Home at Penarth is a relaxed fine dining restaurant in Penarth, just outside Cardiff, run by chef James Sommerin, his wife Lou and their daughters Georgia, Angharad and Elin. The interior, like the menu, is kept under wraps. Diners enter by ringing a bell, and the windows are covered by curtains so you can't see inside. Once you are seated, you will notice an envelope on the table – this contains the 'surprise menu'. It's up to you whether you open it and find out what's to come or wait and let it be a true surprise.
Home won a Michelin star within six months of opening in 2021, and now also holds many other awards. The surprise menu changes with the seasons and makes the most of produce from local suppliers, while signature dishes such as liquid pea ravioli with sage, serrano ham and parmesan are a highlight. James cooks alongside his daughter Georgia in the open kitchen, and the pair serve dishes to diners with obvious pride. Georgia started cooking with her father when she was just 13, and at 20 she competed on Great British Menu, returning in 2023 as that year's youngest chef. James says she is his right hand, and that they don't even have to talk to know what the other is thinking.
Recent menus have featured beetroot tartare with smoked cream, finger lime and trout roe, pork loin wrapped in prosciutto with a black pudding mousse, and monkfish with a chilli, lemongrass and coriander dressing. Red wine-poached figs with fig ice cream might follow, before a tear-and-share cinnamon bun inspired by James's grandmother.
The restaurant serves a five- or eight-course menu for dinner, a four- or eight-course menu for lunch on Fridays and Saturdays, and a three-course Sunday lunch.