3 of the best Welsh food weekends

When it comes to food-focused short breaks in Wales, there are plenty of options to choose from. You could start in second city Swansea, with its beachfront bars and historic market, before heading west to Mumbles and then finishing up on the beautiful bays of Gower. Or you could keep it coastal, sampling the seafood and cheese on offer in Ceredigion, from Cardigan to Aberaeron to Aberystwyth. Alternatively, check out our pick of the best Welsh food routes, which, between them, span the entire country, from Pembrokeshire in the south-west to the Wye Valley on the border and finally a tour of the country’s north coast.

1. Pembrokeshire

Packed with butchers, bakers and delis, the town of Narberth shines a light on Welsh food during its late-September food festival. Go for lunch at buzzy Ultracomida, which puts a local twist on tapas — chorizo flame-grilled in Welsh cider, for example. Elsewhere, at newcomer Annwn, Matt Powell concocts 10-course menus that revive ancient Welsh recipes. Dishes include wild garlic ‘preserved in its life cycle’ (leaves, sweet flowers and seeds), aged kelp broth with siphon weed emulsification and fermented crab apple ice elevate wild food to the extraordinary. Elsewhere, at country manor, The Grove, the Fernery puts a sophisticated spin on garden-grown vegetables and locally farmed, fished and foraged ingredients in dishes like squab with lime, mango and curry, and beef with morels, wild garlic and sauerkraut.

Moving south to the coast, Cŵlbox, near Wiseman’s Bridge beach, lies between Saundersfoot and Amroth. The converted horsebox delivers seafood snacks — whitebait, crispy squid, bang-bang prawns with dirty fries — along with great views of the briny blue. Just west along the shore, set in a funky shack in Saundersfoot Harbour, The Stone Crab serves whatever the boats bring in. Top marks go to the ‘posh fish and chips’ (half a lobster with garlic butter, rustic fries, salad leaves and aioli). Elsewhere, with front-row views of nearby Copper Hall beach, slick wood-and-glass Coast ups the gourmet stakes. Head chef Fred Clapperton creates artfully composed dishes like barbecued leek heart with morels and ewe’s curd, pan-roasted pollock with smoked dulse, and dark chocolate mousse with poached sea buckthorn berries.

Next, head northwest to St David’s, with its cathedral, surf-pounded beaches, clifftop coast path and red-hot food scene. Foraging enthusiasts Julia and John run the Really Wild Emporium. Go for divine seaweed brownies by day and wild-food tasting menus by night, which wow with the likes of Jerusalem artichoke and beef cottage pie with wild garlic and black truffle cheese. For a date-night dinner, book Blas, where portraits by street artist Pure Evil hang on the walls. The menu harnesses region and season in dishes like Solva crab with lemon, celery and buttermilk, and halibut with leek, cockle, raisins and vermouth. For a more casual vibe, Grain pairs local Bluestone Brewing craft beers with stone-baked pizzas like ‘Land of My Fathers’, topped with roasted leek and organic Perl Las cheese. Finish up with gelato at The Bench, around the corner.

Where to stay: Home to Blas restaurant, converted windmill Twr Y Felin Hotel bears the minimalist-cool imprint of architect Keith Griffiths and its walls are an ode to Welsh art. Doubles from £120, B&B.

2. Wye Valley

Tintern sent Wordsworth into romantic raptures with its ruined gothic abbey and forested cliffs looming above the River Wye. After puffing up to the Devil’s Pulpit for great views, head to Kingstone Brewery  for tours and tastings of beer made the old-school way, from smooth, chocolatey stouts to rich amber ales. Next door, Parva Farm vineyard produces crisp whites, spicy mead and an award-winning sparkling pinot noir rosé. Lunch? Book a table at The Wild Hare, a handsome country inn with a willow-draped garden, log burner and dishes like maple-glazed pork belly with bean cassoulet and salsa verde.

Stage 2, Monmouth: Buried down a warren of woody lanes, Michelin-starred The Whitebrook is a revelation. Here, Chris Harrod astonishes with wondrous dishes peppered with foraged ingredients: Wye Valley asparagus cooked over pine embers with hogweed, fiddlehead ferns and mead sauce, hogget with leek, turnip and ramsons, and forced rhubarb with torched birch-wood ice cream. A few minutes’ drive north is TV presenter Kate Humble’s 117-acre farm Humble by Nature, which throws you deep into rural life with courses ranging from beekeeping to foraging and cider making. It’s also home to The Pig & Apple, where you can bite into monster burgers, a highlight being the one with cheese, bacon and apple chutney.

A short spin north in Ross-on-Wye, Truffles Delicatessen is stocked with local ciders, ales, cheese, charcuterie, homemade quiches and cakes perfect for a riverside picnic. It’s worth then going the extra mile (or three) to the Moody Cow in Upton Bishop, where the chef proudly sources from local farmers and growers. Sit on the terrace if it’s warm or in the stone-walled, fire-warmed interior if not for dishes like Severn & Wye Smokery salmon with gin and apple dressing and beautifully cooked Herefordshire fillet steak.

Where to stay: Wake up to bleating sheep at Humble by Nature, where you can kip in a lovingly converted piggery or an 18th-century former hayloft. Four nights from £393.

Alternatively, slip back to nature with canoeing and campfires when you stay in a rustic cabin, former shepherd’s hut or converted horsebox at The Hop Garden at Kingstone Brewery. Two nights from £240. 

3. North Wales

Dive into newly anointed city Wrexham and its beautiful backyard: the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB. In town, try Magic Dragon Brewery for beers like Green One, a citrussy IPA, and Obsidian, a chocolatey stout. A few miles down the road, the 17th-century, honey-stone The Boat at Erbistock reclines dreamily on the banks of the River Dee. Go for pub favourites or a cracking Sunday roast. A scenic spin west leads past the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Four miles to the west, stop at the Llangollen Oggie Shop & Fine Foods for an oggie — a flaky pastry pocket filled with lamb, leek and potato as good as any Cornish pasty — followed by creamy, locally made Chilly Cow ice cream. Cobble together a picnic here, or head on through the Vale of Llangollen’s forested hills to the Rhug Estate for deli treats and organic beef, lamb, venison and bison.

On the north coast, bistro Bryn Williams stares broodingly out across Colwyn Bay. Here, seafood shines — from crab cakes with herb mayo and pickled mushroom to chunky cod with brown shrimp, beurre noisette and cucumber. A stone-skim west is Gwinllan Conwy Vineyard, where you can tour the vines (11am and 2pm, Thursday to Saturday) and sip Welsh fizz, pinot noir rosé and peachy white wines. Sitting on the west bank of its namesake river, the fortress-topped medieval town of Conwy is home to Baravelli’s, where the bean-to-bar chocolate tastes as fabulous as it looks. Dark peaks hover in the distance as you skirt Eryri National Park to reach Aber Falls Distillery. Tours give the inside scoop on its full-bodied Welsh single-malt. Spring water from the nearby falls goes into gins like citrussy, juniper-forward Welsh Dry and bittersweet Orange Marmalade.

Cross Thomas Telford’s suspension bridge to Anglesey. No need to stray far: at tiny, cosily candlelit Sage Kitchen,, the menu impresses with dishes like pea and Teifi Nettle risotto with tarragon oil and salt-aged Welsh fillet steak with home-cooked chips. A half-hour drive west takes you to Rhosneigr’s wave-whipped dunes and The Oyster Catcher, where the menu is a pure hit of the sea: oysters from Menai Strait, spiced squid and lager-battered catch of the day with triple-cooked chips. Meanwhile, on Anglesey’s southeast coast, organic sea salt producer Halen Môn runs insightful tours (11am and 3pm, Thursday to Sunday). Or just peruse its driftwood-festooned gift shop for hand-harvested sea salt: pure, oak-smoked or infused with chilli and garlic. While you’re here, book a wild seaweed bath in an

upcycled whisky barrel. Back on the mainland, swing south to castle-topped Caernarfon and Sheeps and Leeks. The 10-course tasting menu offers a hit of Welsh flavours, while brick walls and cheek-by-jowl bistro seating keep the mood intimate and relaxed. Dishes might include, for example, Snowdonia cheddar doughnut with walnut, home-smoked salmon with watercress and fennel pollen, fabulously tender lamb with truffle, or line-caught local seabass with crab and seaweed.

Where to stay: Full of neo-gothic charm, The Lemon Tree in Wrexham has a seasonal produce-led restaurant. From £105 B&B. 

On Anglesey, beach-chic Driftwood has elegant rooms and stirring views of Rhosneigr’s sands. From £128 B&B.