Red the Dragon Visits Tenby Museum & Art Gallery

Joe's Ice Cream in Solva

We could spend weeks in this lovely summer haven, but we’ve got more miles to cover so we head out again  hugging the coast as we make our way toward St. David’s. Somewhere along the road, we realize that we never did find that Joe’s Ice cream stand we heard about from Victoria, Beverly and Tracey on Facebook. It sounded so scrumptious, that we actually think about going back. But just then, we pass a Joe’s sign in a little town called Solva. Red flies out of the car and heads straight for it, and I am so glad we stopped. Not only is Joe’s the most luscious ice cream I’ve ever tasted, Solva captures my imagination with its quaint main street full of art galleries and craft shops. Our Facebook friends John Burns and Sue Wilson were right to recommend it.

Raul Speek Gallery in Solva

 We wander past an inviting wildflower garden bursting with color as it slopes up a hill and toward the old town chapel. Inside, we find the work of Cuban born artist and musician Raul Speek. Paintings full of passion merge tropical colors with local images. The marriage of a vibrant Cuban aesthetic with the mystical Welsh coast casts a seductive spell. Raul’s paintings echo the day-dreamy charm of Solva. Red has to summon all his dragon powers to avoid the fate of two cats lulled to sleep by Raul’s enchanting painted fish. The magic of this shop lingers over us as we make our way toward the town’s Quay.

We admire the tiny harbor dotted with sailboats and families on holiday. I am tempted to take a cruise around the little islands off Solva’s coast, but after all that ice cream, Red has a dragon sized craving for fish & chips. Even the chance to see a live lobster pot on a Solva Boat Trip can’t pull him away from lunch. So we stop at a cottage restaurant called ThirtyFIVE, where you can sit by the harbor and dine on crab and lobster caught on their fishing boat. The food is fresh, humble but delicious. Next time we come to Wales, we’ll stay above ThirtyFIVE in the Feliniog Bed and Breakfast. It promises some of the most magnificent views of Solva’s harbor. But for now, it’s onward down the road and into St. David’s to see the Cathedral.

St. David's Cathedral

It’s amazing how a few miles can yield a dramatic change in the weather. The patron saint of Wales shines over this day with glorious clear skies in St. David’s. The sun is out, the heat is on and what seems like a thousand flower garden cafes are brimming with hungry travelers. There are families picnicking, hikers, fishing enthusiasts, boaters, swimmers and of course, pilgrims. In fact, it was once said that two pilgrimages to St. Davids equaled one to Rome. One glimpse of the stunning cathedral and we understand why. Its ancient walls hold the spiritual heart of Wales, carved into the ornate oak ceiling, reflected in the jeweled glass windows, and renewed in the services held here each day.

Red’s sharp dragon eyes catch ghost-like figures cast across a few stone pillars in the cathedral. It turns out they’re not ghosts at all. Rather, he’s haunted by a pair of blurry painted images, once vibrant religious renderings designed to inspire worshippers. Their muted presence reminds us that across the centuries, the saints, clergymen and devotees who dedicated their lives to this cathedral still live on in its walls. Stepping out into the late afternoon sun, we’re awestruck by the silent majesty of St. David’s. It makes us long to experience one of nature’s cathedrals, and so the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park beckons. We head out to witness sunset atop its stony hills.

Dina's Head Trail

 Dina’s head is an easy two-hour hike circling from the eastern edge of Fishguard Bay to Newport Bay and back. Ascending up hills of pink heather and onto soft green cliffs, we watch the mists roll up the rocks from the beaches below. Scenes of children playing in the sand give way to groves of lazy cattle and sheep grazing contently on sweet grasses. Red is in dragon-heaven and thinks he just might make this his new lair. But much as we want to camp here for the night, we’re due in Aberaeron for dinner and an overnight treat at one of the finest spots in town…

Kids at Pembrokeshire Fish Week with a freshly caught crab

With just days to go till the seriously fishy festival begins (26 June – 4 July), we asked Cathryn Nicholas who works on Pembrokeshire Fish Week to tell us a bit more about what’s going on.

“There are over 250 events taking place this year so there really is something for everyone.

If celeb. chefs are your thing then join Mitch Tonks and Matt Tebbutt on Saturday 26th June as they cook up a feast of fish in the new bistro style restaurant marquee.

See Val Warner cook up some fresh Pembrokeshire seafood at Torch Theatre

Valentine Warner of ‘What to Eat now’ will be at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven on Wednesday 30th June where he will entertain and encourage you with seasonal fish and shellfish dishes from the Welsh Coast.

Or book in at Bluestone’s fine dining restaurant, the Carreg Las for Bluestone’s flavours of the sea. A night hosted by Mitch Tonks and Matt Tebbutt, with Bluestone’s chefs displaying their culinary skills with a six course menu that showcases the best seafood our local waters have to offer.

On the other hand if it’s the great Pembrokeshire outdoors that you’re eager to hit then why not try a coastal kayak and seaside lunch with the Sea Kayak Guides in the north of the county or a fishy coasteer with Celtic Quest Coasteering off the cliffs of Abereiddy.

TYF will be showing people how to catch fish sustainably off a kayak and then demonstrating how to prepare it. They hope that you’ll be catching mackerel, bass or maybe even mullet to take home for your tea!

Sea Anglers and Coarse Fishermen will be in their element with two major competitions. The Stena Line Sea Angling Competition on Sunday 4th July and the Coarse Fishing Championships at Llyn Carfan from Monday 28th June – Friday 2nd July. There are big bucks to be won from both so if this is your sport then get hooked and get involved!”

There are loads more events taking place throughout the week from demonstrations and competitions, locally-caught fish barbecues, children’s activities, live music to walk about entertainment.  See the full listing here www.pembrokeshirefishweek.co.uk.

Find out more about Pembrokeshire and where to stay when you visit.

Robin Hood Battle Scene

If you’re coming on a summer holiday to Pembrokeshire be sure to take a trip to the glorious Freshwater West beach. It’s where the thrilling and brutal French invasion scene in the new Robin Hood film [in cinemas from Friday 14th May] was filmed.

The beach is located in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and is a golden expanse of sand backed by some pretty impressive sand dunes. It’s incredibly wild and beautiful but you’re more likely to find surfers on the beach rather than soldiers as it has some of the best waves in Wales.

Also featured in the film, as a small peasant village are parts of the headland above the beach and the old seaweed drying hut.

Earlier in the year Freshwater West was also used for the upcoming Harry Potter film – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.  A giant shell cottage was constructed on the beach and scenes were filmed with stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Helena Bonham Carter.

Top 6 Robin Hood Experiences in Wales

If you’d like to ride horses along the beach or see the world from the tree tops like Robin Hood then take a look at these Robin Hood ‘experiences’ you can have right here in Wales:

Learn to do archery
Robin Hood was an excellent archer and you can learn to become one too with Black Mountains Activities. In the beautiful surroundings of the Brecon Beacons discover which bow suits you best and you’ll be hitting the bull’s eye by the end of the day.

Go Ape in Wales
Take to the trees like Robin Hood and his Merry Men at Go Ape. There are three Go Ape locations in Wales where you can enjoy a fun and energising day of high-wire forest adventure. Climb up into the trees and have a go at canopy walking, swinging into nets, flying through the trees on a zip wire and then tackle the high wire rope bridges.

Attend a medieval banquet
Eat like the royalty of the time at a medieval banquet in Ruthin Castle, North Wales. Reginald de Grey, formerly the Sheriff of Nottingham is reported to be one of the castles first residents. Start your evening with a tour of the 13th century high walls, dungeon, whipping pit and drowning pool before entering the Grand Hall for the feast.

Castles in Wales
When Rood Hood lived castles would have dominated the towns and scenery of Britain. In Wales, we have a landscape scattered with castles, history and legends. Visit one of our great castles and uncover Wales’ intriguing past.

Horse Riding
Learn how to handle a noble steed like Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men and Women. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced rider, Wales offers a great landscape for riding. Explore the Welsh countryside or ride along the beach like Robin Hood does in the new feature film.

Forest craft survival skills
Learn to live off the land and forage for food with Dryad Bushcraft on the Gower Peninsular. Or head to rugged Snowdonia with Firefox Bushcraft where keen forager Heath will teach you survival skills like fire making and shelter building.

What to wear Coasteering

Off surfing, sea kayaking or coasteering?

They’ve gone all ‘Trinny and Susanna’ over at Preseli Venture.

Not only do they offer a guide on the essential kit for activity holidays in Wales but also let us know what not to wear !

You can follow their fashion tips and other adventures on their Facebook page

Duncan Lucas holds the Guinness Book World Record for filleting Atlantic Halibut at 4mins 20 secs

A Q&A session with some of the personalities behind Pembrokeshire Fishweek

Duncan Lucas - showboating !

Having blogged about something fishy going on in Pembrokeshire previously, and with the festival due to begin in just over a weeks time, we caught up with some of the folks involved with the festival in Pembrokeshire. We started by asking a few questions of ‘probably the most highly skilled fishmonger in the UK’ Duncan Lucas…….

1. When did you start in the seafood industry? I started filleting fish at the age of 8, my family owned a fish farm in early 70s and we were first business to promote ready filleted product. I became an independent Fishmonger at 19 “I was amazed that we could take a wild hunted product and then make amazing fillets with our hand skills” and won the UK Fishmonger of the Year on 4 occasions. My wife Sue also learnt how to fillet fish within a family fishmongers. A married couple Passionate About Fish.

2. What is the easiest fish to fillet? This is a difficult one to answer, every species is different and for me at the age of 45 its not about ease, its about enjoying every single fish I fillet.

There are also so many different methods to fillet the same fish !!! Give me a fish and a knife and I can make any fish boneless of course, pockets, boats, twirls etc I would say the easiest is Mackerel filleted into a cutlet probably 10 secs max 2 cuts !!!

I do hold the Guinness Book World Record for filleting Atlantic Halibut “hippoglosus hippoglosus” 4mins 20 secs to fillet a fish weighing over 60lb “over foot long” fillet, skin and cut into 150g-170g portions set in 2008. “He’s a record breaker”

3. What would you consider is Pembrokeshire’s seafood speciality? All of the local seafood is Pembrokeshire is a speciality, fresh landed from a local boat….. Seabass, Mackerel & brown crabs I have seen amazing quality every year. The best fish I seen in Pembroke is European Hake, the loins are amazing baked

4. How would you prefer to cook fish? I am a fishmonger and adore working with seafood, my wife Sue is an amazing cook and in fact on a lot of the courses we run on consumer training Sue manages the cooking demonstrations. Her great skill is simplicity, the taste of fish is enhanced by the ingredients not over powered by added flavours. Steamed or baked is my personal favourite.

5. Do you have any top tips on cooking fish recipes? Yes get a cook book ! The best way is to read and experience dishes in restaurants. Personally I would recommend BBQ or bake in parcel. If you want more info you can Mail my Sue directly info [at]passionateaboutfish.co.uk

Find out more about Duncan on www.passionateaboutfish.co.uk

Mitch Tonks appearing live at Pembrokeshire Fishweek

Mitch Tonks

Next up is Mitch Tonks. Mitch has won many accolades, best fish restaurant, best fish book and a fishmonger for the 21st century! He will be wowing crowds with cooking demonstrations over the duratio of the festival…..

1. What is your favourite fish dish to cook? Grilled red mullet with greek salad

2. Do have an unusual fish recipe? Monkfish livers with capers and shrimps. If you can get the livers from your fishmonger, they are fantastic.

3. What is the easiest fish we the public could cook at home? Try roasting a whole fish.

Just put a whole sea bass or sea bream for instance on a piece of foil lined with a piece of baking paper, add a couple of cloves of garlic and some rosemary, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes, take out and open at the table and serve with lemon juice.

4. What would you consider is Pembrokeshire’s seafood speciality? The shellfish is particularly amazing, but then the quality all together has been superb

5. How would you cook the shellfish? I’d cook crab or lobster boiled up and served with homemade mayonnaise, simple and fantastic

6. Where is your favourite place to eat fish in Pembrokeshire? There are some beautiful beaches in Pembrokeshire so ideally I’d take a bbq and eat on the beach

7. Why do you come to fish week in Pembrokeshire,is there anything special you like about the festival? I love the fact that the week just celebrates fish, nothing else but fish, perfect for me!

8. What are you doing at fish week? I’m doing some demos at the opening with my friend Matt Tebbutt from the Foxhunter in Nantyderry and presenter on Market Kitchen, that should be great fun, a lot of banter and a lot of inspiration we hope.

fish and sea food companion

More about Mitch

When he isn’t presenting or writing Mitch Tonks runs the Rock Fish Grill.

You can find more from his website website www.mitchtonks.co.uk , twitter @MitchTonks, youtube and podcasts.

Mitch also has a series of widely acclaimed cookery books of which the latest is ‘Fish: the Complete Fish and Seafood companion’

The Origins of Pembrokeshire Fish Week

Last but not least we get a chance to ask about the festival from an organisers perspective, we asked Kate Morgan from Pembrokeshire Council

1. What are the origins of fish week? How did it start? Pembrokeshire Fish Week started after a Sewin Fishing competition  which roves the country came to the area to fish the Teifi and Taf.

We persuaded the organisers to include the Cleddau River in the competition by securing sponsorship to host their awards dinner in Pembrokeshire College. Now on a roll we decided to involve local restaurants and encourage increased fish menus and eating opportunities, creating a ‘Fish Week’.

The event has just snow balled over the years, really capturing visitors imagination, and events and activities broadening in choice and offer. Pembrokeshire Fish week has really developed as a festival, becoming a platform for all sorts of opportunities and creating a really broad appeal, with the Fish theme running through it, hence our strap line- A seriously Fishy Festival.

2. What are the visitor numbers for last year? Do you expect them to grow this year? Visitor numbers exceeded 20 thousand last year, with 13,500 in the  two main opening weekend events  alone. We anticipate this figure to grow by at least 5% this year. We are seeing an increase in interest from visitors wanting to come to the area for the week as well as day trip visitors

3. How has the show grown over the last 10 years? The festival has grown from having two or three activities on each day, to now having over 200 events with over 100 being fish and food based.

Other events include angling, river and sea trips, coastal adventures, bushcraft, talks, slide shows craft and storytelling, cookery and fish preparation as well as music and art. It is a really good example of a food tourism event and a Sense of Place.

4. Do you like fish? I love fish and shellfish, and thankfully so does my family. I love a good fish stew to share or a simply cooked fresh Brill

Thanks Kate

The festival is on between 27th June – 5th July 2009. Treat yourself to a culinary short break, find a place to stay and other ideas for your family holiday at Visit Wales.

Preseli Venture – Activity Centre to be Awarded 5 Stars by Visit Wales

News today that Preseli Venture is the first Activity centre in Wales to gain 5 stars from Visit Wales.

Wales has always been a pretty green place. Verdant, in fact. And we’re aiming to keep it that way.

Preseli Venture Eco Lodge in Pembrokeshire has taken giant strides toward a greener future and as a result become the first activity centre in West Wales to receive a coveted 5 star VisitWales accreditation.

Green Technology

The lodge renovations invested in low-carbon technology to cut emissions and to help protect the delicate balance of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s pristine environment.

This is no mere greenwash.

• The lodge is constructed from a super-efficient Insulating Concrete Formwork system that keeps the heat in and the cold out.
• All the hot water and heating in the lodge is provided by a ground source heat pump saving up to 6½ tonnes of CO2 every year.
• Revolutionary LED bulbs, non-toxic and incredibly efficient, provide illumination in the lodge whilst the electricity to power them is sourced from Ecotricity.
• Waste is dealt with by the Klargester BioDisc system, a complete sewage treatment device that releases only outflow that has been completely treated and is free from pollutants.

The new eco lodge has proved popular with both new and returning guests and offers the chance to show visitors that sustainable living practices are accessible to everyone and not just the remit of the few.

What else can you do at Preseli Venture Eco-lodge

Preseli Venture does coasteering, sea kayaking, surfing, biking, and hiking adventures, and also offers high ropes courses, golf, and stand up paddle boarding.

Transport to adventures is in buses that run on local bio diesel made from used chip oil, with free bus and train transfer to the lodge to encourage people to use public transport, and all the food is sourced as locally as possible.

more information:

www.preseliventure.co.uk
Search for activities and outdoors centres on Visit Wales
Find out more about visiting wales for a holiday or get some great ideas for your UK break.

St Davids hosts “The Really Wild Food Festival” in Wales on the 30th and 31st of August.

There is a video about the festival on the site that gives you a flavour of what went on last year, but we can’t really sum up what this food festival is all about better than they do…..

The overall ethos of the Festival is to encourage people out into the countryside, make them more aware of what is around them, and to help them realise what nature can provide for use in the kitchen, for crafts, or for medicinal purposes. Walking is healthy as we all know, so foraging around in the fresh air for some ingredients for your supper, for instance, is a great way to spend some quality time.

Useful Links

Visit Pembrokeshire

Accommodation in Pembrokeshire – B&B’s, Hotels, Cottages, Campsites

Whats on in Pembrokeshire (BBC)

A holiday cottage in Wales is a good bet for a cost effective short break.

While you may not be able to cook like Gordon Ramsey, you can always use our quick guide to help you find some of the best locally sourced produce to get your Pembrokeshire holiday cottage alive with smell and the colour of welsh produce

You may even want to try one of Bryn Williams Welsh Black Beef dishes from The Great British Menu!

We have taken many of the suggestions here from the winners of the Wales True Taste Awards – a government published guide to the best food and drink Wales has to offer.

Pembrokeshire Farmers Markets

A great place to begin stocking up your holiday cottage is a visit to a local Famers Market such as Haverfordwest Farmers Market or Pembrokeshire Farmers Market.

Farm Shops in Pembrokeshire

Get the best, fresh local produce by taking a trip to the numerous farm shops and outlets littered across West Wales, here are a few…..

• Pencrugiau Organic Farm Shop
  Pencrugiau
  Velindre Farchog
  Crymych
  Pembrokeshire
  SA41 3XH
  Tel 01239 881265
• Priory Farm Shop
  Priory Farm
  New Hedges
  Tenby
  Pembrokeshire
  SA70 8TN
  Tel 01834 844662
• Welsh Haven Products
  Whitegates Farm
  Little Haven
  Haverfordwest
  Pembrokeshire
  Tel 01437 781552
• Wendy Brandon Preserves
  Felin Wen
  Boncath
  Pembrokeshire
  SA37 0JR
  Tel 01239 841568
• Taste of the County (True Taste Retailer of the Year – Winner 2007)
  Contact: Hugh Scale & Martin Duffy
  The Farm Shop, Bethesda Cross,
  Saundersfoot,
  Pembrokeshire
  SA69 9DS
  Tel: 01834 812911
• Pembrokeshire Cooked Ham (Reserve Winner 2007)
  Gwaun Valley Meats
  Contact: William Evans
  Tel: 01348 881295
  Email: gwaun@btinternet.com
• Pembrokeshire Platter/Crab Quiche
  Claws Shellfish
  Contact: Neil & Christine Viles
  Tel: 01646 601010
  Email: clawsshellfish@tiscali.co.uk
• Pack of Organic Mince Beef
  Pembrokeshire Coast Organic Meat
  Contact: Philip Rogers
  Tel: 01834 813239
  Email: info@pembrokeshirecoastorganicmeat.co.uk
  Web: www.pembrokeshirecoastorganicmeat.co.uk
• Princes Gate Spring Water
  Contact: Nicola Merriman
  Tel: 01834 831225
  Email: nicola@princesgatespringwater.com
  Web: www.princesgatespringwater.com

Events

2008 Pembrokeshire Fish week – 21st – 29th June 2008 will give you a chance to sample and buy locally caught fish and shellfish – from the nearby Pembrokeshire coast.

The Pembrokeshire Fish week is also full of family-friendly activities located around the nearby coast and waterways. Activities include

• cookery demonstrations with celebrity chefs
• fishing and boat trips
• children’s workshops
• fishing competitions

More information can be found here

Tell us more

Just a few food ideas for your self catering holiday in Wales. If you have any more suggestions leave them in a reply below.

Useful Links

True Taste Wales

Holiday Cottages in Wales

Wales Holiday Information

Times Travel featured Bluestone in their top ten family holidays…..

A new eco-friendly, car-free resort that sounds similar to Center Parcs opens this July in 200 ha of forest in the Pembrokeshire National Park. Self-catering ranges from studio apartments in the village to log cabins sleeping up to six. Bluestone Wales (01834 869900, www.bluestonewales.com has a waterpark, adventure playground, freshwater lake, spa, pub, restaurants and shops. Guests can travel around the resort by bike or electric bus. Activities include nature trails, tennis, dance classes, aerobics, painting and photography.

Its an innovative, eco friendly option for anybody planning to stay in a holiday cottage in Pembrokeshire.