Harden's survey result
Summary
The high-ceilinged, brick-lined first floor of an old Victorian warehouse in Stockport Old Town – complete with open kitchen and seating for 30 guests – provides a casual, very ‘now’ post-industrial venue for Sam Buckley’s acclaimed destination. The meal itself is a hipster-ish succession of small plates, whose local sourcing credentials earned the place one of Michelin’s first green stars in January 2021 (although no-one’s quite clear what the green stars actually mean). As often is the case with WTLGI, though, its reputation exceeds how many reports it generates, and though such feedback as we have says the experience is an all-round outstanding one, it’s hard not to conclude that there’s some mismatch between all the foodie kudos and customer esteem. The breads and baking here are often highlighted, which augurs well for Sam B’s forthcoming new bakery nearby, called Yellowhammer.
Summary
“Just phenomenal – the tasting menu is sublime and the wine pairing so well matched” at Sam Buckley’s “relaxing but luxurious” set-up in an old, Victorian brick-walled warehouse. There is the odd gripe that the hipster succession of numerous bite-sized dishes – often using produce from their own farm – is on the pricey side, but all reports acknowledge the “amazing tastes and ideas” the experience delivers, while “the service is just wonderful – you’re made to feel important as soon as you walk in the door”.
Summary
“Just phenomenal – the tasting menu is sublime and the wine pairing so well matched” at Sam Buckley’s “relaxing but luxurious” set-up in an old, Victorian brick-walled warehouse. There is the odd gripe that the hipster succession of numerous bite-sized dishes – often using produce from their own farm – is on the pricey side, but all reports acknowledge the “amazing tastes and ideas” the experience delivers, while “the service is just wonderful – you’re made to feel important as soon as you walk in the door”.
Summary
“Yes I know, it’s Stockport but… WOW!” Sam Buckley’s “splendidly hipster” bare-brick-walled converted Victorian warehouse with open kitchen and a tasting-menu-only format has taken the foodie world by storm since it opened in late 2016. On most accounts it fully lives up: “the hipster foodie intensity might be a turn-off for some people but the warmth and enthusiasm of the staff and sheer quality of the food make it a wonderful experience”. “The pace is leisured and slow, focused on the kitchen and with the chance to chat and absorb; there’s great music; plenty of chef-based action, and without a doubt it has killer appeal to anyone wanting to be immersed in food and watch a talented team”. And “you leave feeling sated, but in a really good way, from the beautifully judged surprise menu”. Well, that’s the unqualified version anyway. But there are also a number of reports which are supportive but with reservations: e.g. “there’s a lot of ambition on show at WTLGI, and I think their determination to pare back to the basics and tell a story with their food means that their regularly changing menu will sometimes hit, sometimes miss; for us it mostly missed, but I can see the potential; we were no doubt unlucky in attending on one of the coldest days in the year, and our expectations were sky-high because of stellar reviews and travelling specially from London, but this was just too austere and worthy” (or as another reporters said: “so pure you have to be an expert to appreciate the subtlety and get joy from it”). Still, everyone agrees that although it’s a little “earnest”, “they try very hard to look after you well”. And even most critics feel: “I wish them well, because they are outstanding in some aspects and genuinely different”.
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Where The Light Gets In?
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £65.00 |  |
|
|
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 90.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £20.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £2.50 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
7 Rostron Row, Stockport, SK1 1JY
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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