We moved to Wales 2.5 years ago, and for all that time, I’ve known of the existence of Restaurant 1861 in Cross Ash. Indeed, we used to drive past to visit local friends, when we still lived in London. It’s taken me all this time to finally visit, and now I’m ruing all those missed ... Read more »
Barry, a few miles South West of Cardiff, may not be the most obvious location for an elegant upscale restaurant from Michelin-starred chef James Sommerin, but over the last couple of years it’s become a hotspot for food lovers thanks to Hangfire Southern Kitchen, and Goodsheds, which houses a selection of superb food and drink ... Read more »
When it comes to delicatessens in Abergavenny, it’s all change in the last year or so with closures and new openings transforming the town’s deli options. The good news is we have a superb range of delis selling all sorts of delicious food and drink. Check out our recommendations. Madame Fromage Madame Fromage, formerly of ... Read more »
I rarely write about a restaurant if we visit on its first day open, but at Rocket & Rye, the experience and skills of John and Ceri Cook meant the team hit the ground running from the moment the doors opened, and we had an absolutely wonderful meal with friendly and helpful service. Based in ... Read more »
Wales is a country of dramatic coastlines, towering mountains and historic castles. Oh, and dragons too, of course! It’s also known for the quality of its produce, and there are plenty of traditional Welsh foods to try during your visit to Wales. In this post I’ve picked out just a few of my favourite traditional ... Read more »
Many journalists and bloggers have written in praise of Hangfire Southern Kitchen, and no surprise – run by Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn, Hangfire is the undisputed home of Southern USA-style barbeque in Wales, cooked and served up in a recently regenerated corner of Barry Island. The story of how the ladies came to launch ... Read more »
Uisce by Heaneys sits next door to its older sibling, and offers an altogether more casual vibe with a small plates menu in place of Heaneys’ tasting menus. It’s labelled as an oyster and wine bar but offers much more, its small plates menu to pick and choose from making it an ideal spot for ... Read more »
One of the things we’ve missed from London since moving to rural Monmouthshire in Wales is easy access to dim sum. A recent call out for dim sum recommendations in Cardiff led us to Happy Gathering, a Chinese restaurant on Cardiff’s Cowbridge Road. My favourite London restaurant for dim sum is Phoenix Garden, which I ... Read more »
The Black Bear Inn in Bettws Newydd is one of our favourite local pub restaurants. Recently, they did a set Game Dinner menu for a night, instead of their usual blackboard menu. Priced at £38 per person, the multi-course feast was a set menu served to all diners. Sourdough and butter to start; we always enjoy ... Read more »
“Grass-fed” is one of the descriptions I’m starting to see more frequently on beef and lamb (and mutton) in our butchers and supermarkets. But, as is often the case, this one label can cover a wide range of truths. Livestock only have to be 51% grass-fed for their meat to carry this label; the other ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]