Don’t Read This Post About Wolfscastle Country Hotel In Wales (Unless You Want To Ruin Your Keyboard)

Wales has a reputation in England as a lush land full of rolling hills, country bumpkins and peasant farmers. In return the Welsh harbour a strong disregard for the uppity uptight English. A fascinating dynamic, but pretty much the extent of my knowledge about Wales before we visited. No one mentioned anything about food.

Little did I know but we were about to visit one of the best restaurants we’ve dined at in the last 3 years. We’ve eaten at close to 1000 restaurants across 50+ countries in recent years and this one ranks in my favourite 5. So when I heap praise on this fine establishment, please understand it’s no small feat and certainly not something I do every day.

Backstory

We were at the start of our epic road trip around Wales and had already experienced the eye-opening beauty of Pembrokeshire over the previous few days. I had been floored by the bewildering beauty and serene sceneries. But when we mentioned to the manager at Asheston Eco Barns that we were heading to Wolf’s Castle next, she commented, “Oh, you’re going to enjoy eating there”. Sure, that sounded promising but nothing particularly unusual that I hadn’t heard before. I found out later that the Welsh are notoriously modest, and in fact we were in for an incredibly surprising treat.

Wolfscastle Country Hotel

Finding the hotel was relatively easy. The town of Wolf’s Castle is fairly small and this was the only hotel in town. The hotel sported a cute country cottage feel with the facilities you’d expect from a standard hotel (check prices...). As we walked past the restaurant to our hotel room I noticed a few awards on the wall in recognition of the dining experience. But again, nothing unlike I’ve seen hundreds of times before.

The unassuming Welsh culture is sneaky. They don’t toot their flute as much as they should, and as such receive a lot less recognition than they deserve.

After a short rest in our room, we made our way to the hotel’s Allt yr Afon Restaurant for dinner.

Dinner

As soon as I picked up the menu I knew we were in for a real treat. You can tell a lot about a head chef by the menu – the local produce they select, their inspirations, their creativity, and their sense of adventure. Culinary art at its very heart is an art form – designing flavours, taming textures, conjuring aromas and presenting visual art on a plate. A dish fashioned by someone who absolutely loves food speaks volumes to me, regardless if they’re a home cook or Michelin star chef.

We chose from the early bird menu which was simpler, but didn’t fail to impress. I’ll let the photos do the talking, but be warned… you may want to place a towel over your keyboard in case of extreme (and very appropriate) drooling:

Grilled goats cheese with poached pear

Pork belly confit

Slow cooked lamb shoulder

Lamb brisket

Sticky toffee pudding, cinnamon ice cream

Chocolate fondant, salted caramel ice cream

Our kids enjoyed:

Battered fish bites (made with real, fresh fish), chips; and

Preseli gold sausages, mash, gravy.

Wow! We were in heaven. I asked the wait staff to pass my utmost thanks to the head chef. The kids were tired after a big day so the dessert was delivered to our room 30 minutes later to give us time to put the kids to bed.

When we returned to our room the phone rang. The chef was very upset. What? It turned out he knew we were coming and wanted to prepare a special tasting menu just for us. But the staff didn’t let him know we were there until after we left. So that meant the next night we’d have to come back for more. Ok, twist my arm a bit more!

Head Chef, Tom Simmons, reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 season of hit TV showMasterchef: The Professionals. And his recipes have been featured in the tantalising cookbook “Relish Wales - Second Helping: Original Recipes from the Regions Finest Chefs and Restaurants”. This cookbook is the next best thing to eating at the Wolfscastle Country Hotel. In fact I got my mother-in-law a copy, hears hoping for our next dinner visit ;)

Round 2

The following day after a deliciously inspiring breakfast, we met Tom and I gushed about the previous night’s dining experience, and he was entirely modest. With full tummies we spent the day exploring Pembrokeshire and walked around Pembroke Castle, “the Mother of all castles”.

I was really looking forward to getting back to the hotel that afternoon, and couldn’t get the kids bathed and dressed fast enough. This time when we walked into the restaurant we had high expectations. I knew something special was coming and I wasn’t wrong: an amazing 5-course tasting menu that highlighted both the local, fresh produce but also the head chef’s contagious passion for food.

If you didn’t get a towel by now you really should because your saliva glands are about to kick into overdrive:

Duck liver, Madeira & port parfait, apricot & orange chutney, brioche

Mi cuit salmon, onsen egg, watercress puree, hollandaise

Compressed pineapple, granny smith sorbet

48hr welsh pork belly, Orkney king scallop, cauliflower textures, hazelnut, chicken & pancetta jus

Sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch, cinnamon ice cream

We were floored by the end of the evening. I really had no idea this type of world-class cuisine could be found in a small country town in Wales. It’s literally in the middle of nowhere. But I found afterwards that the same passion for quality food has been spreading around rural Wales in recent years. More and more envelope-pushing chefs are stepping into the limelight, putting Wales onto the culinary map.

I managed to sneak into the kitchen after dinner to see where the magic happens!

 

Wrap Up This Deliciousness

We absolutely adored Wales, but regardless of everything else we experienced, I’d fly back to Wales just to eat at Wolfcastle’s restaurant, Allt yr Afon. It was really that good. Now I just have to practice the pronunciation of that name a few more times.

Essentials of two-wheel touring

Going for a driving holiday in a car and going for a long ride on a motorcycle are different in a single fundamental way: in a car you watch the scenery pass by. On a motorcycle, you’re right in the middle of the scenery. You’re exposed to everything – and stray animals on the road take on a whole new significance. Here’s what you should carry along on a riding holiday.

The right documentation. You’ll need the original motorcycle documents – registration, insurance and the PUC certificate. Keep copies on the motorcycle, but carry the original documents in your backpack. Carry a list of names and phone numbers of who should be contacted in case something goes awry.

A good full-face helmet. Most riders still are under the impression that full-face helmets restrict enjoyment – but they’re made specifically so that they restrict a minimal amount of vision. Also, motorcycle statistics from the NHTSA, the governing body regarding automobile safety in the USA, show that an overwhelming majority of motorcycle-related injuries are to the facial region. Earplugs are a good addition to your helmet if you’re the kind who likes to cruise at or above 80kmph. They help cut down wind roar and thus reduce fatigue.

Tinted as well as clear visors. Tinted visors help cut glare and also give the illusion of it being cooler than it actually is – a very useful thing in our conditions. Clear visors are required at night and in the evenings, when flying insects can be a menace. Some people will recommend you carry sunglasses along, but from personal experience I can tell you that if you enter a tunnel, the sunglasses can be quite a bad idea. Take off the sunglasses before you encounter a section with tunnels. Carrying a second visor won’t be too much of a hassle if you know the right way to pack it.

A balaclava. A ski mask is essential – not only will it filter out dust that your helmet cannot cope with, it will also serve as a breath dissipator, preventing your visor from fogging up on the inside when you exhale. It covers your neck, where a lot of large arteries and veins run close to the surface. It helps you keep warm when it’s cold, and when it gets too hot, pour water on the bit around your neck – instant cooling!

Protective riding gear. This is an often-overlooked part of motorcycle travel. With the condition of most of our roadways and traffic being disordered, you’ll need all the protection you can get. Even if you think the gear is too expensive, cover yourself up as much as possible – wear hiking boots, full-length trousers and jackets or t-shirts with full sleeves. Not only will this save you from sunburn, a lot of moisture is wicked from the skin by the wind. By covering yourself up, you’ll avoid dehydrating.

A first-aid kit. Sure, there is a first-aid kit below your seat, but how many people are actually going to think of it should you crash? It is better to carry along a bigger, better medical kit. Add whatever you might need besides the bare basics that the company provides. Tablets for fever and painkillers will be good additions to the kit.

A puncture repair kit. You don’t have a spare (unless you’re going touring on a geared scooter), and pushing the motorcycle is quite impossible with the luggage you’ll be carrying. A pump will be a good addition – the latest models require hardly any effort or time to fill up a motorcycle tyre. A spare tube will be a useful addition if you’ve got tubeless tyres.

Luggage. Saddlebags, tail bags, tank bags – get as much luggage as you can. Saddlebags can carry the most and they carry the weight low, which keeps the motorcycle stable. Keep weight off your back – carry only the essentials on your back. The more you have in your backpack, the sooner you’ll get backache. And if you do get saddlebags, try and keep all the plastic bottles on the side opposite to that of the muffler. Unless you like melted plastic in your saddlebags.

Spare fuses and bulbs. There are a couple of spare fuses in your motorcycle, but a few more spare fuses will always be welcome. Carrying spare bulbs is tricky, but well worth it. A blown headlamp or tail-lamp can mean the difference between getting to your destination at night or wandering in the dark.

Spare, er, spares. Take along a spare spark plug, spark plug cap, throttle cable and clutch cable. Some motorcycles are dead reliable, others throw a fit every so often. Carry along these spares because these are minor repairs you can carry out yourself on the go.

These are things that you can carry along on the ride. A few other things that can help make your trip enjoyable are research on the place – is there an authorised service centre in the area? Does your mobile carrier have adequate reception in the place you’re visiting? Don’t forget to read up on the techniques involved in riding a motorcycle, and how to deal with the hazards of everyday riding. Lastly, learn about your motorcycle, and how to perform minor repair jobs yourself. It will hold you in good stead when you’re stuck without help in the middle of nowhere.