Saturday Kitchen star Matt Tebbutt has revealed a restaurant in Pembrokeshire provided him with one of his top five "most memorable" meals in the UK.

Tebbutt is a well-known chef and TV presenter. Through these roles and his travels around the UK, he has come across many great restaurants.

Although a difficult task, Tebbutt - speaking to Condé Nast Traveller - has managed to pick out a selection of his most memorable meals from across the UK.

He said: "It’s simply too hard to pick just a handful from all the great restaurants in the UK, and I meet so many brilliant chefs when hosting Saturday Kitchen every week.

“I’ve narrowed it down by picking my top five from a couple of road trips I took with my wife Lisa last year.

Matt Tebbutt is arguable most well known for his presenting role on Saturday Kitchen.Matt Tebbutt is a well known chef and TV presenter on BBC's Saturday Kitchen. (Image: PA) “Even that choice proved somewhat difficult because we now have such a wealth of great food in this country, and some amazing chefs are creating fantastic dishes with superb, locally sourced seasonal ingredients.

"But these five were terrific dining experiences and especially memorable for being in such beautiful parts of the country, and all at some of the best hotels I’ve stayed in, meaning you can just roll into bed after an excellent dinner.”

The Saturday Kitchen presenter continued: "I love the choice we now have in the UK, if you look carefully enough you can eat really well from a simple snack to a pub lunch, through to a special occasion dinner.

"Food producers, chefs and bakers are all doing great things with the best ingredients.”

Matt Tebbutt's most memorable meals in the UK

Matt Tebbutt's top five most memorable meals in the UK, according to Condé Nast Traveller, are:

  • Source at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House
  • The Clunie Dining Room at The Fife Arms
  • The Dining Room at Whatley Manor
  • Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall
  • The Fernery at The Grove of Narberth

Why the Fernery was among Matt Tebbutt's most memorable meals

The Fernery Restaurant can be found in the Grove of Narberth hotel, and was described by Tebbutt as a "hidden gem" with a "relaxing vibe".

He said: "The Grove of Narberth is another place we’d been told a lot about, and it’s not a million miles from where we live, so it was crackers that it took us so long to finally get around to visiting.

"Narberth is renowned for being a holiday destination for foodies, and we did come home with armfuls of treats from the local delis and wine shops.

"The Grove is all about celebrating its locality in Pembrokeshire, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the cosy, Welsh-pub-style bar where you can enjoy pre-dinner cocktails, including a Welsh martini.

"The main restaurant, The Fernery, is definitely a hidden gem, with a very relaxing vibe reflected in the décor of leaves, mosses and ferns.

"It feels lovely and informal but with extremely slick service. It’s easy to see the effort made by the team to source local, seasonal ingredients at the peak of their freshness.”


The best fish and chip shops in the UK


When it came to his favourite dish at the Fernery, Tebbutt recommended the tasting menu adding "you’d be crazy not to order this".

He explained: "It worked so well as an entity, and each dish flowed into the other seamlessly – the wines were well chosen to pair perfectly."

He said the only downside to the whole experience was the bad weather, but "the warm welcome made up for it".

Tebbutt added: "It means we’ll need to head back soon to explore more of the gardens and local beaches during the summer months.”

The Fernery also comes highly recommended by other visitors with the Narberth-based restaurant boasting a 5 (out of 5) rating on Tripadvisor from 21 reviews.


RECOMMENDED READING:


A recent review read: "The food was superb and compered to a number of Michelin star restaurants we have visited we agree very much up there.

"We believe this needs recognition for the super food craft work delivered.

"Fantastic from front of house through the chef and team."