Felin Fach Griffin

This is the kind of rural inn you dream of stumbling across. It’s all here: tiled floors, big wooden beams, tongue & groove, granny’s kitchen tables, schoolroom chairs, well-worn leather sofas & armchairs, open fires in season, crack service & a clientele that looks like it’s fresh from a shoot for the Boden catalogue. The chef has tapped into a network of top-class local suppliers & knows how to prepare their produce to its best advantage without making the food too fancy: a lunch of Welsh cheese ploughmans & supper of tartare of local smoked salmon, watercress panna cotta & wild venison with butternut squash, roasted carrots & elderberries with creamed rice pudding with poached Mirabelle plums to finish. The bright ideas in the kitchen lead to bright flavours on the plate, & there’s an interesting wine list, not to mention a mind-expanding selection of Welsh cheeses.