If you’ve been to Wales, you’ll for sure have tried bara brith, the tea-steeped fruit loaf that takes the edge off a soggy day’s hillwalking. You might’ve loved or hated laverbread, the seaweed puree that garnishes many a cooked breakfast. Travelling these hills and valleys, you’ve no doubt nibbled on Caerphilly cheese or warmed up over a bowl of leek-and-lamb cawl.
However, the food and drink scene in Wales has moved beyond the traditional offerings. There are now gin and whisky distilleries, kefir dairies, coffee roasteries in former coal-mining towns, and even chocolate made in abandoned factories. Consequently, wine is being produced in vineyards that thrive despite the rain. Local people are at the forefront of this culinary revolution, each with a unique story to tell.
Coaltown Coffee
It takes guts to pin your aspirations on a small Carmarthenshire town, but Gordon and Scott James— a caffeine-obsessed father and son team— did just that. Tired of the basic brews being served locally, they started Coaltown Coffee in a garage back in 2014. Since then, it has blossomed into a successful small-batch, sustainability-focused coffee roasting business. Try the aromatic signature blend Brazilian espresso with a chocolate-biscuit base or a Rwandan single origin with ripe fruit flavors, all served in their new retro-style café. Their long-term aim? To reignite the local economy while providing barista training for some former miners.
Ceredigion Kefir
The name is memorable, and so too are the benefits of the gut-healing goat milk kefir produced by Chuckling Goat on its Ceredigion farm. This powerful probiotic is the brainchild of Shann Nix and Rich Jones, who once led completely different lives. They started their kefir journey to cure their son’s eczema, and never looked back. Today, their small kitchen-table business has evolved into a million-pound global enterprise with a herd of 50 ‘happy’ goats, grazing freely across 24 acres of lush Welsh pastureland. Barn tours at noon can be pre-arranged by calling 01239 654 072.
Bluestone Brewery
Swing down the hedgerowed lanes of the Preseli Hills in North Pembrokeshire, and you may well discover the Bluestone Brewery. This family-run microbrewery taps into local heritage and the crystal-clear spring water that filters through these hills. Their hand-crafted real ales are produced on a working farm. The relaxed visitor centre is a great spot to stop for a pint after a hike on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Popular brews include the refreshing Preseli Pils lager, lightly malty Rockhopper pale bitter, and delicately hoppy Bedrock Blonde ale.
Caws Cenarth Caerphilly
In 2018, traditional Welsh Caerphilly cheese won protected designation of origin (PDO) status, joining Welsh lamb, Halen Môn salt, and laverbread. Made from cow’s milk, this hard, crumbly cheese has a fresh, lemony flavour and hails from the town of Caerphilly since the 1800s. Caws Cenarth in Ceredigion is special. Gwynfor and Thelma Adams began making cheese in 1987, and today their son Carwyn manages the business. They produce several varieties, including garlic, herb, smoked, and award-winning flavors. Visitors can stop by the family farm, Glyneithinog, from Monday to Saturday between 11:30 am and 3 pm to see the cheese-making in action.
Anglesey Salt
Now boasting PDO status, Halen Môn sea salt is not only a famous ingredient from Welsh shores but is also favored by culinary experts like Heston Blumenthal. It all began 21 years ago when Alison and David Lea-Wilson left a pot of seawater to bubble away as an experiment, yielding fine white salt crystals. Their charcoal-filtered seawater is sourced from the Menai Strait around Anglesey, and they hand-harvest flakes that are sold pure or enhanced with oak-smoked flavors or roasted garlic. Visitors can experience behind-the-scenes tours at Tŷ Halen, followed by tutored salt tastings, available daily at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
NOMNOM Chocolate
Pemberton’s Chocolate factory served Llanboidy for 25 years, but locals never imagined they would witness chocolate production here again. Enter Liam Burgess, who, at just 19, decided to launch his own chocolate business, NOMNOM, with a modest £4,000 loan.
Dubbed the ‘Willy Wonka of Wales,’ Liam began crafting his chocolate in a caravan in his mother’s back garden. His imaginative confections and unique packaging— featuring his signature sheep doodle— were his ticket to success. Utilizing old moulds found in the abandoned factory, his creations feature flavors like flame-roasted hazelnut, oak-smoked Halen Môn sea salt, and seasonal offerings like mince pie bars during Christmas. A visit here guarantees to leave you hooked.
Penderyn Whisky
While Scotland is renown for whisky, Wales has made a distinct mark with award-winning single malts, thanks to the Penderyn Distillery. What began as a casual pub conversation about whisky in the 1990s quickly evolved when Alun Evans acquired a copper pot still. He chose the Brecon Beacons foothills for its spring water and produced the first bottle of Welsh whisky in a century in 2004. Finished in various casks, their whiskies include the Madeira-finished Legend with notes of raisins and creamy fudge, as well as the mildly peaty Celt. The distillery also offers other spirits, such as Brecon Gin, flavored with hints of coriander and cinnamon. The visitor center is open daily, providing behind-the-scenes tours of the whisky-making process, a tasting bar, and in-depth masterclasses.
Llanerch Vineyard
A vineyard just off the M4 northwest of Cardiff may sound unusual, but that is precisely what you’ll find at Llanerch in the Vale of Glamorgan. Established in 1986, the winery has won multiple awards for its Cariad wines, made from hardy French-German hybrid grapes that withstand the wet Welsh weather. The wine selection includes light, summer berry-infused Sparkling Blush, a tart, citrusy dry white, and a smooth sparkling wine similar to Champagne due to its second fermentation in the bottle. From April to October, the winery hosts hour-long tutored wine tastings daily at 3 pm alongside more casual tastings. In October, visitors can take part in the grape harvest for a day, enjoying wine, food, and live music.
Snowdonia Distillery
Surprisingly, the bare, brooding mountains of North Wales are home to exquisite botanicals. At the Snowdonia Distillery, they forage for juniper, gorse, and heather, the essential ingredients for Forager’s Gin. Chris Marshall made a brave choice, transitioning from investment management and professional skiing to crafting spirits in 2015. “We do everything by hand, from foraging for botanicals to bottling,” he explains. “Our gins encapsulate Snowdonia from start to finish, with the secret being the slow distillation process that captures the subtle notes of macerated botanicals.”
The smooth 46% Black Label is one of the few gins in the world made with just two ingredients: juniper and sea buckthorn. Meanwhile, the 44% Yellow Label offers a delightfully sweet taste, featuring notes of gorse and heather, elderberry, and apple.
For a unique experience, stay at the luxurious Victorian country manor Palé Hall, which offers a ‘gin-venture’— a guided foraging hike paired with a gin tasting session at the Snowdonia Distillery, accompanied by fine dining.
Black Mountains Smokery
Located at the edge of picturesque Crickhowell, in the foothills of the Black Mountains, lies a smokery founded by Jo and Jonathan Carthew. After spending nearly a decade in Africa, the couple dreamed of returning to the Welsh hills, where Jo spent much of her childhood. Their dream became a reality in 1996 when they established their smokery.
Sustainability and traceability are foundational to their ethos. In addition to producing 10,000 sides of salmon annually, they also gently smoke chicken, duck, quail, trout, and haddock over Welsh oak, along with making pates and terrines. For deeper insight into their craft, consider joining one of their smokery tours and tastings, offered at 11 am on Wednesdays from March to September.
