Adam Maddock on opening Calluna, Saltmoore's new fine dining restaurant

Adam Maddock has spent more than two years refining the concept for his newly opened fine dining restaurant Calluna.

The Devon-born chef worked for the likes of Chris Tanner, Michael Caines, Martin Burge and Robert Potter, before spells in Wales and Scotland.

Two years ago, he settled in North Yorkshire, teaming up with Michelin-starred Tommy Banks to develop a wide-ranging offering at Saltmoore.

Based near Whitby, 72-room spa hotel Saltmoore labels itself “a luxurious wellness-led sanctuary”, which, as of this month, now also features an ambitious restaurant space. Within a year of opening, it won two Michelin Keys.

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Adam, still only 34, has gradually grown the project in the past two years, taking on the role of executive head chef last year, as Tommy stepped back.

As well as Calluna, there is also a pizza restaurant and brasserie on site.

Refining the concept for two years

Discussing the journey to this point, Adam told The Staff Canteen: “When you’ve been sat on an idea and a concept for two years, you change it a lot in your head.

“Even a year ago we were doing dry run-throughs of service, and now the dishes are another two years refined, as such. So I think what we’ve got is a really strong product – it’s got some real nice stories from the local area with the ingredients we have.

“I guess the challenge now is making sure we have as much of a story going into the next menus, because the current menu, we do have a lot to talk about in terms of where stuff’s coming from and how local everything is.

“So that’s the challenge moving forward – keeping that momentum.”

Building a menu around local stories

As Adam mentions, the menu itself has a seasonal and local feel, with the clearest example being the freshly caught crabs that arrive courtesy of the grandfather of Adam’s sous chef.

And the time to prepare for the opening of Calluna has allowed Adam to refine exactly how he wants the guest experience to work too.

“We’ve got 24 covers max, typically 20 depending on table configurations,” he explained.

“We do it in four waves of six. They start in the lounge with some pommes soufflés, a vinegar version, with their drink – like a bag of crisps and a drink at the bar. Then they go through to the kitchen counter for two courses, then through to the restaurant, and the last six stay on the counter for a kitchen counter experience.

“Originally the restaurant was meant to be a 40-cover restaurant, but I was quite lucky that we managed to bring that concept down and give them that journey instead.

“The whole thing can be three hours. I didn’t want people sat in the same spot the entire time.

“Food-wise, the venison we’re getting from Mulgrave Estate, whose land borders ours. They’ve got a thousand-acre deer park. We get them in whole, so we’re teaching the guys how to do the butchery and using the whole animal. What we need for Calluna we keep, the rest goes to the brasserie or pizzeria, wherever it’s needed.

“We’ve got an interesting kipper and swede dish on the menu, which sounds very out there but it works. They’re from Fortune’s Kippers, who’ve been based in Whitby since 1872, sixth generation now – a real Whitby institution. If you’ve been to Whitby you’ve either been there or walked past it.

“And the crabs, we’re getting through one of our sous chefs’ family connections. They’re all crab fishermen, so they come in as the most alive crabs I’ve ever seen, straight off the boat in a red bucket to here. We’re very lucky with the produce we’re getting from our doorstep.”

Why the pizzeria opened first

The original plans were for Calluna to open in 2025, before the pizzeria followed in 2027. But Adam decided to make some changes, for the good of the business.

“We could have opened Calluna before the pizzeria,” Adam said.

“My heart was saying open Calluna, my head was saying open the pizzeria. We had the hotel down there, the Beach House, without a restaurant in it. It was a very soulless space, so we really wanted to give that a purpose and a soul.

“That restaurant’s doing great, it’s a busy little spot. I think most chefs will want to open the fine dining first, then a brasserie or more casual eatery. We had that option, but the sensible thing to do was do the more refined thing last. It’s not always the chef’s preferred way of doing it, but it does make more business sense.”

Asked what that extra time has done to the concept of Calluna, Adam added: “That also comes with its own jeopardy. It’s been an idea for such a long time, it needs to open, and needs to open correctly.

“When something’s been there for two years, by the time you actually open it, it needs to tick the boxes you’ve been saying for two years it’s going to tick.”

Thinking beyond the kitchen

Adam is heading up a young kitchen team – he is the oldest member of the brigade. And the way he thinks is much more than a chef running a restaurant, something he has developed from his time working in hotels for many years.

Asked what the opening of Calluna will mean for the wider hotel offering, Adam said: “Hopefully the length of stay will go up. We’ve got three key restaurants you can dine in now, and they’re all very different in their offering.

“Hopefully that has a positive impact across the rest of the business too. If people aren’t doing one-night stays during summer, if we can get that down to, say, 20 check-outs and 20 check-ins rather than 72 and 72, it's better for housekeeping, everyone’s happier, and there’s a better chance for us to get to know our guests, rather than them being here for less than 24 hours and straight back out the door.”

He added: “Most chefs wouldn’t think like that, but if you’ve been a hotel chef for long enough, you understand how the hotel works.

“If someone has a bad experience at any point in the hotel, it impacts their whole stay. We could be doing amazing things in one of the restaurants, but that one thing will stay with them.”

Developing the next generation

For Adam, opening Calluna is also a massive help in terms of keeping his team motivated.

“A lot of the guys who’ve worked for me over the last few years have gone on to work at three-star, two-star, one-star restaurants after 12 to 18 months here,” he explained.

“For me that’s also what it’s about – giving the guys who come here the tools to go on, hold their own, and go into those kitchens, giving them a good base to go and follow their dreams.

“Some people come here wanting to work at a one-Michelin-star restaurant. When we were just operating the pizzeria and brasserie, it was hard to give them that experience.”

What are the ambitions for Calluna?

Saltmoore and its restaurants have been keeping busy, which is no mean feat in the current economic climate. Many guests now include it on their local tour of restaurant visits, alongside the likes of Michelin-starred The Black Swan and Mýse.

But Adam is remaining level-headed over future prospects and accolades.

“I think the true test is in three to five years’ time, once we’ve been open that long, to see how the numbers look,” he said.

“We were very fortunate to get two Keys within the first year of being open and The Sunday Times coverage.

“I think if the accolades come, the accolades come. I don’t want it to come across like we’re pushing for that narrative. As long as the team’s happy, the guests are happy, and we’ve got bums on seats, that’s the most important thing.

“I don’t want to get too blinkered by cooking for guides. Ultimately it’d be lovely, but it’s out of my control.”

He added: “In terms of restaurants on the estate, Calluna’s the icing on the cake - the last one.

“The feedback’s been great. We did two soft launches and three good services last week. Now it’s business as normal and we just crack on like every other day.”