Exploring The Welsh Food & Drink Scene

I’ve just returned from a press trip around South Wales, exploring vineyards and farms and eating incredible food. The trip was organised by Food and Drink Wales and it was a lot of fun being a tourist in my home country. I have a full post with a recipe using delicious Welsh ingredients coming up next week but first I wanted to share a few photos of the trip to whet your appetite shall we say…

Day 1 we arrived at Jabajak Vineyard in Llanboidy. I can’t recall ever having such a warm, friendly welcome and the trip was brief but special. It is the kind of place where you want to turn your phone off and relax for a week. With nothing more pressing than deciding which book to read or which wine to have with dinner:

The food was amazing too:

Day 2 began drizzly and grey with an early start to head down to Pembrokeshire and to visit the new potato farms. Luckily by the time we arrived some blue skies began to show. We visited Windmill farm run by Will Richards and son Ed. It was interesting to learn the differences in the potatoes and we even had a top storage tip from Will: If you buy potatoes still covered in soil you can dig a hole and store them in your garden for up to a month ..and they are still super fresh!

The farm overlooks St Bride’s Haven which is incredibly beautiful:

Our next stop was the beautiful Gower and The Britannia Inn where I enjoyed a rather sumptuous Steak and Ale Pie:

With full bellies we moved on to Weobley Castle, the home of Gower Salt Marsh Lamb and a long walk onto the marsh was just what we needed. We watched the lamb grazing on Sorrel and Samphire and nibbled a little ourselves.

After an enjoyable afternoon spent learning all about the lambs, playing with puppies and almost off-roading in the back of trailer we were off to our destination for the night. Llanerch Vineyard. Llanerch is very different to Jabajak with a slightly more corporate vibe but beautifully laid out and modern. The rooms were simply decorated, large and airy with a huge super comfy bed. White Stuff toiletries and an abundance of coffee and hot chocolate treats were welcomed gladly! Our evening meal was spectacular, with my starter being my favourite part of the meal. I’ll tell you lots more about the food and wine in my next post.

Our final day was spent visiting Ruth and Andrew of Cwm Farm and their unit in Pontardawe. I’ve met the couple on a number of occasions at local food markets and festivals and I have always been impressed by their incredible passion for food and their business. They create unique and delicious products using meat reared on their farms as well as seasonal and local ingredients. My fave is the Nduja!

We finished the trip with a food and wine pairing, followed by a vineyard tour at Llanerch. More to come on that and what I thought..

Thanks to Food and Drink Wales and everyone who looked after us during our trip.

• This trip was covered by Food and Drink Wales and I have been compensated for my time.