If anyone is thinking of sourcing the very best pizza establishment in the whole of Wales, coupled with the very best gastro-pub, their quest will be a tough one.
But a little village tucked away on the Ceredigion coast boasts the very best of both in the form of Tafell a Tan and the Pentre Arms, which sit a stone’s throw away from each other on Llangrannog beach.
This week Tafell a Tan was named Best Pizza Establishment in the Food Awards Wales 2023, while the Pentre came home with the Best Gastro-Pub in Wales trophy.
“We’re absolutely delighted,” said Huw Reed, who owns and runs Tafell a Tan with his wife, Kate.
“Obviously the standard out there across Wales is extremely high, especially for some of the fantastic establishments and gastro pubs that are based down in the south and south east corner of Wales.
"So for a tiny little village like Llangrannog to walk away with both of these awards really is something else.”
And Mike Rutherford, owner of the Pentre Arms, agrees.
“We’re never quite sure how and why we get awards like this, but maybe it’s because we just do what we do as best as we can,” he said.
“I’ve been running the Pentre for the last 24 years so I guess you get a strong understanding of what your customer expects and the standards that they deserve.”
Tafell a Tan and the Pentre Arms both focus very strongly on using freshly sourced local produce whenever possible, which includes fresh meats from local butcher Dewi James, home reared pork and homegrown salads (Tafell a Tan) and fresh fish including crab and lobster caught in Cardigan Bay (Pentre Arms).
Huw and Kate, who were both born and raised in Llangrannog, set up Tatell a Tan in 2016 when it was run as a pop-up pizza with a marquee, mobile oven and a little cart.
Four years later they opened the pizza café on the beach front where it soon became recognised as a sure-fire venue for expertly prepared pizzas including the Fun Guy pizza (mushroom) and the spicy Blas y Ddraig (Taste of the Dragon).
Mike Rutherford’s kitchen prides itself on its superb range of traditional homemade cuisine prepared by a team of four chefs, led by head chef Paul Liddle.
This is the second time that the Pentre Arms has won the Food Award Wales’ best Gastro-pub title.
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