Review: Calluna, the new restaurant bringing the coast and moors to the table in Sandsend

The sea opens up beside you, stretching towards the horizon, while a wide sweep of sand follows the shoreline.

Then the road winds inland, through wooded surroundings and up the long drive to Saltmoore, where the setting feels a world away from the beach.

The former Raithwaite Estate, Saltmoore underwent a £100m redevelopment before reopening in November 2024.

It is now a contemporary retreat between the North Sea and the North York Moors.

The welcome is warm, and the reception’s centrepiece is an impressive bespoke wire sculpture chandelier by Whitby sculptor Emma Stothard.

Our bags were whisked away before we had much chance to think about them.

The interiors combine muted, earthy colours with tactile fabrics and natural textures, avoiding the seaside clichés often found in coastal hotels.

Our room continued the understated luxury.

The bed was enormous, with pillows you could happily bury your head in, and the welcome tray contained Botham’s biscuits and Baytown coffee, both from Whitby businesses.

It was a subtle, yet thoughtful, local touch.

The Sanctuary spa offers another reason to stay, with a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub, cold plunge and loungers, as well as a cryotherapy chamber for those inclined to try something less familiar.

Floor-to-ceiling windows look out across the estate’s woodlands, gardens and streams, bringing the peaceful surroundings into the space.

But the principal reason for our visit was Calluna, Saltmoore’s new fine-dining restaurant, which has just opened.

Led by executive chef Adam Maddock, Calluna takes its name from Calluna vulgaris, the Latin name for the heather that carpets the surrounding moors.

The tasting menu draws on the Yorkshire coast, kitchen garden and wider countryside, with seasonality, preservation and local produce at its heart.

The restaurant has just 24 covers each evening, with no table turns.

Dinner begins with a welcome drink in the Lounge Bar before guests move to the Kitchen Counter for the opening snacks, then take their seats for the remainder of the menu.

The final 8pm seating offers something different: just six diners, lined up at the counter for the entire meal, with a front-row view of Maddock and his team at work.

There is a real buzz about the room, and the service strikes the right balance between attentive and relaxed.

Staff are knowledgeable about the food and drink, bringing each course to life with their explanations.

The £125 tasting menu begins with sea bream, toasted nori and pickled cucumber, followed by a mutton doughnut with pickled bilberry.

The latter was one of my favourite dishes: distinctive and a good indication that Calluna has little interest in making fine dining feel forbidding.

The opening drinks included Whitby x Calluna gin with cucumber and roasted nori, alongside a combination of the gin with brown butter, toasted pearl barley and bilberry.

A 2022 Jérôme Blin ‘La Varoce’ Champagne, made with Meunier and Chardonnay, was among the drinks on offer.

Black Sheep sourdough follows, served with burnt onion and beef dripping butter, cultured butter and beef tea.

As the menu progresses, the coastal influences become more varied.

Crab with kohlrabi and fermented turnip was delicate yet full of flavour, allowing the ingredients to come through.

One of the most memorable dishes brought together Fortunes Smokehouse, a Whitby institution, with swede, pine and spruce tips in a smoky broth.

It was a clever combination of coastal and moorland flavours.

Venison from Mulgrave Estate, smoked over bell heather and served as a faggot with black apple, celeriac, preserved elderberry and elderberry balsamic, was another highlight.

It brought together local produce and the kitchen’s interest in preservation and seasonal produce.

The remaining courses included the optional Baron Bigod cheese with Yorkshire tea cake, damson and truffle, fermented cherry and meadowsweet, and milk chocolate with brown butter, dandelion coffee and yoghurt.

Pineapple weed canelés de Bordeaux and pear with juniper brought the tasting menu to a close, with a cherry and meadowsweet soda palate cleanser offering a refreshing pause along the way.

Calluna is ambitious without being pretentious.

The cooking is thoughtful and precise, but the atmosphere remains relaxed, making fine dining feel accessible rather than intimidating.

I would recommend the wine pairing, too. The selections complemented the food particularly well without stealing the attention.

Calluna brings a new dimension to the area’s dining scene, with a menu that looks beyond the obvious attractions of the seaside.

For a night away combining accomplished cooking, personal service and a chance to switch off by the sea, Saltmoore makes a persuasive case for itself.