This is a destination restaurant. You will find it on the high-street of a little market town in Hertfordshire, famed for the castle ruins which witnessed the English give the crown to William the Conqueror in 1066 (well worth a visit). With its fabulous Art Deco cinema The Rex, an array of boutique stores and cafes –and now that WILD has entered the scene, we’d say a visit to Berkhamsted is a must.

The concept takes a well-worn ‘farm to table’ philosophy but makes it chic. The restaurant is buzzy, deliciously lit, discerningly decorated and just generally cool. But the vibey atmos doesn’t detract from the passion which clearly sits at the core of WILD’s raison d’etre. You may think a bouji and fun energy might be there to mask a lack of substance. Far from it. You can feel the heart of this place in every interaction with the wait staff, and every ingredient on the plate.

The menu is grounded in WILD’s companion farm in Radlett – where the majority of the produce is grown. The team farms using regenerative methods designed to preserve the integrity of the earth and keep the eco-system in balance. They go so far as to take the vegetable scraps from the kitchen back to the farm to compost for the next crops. This place is genuinely aligned to the natural rhythms of the land.

We loved that all the team spend active time on the farm, tending to the produce and connecting to the food they serve at source. Our waiter, Luke, could eulogise about every dish on the menu and we really trusted his recommendations. You get the sense that everyone at WILD is invested in what they plate up. The passion is tangible and infectious.

Connection to the land aside, the food is also bloody brilliant.  And the stand-outs were, unsurprisingly, the veg. Although don’t get us wrong; the quality of the meat and fish – all sourced from sustainable, local suppliers, was top tier. The crab, hashbrown and apple was a glorious bite. And we adored the sirloin on the bone with melting, buttery shallots.

But there were two dishes which made us pause to put our knife and fork down in dumbfounded silence, just to have a hallowed moment of contemplation. The carrots cooked in lamb fat come to you like déjà vu – something deeply familiar on a cellular level. The rich depth of the fat pirouettes with the earthy sweetness of the root veg to create something mesmerising in the mouth. It’s a must try. Another root vegetable that WILD does something witchy with is celeriac. Simply titled: Celeriac, pickled walnut. I could have bet my life on some form of deeply savoury trick being used in the cooking process, whether a base of meat stock, or marmite, or mushrooms  – I just couldn’t believe such umami depth could come from celeriac alone. But reader, it does. Of all the dishes they keep on their ever-evolving seasonal menu, I hope WILD holds on to this one as long as possible. Because it was simply magic.

Come for veg, stay for the tarte tatin. Go home full and wildly happy to be alive.

247-249 High St, Berkhamsted HP4 1AB