the parfait were very well executed and a 3-course version of these would be an exceptional meal. However, the asking price commanded a lot more...

An absolutely superb dining experience, I cannot recommend it enough.

We went for the wine pairing option which is only £15 per head more than the soft drink option and therefore really worth it.

The anticipation of what each course is going to be is good fun, each course was interesting, tasty and very well presented ... and paired well with the wine.

My wife is both vegetarian and lactose intolerant and some places often do not put the effort into catering for her. This was not the case at Wilder and every course she was presented with was on a par with what everyone else received. It was hard to believe that some of the dishes were dairy free as they looked and tasted so creamy ... but they were, well done Matt.

The staff are very good.

Don't be put off by the headline price, you must try this place. It is...

The food is exquisite, flavour combinations that work in perfect harmony. Little explosions of seeds, herbs, oils, purées, jus’s that make every mouthful pure pleasure. The chef seriously knows what he is doing matching ingredients in an unusual way, my tastebuds were in heaven! The quality of the produce was clearly extremely high. Beef melted in the mouth, the duck was devine, smoked salmon was cleverly flavoured, but the vegetables were just as good, they tasted like their flavours were enhanced due to clever cooking techniques. Our wine flight was fantastic, perfect matches for each dish. Very knowledgeable staff, who took pride in the dishes/wine. A special place, this restaurant created the perfect atmosphere for a special occasion or relaxed gathering. Will...