“Lumina lamb is always a delight to work with,” the Chef tells us as he places the leg of lamb on the chopping board in front of him. He picks up a knife and starts delicately removing the thin layer of skin that covers one side. “See this micro-marbling?” He uses his knife to point out the pattern of white on pink. “It’s unique to Lumina and means the meat doesn’t behave like regular lamb during preparation and cooking. It’s more versatile. It gives me so many options. So much room for me to put my own mark on the meat and on every dish. And it’s just so consistent!”

The grill greets the meat with an enthusiastic hiss as the Chef starts to wax lyrical about Lumina’s cooking style. “I love that it doesn’t shrink or lose structure and taste when you cook it. It makes it so much easier to cook with fire and form crackling. And the fat renders beautifully. Which means it can be cooked for longer.” He glides the meat across the grill as the fat melts. “See the intramuscular Omega-3 fats? That’s a key factor in Lumina’s uniquely tender taste. And look at this!” the Chef says. More to himself than to us. It’s hard to know who is more excited about tasting the meat he’s cooking. By the sounds of it, it might actually be him. “Look at that crackling!”

The Chef transfers his newest masterpiece to another chopping board and seasons it. A shower a rock salt lands on the crispy surface. Then he cuts into it. Thin slices peel off one by one, revealing a tender pink interior. By now, everyone is ready for the best part of the day. The tasting…

“I love the fact that Lumina want to keep growing and evolving. Working with them is a constant conversation. They want to learn from chefs. Want to know about what we want and need from their product. We’re part of the process.”

And teamwork is at the very core of the Lumina way. Bringing together specialists to share ideas and knowledge is what fuels that desire to keep improving. It’s that meeting of minds and kinship that feeds into the Lumina team’s drive. Because you can’t claim to be the best unless you have an ongoing dialogue with the men and women who work with your lamb on a daily basis. Those who add that final burst of creativity to turn a cut into a culinary experience.

‘Experimenting’ can feel like a scary word. But when it comes to Lumina, experimenting is really about small details. “True,” the Chef tells us. “But with fine dining, small details can have a very big impact on flavour.” So what is it the Chef does during his day of ‘playful experimentation’? “It’s about unravelling potential. About finding out how far you can push the meat. Trying new cuts, different pairings. It’s about opening your mind to the wildest possibilities in the hope that you’ll stumble on something deliciously surprising. It’s very much how scientists work.”