Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo - Wales

When we got back from America we were:

a) Jet lagged

b) Cold

c) Craving comfort food

It's a duck in a frame...

On the Saturday after we got home I was at the Clandestine Cake Club annual organisers meeting in Leeds, where I had to do a presentation on bundt cakes. I was bricking it. As a little 'carrot on a stick' to soothe my crippling sense of impending doom, my husband booked us in to Tyddyn Llan. Somewhere we had intended going for probably the last year, we finally made it to Wales...

As we drove through the wet Welsh countryside, we started to reminisce about some of the beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife we had seen on our trip through Yosemite National Park. Then we saw it. Like a wet leek to the face. There stood a fully grown man, in his underpants, in a lay by, pointing at some sheep. You could not make this up. Welcome to Wales!

I'm glad to say that the rest of the trip was rather uneventful in comparison! Tyydyn Llan is in the small town of Llandrillo. There are lots of houses and streets containing the word 'Bryn' and some serious levels of eating going on...

I'm quite certain that the staff behind Tyddyn Llan are feeders of the highest order. They love to look after you. On arrival we were greeted with tea and coffee and a fire was promptly lit. Flames roaring, I set about having a nosy round their gaff. We were particularly impressed with their medley of matchboxes and menus from around the world, the Michelin Man collection and a pleasing picture of a duck in a frame!

We got there about half an hour early, but it wasn't long before our waiter appeared with some canapes. Remember what I said about these chaps being feeders? Look at these pictures! There were six different types, including cheese puff type thing, smoked salmon roulades, scotch eggs, ham croquets, spinach tarts and spicy pork.

We were taken through to a traditional dining room; perhaps the sort you would expect at a Michelin starred restaurant in the Lakes. It was actually a bit chilly, but I put this down to the fact it was freezing outside and we had just been sat next to a roaring fire. A lovely assortment of bread lay waiting. Cheese bread sticks, something similar to ciabatta, soft white farmhouse and hazelnut wholemeal. I'm not going to lie to you. I snaffled a ridiculous amount.

By the time our food started to arrive, we had already consumed a light lunch in nibbles. In the quest for comfort food, to start my husband had a sweetbread dish with beans (we can't remember its name...) and I had a pressed ham terrine with piccalilli. Although mine was a cold dish, it was packed with taste and a little heat from the piccalilli. My husband likened his to a 'posh Big Soup'. I doubt Heinz have a market for sweetbreads...

For mains we both chose the beef roast. I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking here. I will say this though. Feeders. We thought they had lost the plot when our beautifully pink beef was served with nothing but an oversized Yorkshire and gravy. They even left us for a few minutes to stew... Then they came. Enough accompaniments to feed a family of four (plus a greedy dog) for several days. Roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, baked leeks, seasonal vegetables, breadcrumbed courgettes and more of that delicious bread! I did ask if they were trying to kill us. Our waiter laughed... note to self... at no point did he deny the charge...

After eating what looked like a minuscule amount of the mountain of food before us, we were done. I never wanted to eat ever again. Luckily for me, I am blessed with a separate stomach for desserts. Call it restoring the sweet/savoury equilibrium if you like. I'd already spied a ginger pudding on the menu. Like the total greedy pig warrior that I am, I dealt with this dessert accordingly. The sponge wasn't too sweet and it was served with warm home made custard. I love custard season... My husband had creme brulee. This had a fantastic firm top with a smooth as velvet texture inside.

I'm pretty sure this is what minor death feels like. My legs were aching, my stomach bursting and feet throbbing. I had clearly over-done it. We asked if we could have our coffees in the lounge, mainly because I wasn't confident that I could remain sat upright for much longer! Feeders strike again. Three massive petit fours; fudge, truffles and some sort of marzipan chocolate thing. I literally nibbled the corners off each. I even struggled to drink my coffee!

Go to Tyddyn Llan if you are hungry, or at least make sure you are starving before you go! You will be well fed with food cooked and presented to a high standard. There's nothing ground breaking, but it's bloody good.

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