Child Friendly Holidays In Pembrokeshire – The Foodie Post – Part One
When you take the kids away on holiday we all know that if the kids are happy the parents and grandparents get a better holiday! But we also know that it’s nice for the adults to get a break from cooking every day to enjoy a change in their day-to-day routine at home.
As you know, we offer self-catering holidays here at Croft Farm & Celtic Cottages, but we know our guests like to have other foodie options available so in this post we’ll be shining the spotlight on local foods – where’s great to eat out and visit, to tickle your taste-buds, all with the onus on being family-friendly!
Of course it goes without saying that we already have our guests very well taken care of by Patrick the local chef at Y Popty Gwyn who makes daily deliveries of his freshly baked breads and cakes, and home-cooked meals and desserts direct to our cottages if you wish to order them for breakfast or a cosy night in without having to cook. You can even order one of his delicious gateaux to be delivered if you’re having a special celebration on your holiday!
If you fancy eating out, we are fortunate to have a great selection of local eateries which are very welcoming to families with children. Here are a few of them :
The Welsh Wildlife Centre and Teifi Marsh at Cilgerran
The Glasshouse Cafe at the Welsh Wildlife Centre offers home-made soups, hot meals,
snacks and cakes. It’s very popular with children because there’s so much to see and explore at the centre with walks, activities, displays, wildlife spotting from the viewing stations, play areas, the giant willow badger, plus the new willow maze.
Teifimania
Teifimania is a large indoor play centre in Cardigan with a large soft play frame and sports court area – perfect for the kids to let off steam on a rainy day. The on-site cafe serves hot meals, jacket potatoes, sandwiches and baguettes, or you can just enjoy a hot drink while the children are playing.
The Coach House
The Coach House cafe in St Dogmaels offers homemade soups, cakes, ploughmans platters,
and hot meals and light snacks for brunch, lunchtime and the afternoon. It’s a great place to visit as it’s on the site of the Mediaeval Tironensian (Benedictine) Abbey of St Dogmaels, which celebrated its 900 year anniversary in 2013. The beautiful Abbey ruins are open daily for exploring, and there is a small museum in The Coach House telling the story of the Abbey, with artefacts and displays. There is a popular Local Producer’s market every Tuesday morning. As well as that, if you remember to bring some bread with you, there are ducks waiting to be fed in the duck pond opposite the cafe, which is always popular with the littlies!
The Ferry Inn
The Ferry Inn in St Dogmaels is a delightful riverside pub restaurant with large windows and outside decking areas to make the most of the fantastic view which overlook the River Teifi as it flows through Cardigan and out to Poppit Sands. They offer a mouth-watering range of starters, mains and desserts which are all prepared and cooked on the premises. Don’t be deceived by the small exterior – it really is like a tardis with plenty of room inside, and lots of different seating and eating areas. Be warned though, this is a popular eatery so make sure you book if possible, particularly in the summer months. Children and well behaved dogs are welcome. Nearby is the pontoon, which is one of the best local places to go crabbing!
The Trewern Arms
The Trewern Arms in the tiny village of Nevern is a picturesque 16th Century Inn tucked down in a valley on the banks of the River Nevern. It still retains great character with the original flagstone floors, stone walls, old settles, beams and artefacts reflecting its rural setting. They offer Bar and Restaurant meals with plenty of choice and a popular Sunday Carvery, and there is a small games room with a darts board, pool table and juke box for older kids to enjoy. Nearby you can visit the remains of the 12th Century Nevern Castle (great for kids with good imaginations – lots of opportunities to ambush the grown-ups from the top of what remains of the Motte!), and see the famous ‘Bleeding Yew’ in the grounds of the 11th Century Church. There is also excellent fishing to be had on the River Nevern, and a charming riverside walk through fields and ancient woodlands.
Caws Cenarth
Caws Cenarth Cheese is a family run business near Newcastle Emlyn and has been producing artisan cheeses for over 25 years. They have a host of awards to their name, including Supreme Champion at The British Cheese Awards for their Golden Cenarth cheese. They are open Mon – Sat and you can enjoy an outing there to see how the cheeses are made, from the viewing gallery, and have a cheese tasting with their range of different cheeses. This is a great opportunity for kids to really get an understanding of artisan cheese production, and for you to sample some of our finest local cheeses, which also happen to be sold and served at some of the top eateries and shops in the UK, as well as featuring in many a glowing newspaper food review!
As you can see, there are plenty of great local foodie options for families on holiday at Croft Farm and Celtic Cottages. So you can enjoy great food without having to cook every day, plus experience some of West Wales’s culture and history with lots to see and explore for all the family at the same time! We look forward to seeing you soon!
To find out more about staying with us, check out our Special Offers, or call us at the office on 01239 615179
