5 minute read
Scrumptious Visitor Centres
VISITOR VISITOR
It’s Springtime; get out there! Go for a wander, rediscover Welsh culture. How about planning a road-trip round our finest foodie hot-spots, and consider the gastro side of our visitor centres? Experience your favourite Welsh panoramas over breakfast, lunch and dinner; go for the thrill, but do stay for an appetizer!
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Lowri Haf Cooke takes us on a tour of some of the more foodie focused Visitor Centres boasting great welsh fare as well as a stunning vista or cultural experience….
Caffi Castell Harlech
Caffi Castell Harlech, Harlech
Hands up who collected key-rings, various ‘gonks’ and car-stickers from castle gift-shops all over Wales? Consider a brand-new pilgrimage, around the castles of Wales, to fight those battles anew against Edward I’s evil forces – then make a bee-line for a spot of refreshment. After all, it’s what Owain Glyndŵr – and Bendigeidfran - would have wanted; two ‘giants’ who - over the centuries - set up home at Harlech Castle. One of the chicest, most contemporary visitor cafes in Wales, is attached to the hilltop-castle floating bridge, in the ancient Welsh commote of Ardudwy. With floor-to ceiling windows, this minimalist glass cube offers vistas of Snowdonia, and Harlech beach below that’ll leave you gasping for a Poblado Coffee. Sister-cafe Llew Glas is located a stone’s throw away on cobbled courtyard Plas y Groits. Shannon’s home-made cakes – including her freshly baked scones – will have you humming ‘Men of Harlech’, and possibly plotting another Welsh revolution. I’r Gâd!
Caffi Castell Harlech, Castle Square, Harlech LL46 2YH, tel: 01766780200
Whilst Stockholm’s got Skansen, we’ve got our own world-class folk history attraction that - like the Urdd camp at Llangrannog – is a rite of passage for children all over Wales. If it’s been an age since your last visit, you may have heard of the brand new galleries, as well as recent additions of Llys Llywelyn, Gweithdy, Bryn Eryr Iron Age farmstead – not forgetting, of course, the brand new Coed Lan high ropes and zip wire tree-top course. Another recent upgrade is the visitor centre restaurant, an open cantina-style cafe with a choice of hearty Welsh fare. Although the choices may be timeless – such as cawl, bara brith, faggots and peas – there are some traditional dishes that may be new to you. The ‘Anglesey Eggs’ are a must, for example – mashed potatoes, boiled eggs, leeks and creamy cheese sauce, the definition of comfort food. Talking of comfort, the restaurant booths were upholstered in a bespoke Melin Teifi woollen pattern. For a full-on gastro-folk experience, don’t forget to pop in to Popty’r Dderwen for a tin loaf, or Gwalia sweetshop for ‘losin du’ before tea!
Y Gegin Restaurant, St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff CF5 6XB, tel: 0300 1112333
Rhug Farm Shop and Bison Grill Bistro, Corwen
If you’re a foodie visiting Bala, for some watersport adventures on Llyn Tegid or the river Tryweryn, you must make a 10 minute detour North-East to the Rhug Estate Farm Shop and Bistro near Corwen. Not only is Rhug one of the UK’s biggest single producers of organic lamb, but Lord Newborough’s estate lamb has PGI (Protected Geographic Indication) status, like Champagne, Caerphilly Cheese and Parma Ham. With over 3000 Welsh products the timber-framed farm shop is reminiscent of ‘Daylesford’, only better, as it’s closer to home! Indeed, it’s the only Welsh finalist in the running this Spring to claim The Guild of Fine Food’s award for ‘Farm Shop of the Year’ for 2019. At the Bison Grill Bistro, how about a ‘Rhug Estate Breakfast’, or even a ‘Date with a Duck’ for your tea? The bison burger is served with triple cooked chips – but if you’re really in a rush, the organic bacon bap is a must, from the ‘On The Hoof’ Takeaway!
Rhug Estate, Corwen, Denbighshire LL21 0EH, tel: 01490 413000
CENTRES
Bwyty Blondin, Zip-World, Bethesda
A ‘Swper Chwaral’ (or ‘quarry supper’) for some in the slate region of North-West Wales meant liver and onions, or bacon mash... or whatever a quarryman’s meagre wages could provide. Well over a century since ‘The Great Strike’ that split a village in two, Penrhyn Quarry is big business in the high-flying zip world. The blue slate landscape provides an astonishing view from the windows of contemporary bistro Bwyty Blondin – named after the slate-quarry’s original aerial ropeway. Just metres above the terrace is Velocity 2, the fastest zip-wire in the world, but the menu also offers an adventure or two. How about a five-course tasting menu, kicked off with a Llanrwst cheese gougere, paired with a Blue Slate G&T from neighbouring quarry, Dinorwig? The weekly Sunday Roast is a popular draw with visitors and locals, and so is the signature lager, Cwrw Chwarel (Great Orme) brewed with Snowdonia water. And for those with a nose for literature greats, Cwrw Caradog (by Cwrw Ogwen) is a tribute to local hero, poet-novelist, Caradog Pritchard of Bethesda. There are also burgers and cocktails, coffee, tea and cakes aplenty, and whilst there may be a campaign to bring back plates to restaurant tables, this is one space where the slate never goes out of style.
Zip World Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda, Bangor LL57 4YG, tel: 01248 601444
The Cariad Restaurant, Llanerch Vineyard
There can’t be many experiences to beat a glass of rosé, savoured at sunset in a local vineyard. With so many vineyards all over Wales, there’s no need to book a channel crossing, but how about a restaurant to go with that romantic view? Look no further than Cariad restaurant – indeed, the clue’s in the name - at Llanerch Vineyard in Hensol, Glamorgan. Named after the estate’s ‘Cariad’ wine, the oldest vineyard in Wales is also home to Angela Gray’s award-winning cookery school. But back to the menu, begin with the cockle popcorn and laverbread mayo, before extending your knowledge – and refining your palate – by tasting the finest Welsh seasonal flavours. Will it be sloe gin battered catch of the day, or an Eynon’s of St Clears fillet steak with polenta chips? Perhaps the wild mushroom strudel will tempt you, or slow-cured Welsh beef bresaola – perfect with the Cariad Sparkling Blush. Whilst that vineyard in Provence may be a one night affair, not all summer romances must end. Cariad restaurant in Hensol is open all year round, so book now for a Welsh whirlwind romance.
The Cariad Restaurant, Llanerch Vineyard, Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan CF72 8GG, tel: 01443 222716
Rhug Farm Shop and Bison Grill Bistro
Bwyty Blondin
The Cariad Restaurant Bwyty Blondin Y Gegin Restaurant
