Felin Fach Griffin, a Welsh country pub among the best in Britain
In the Welsh hills, this rural pub-restaurant combines sophisticated cuisine with upstairs rooms and a carefully curated drinks menu.
“Each dish is carefully considered, right through to dessert. Sunday lunch is an ultra-traditional feast featuring meat from the lowland hills, garden greens, and plenty of homely touches.”
The Felin Fach Griffin, a rural pub and restaurant nestled in the Welsh hills between the Black Mountains and Bannau Brycheiniog, has been included in the Good Food Guide's inaugural list of Britain's 100 best pubs. Five Welsh pubs made the cut, and this is one of them. The pub has eight rooms and is dog-friendly.
The sector is going through a difficult time, with pubs closing at an alarming rate across the UK and the risk of ending up with a multitude of identical establishments, deafeningly loud and garishly decorated. Wales, however, still has several historic inns with old wood, crackling fireplaces, locals at the bar, upstairs rooms, and kitchens where customers are well looked after.
With its deep cherry-red exterior, the pub features a fireplace, low beams, plush sofas, colorful walls, and seasonal touches. It's part of brothers Charles and Edmund Inkin's "Eat, Drink, and Sleep" trilogy, which also includes Gurnard's Head and the Old Coastguard in Cornwall. It boasts awards from the Good Pub Guide for Wales, a César Award for Welsh Pub of the Year from the Good Hotel Guide, and a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide.
The staff is refined yet discreet, attentive without being intrusive. The drinks are just as important as the menu: they offer beers from local breweries such as Brecon Brewing, Antur Brew Co., Wye Valley, Rhymney Brewery, Monty's, and Waen, and an extensive wine list, with pitchers and many options by the glass. According to the owners, the drinks won't break the bank, and the prices are geared towards locals, not just tourists, so that "London prices stay in London."
The kitchen is helmed by head chef Gwenann Davies, formerly assistant chef at Tom Kerridge's Lush. The concise yet varied menu changes daily and seasonally, featuring ingredients from the surrounding hills, farms, and dairies, and highlighting the finest Welsh lamb, beef, game, and cheese. Starters include a carrot tartare with black garlic, coriander seeds, and smoked rapeseed oil, and Black Mountains Smokery smoked salmon with baby beetroot, wasabi, and puffed rice. The white crab on toast with Granny Smith apple and pickled celery was bright, creamy, and fresh.
Among the main courses, the beef tenderloin was served with mashed potatoes and bourguignon sauce, perfectly pink and tender. The pork belly with barbecued apple puree, black pudding, pork fritter, and chili cabbage had a juicy, crispy, and tender texture. Other dishes that evening included sole with warm tartar sauce, cod with celeriac, mushroom pithivier, and gnocchi with roasted beets. Side dishes included triple-cooked fries with aioli and broccoli tenderstem with Perl Las, a Welsh blue cheese, and hazelnuts.
For dessert, a white chocolate mousse with red berry ice cream, fresh raspberries, and a bittersweet honeycomb. The rooms are quiet and have a country charm, without televisions, and include bathrobes, a French press coffee maker, Roberts radios, Bramley toiletries, and homemade biscuits. Breakfast features ingredients from local producers, such as Welsh natural yogurt, Griffin muesli, and apple juice from the Usk Valley.
Main courses cost between 21 and 38 pounds, and double rooms start from 185 pounds. As the pub is in a rural area, it's advisable to book a room if your budget allows.