Popular restaurant in North Wales village expands with new Airbnb
But the resourceful duo used the difficulty and weathered the storm by turning their hand to providing greatly appreciated take away meals for the community. Now Vicky has also taken on a two-bedroom apartment, Min y Maes, behind the property, effectively turning Nant y Felin into a restaurant with rooms.
Rob, born in Elgin in North East Scotland, has a distinguished CV after working in AA Rosette restaurants in the West Country where he was brought up, the Home Counties, Scotland, the Scilly Isles. More locally, he has also tantalised taste buds at the Kinmel Manor in Abergele and the White Horse, Hendrerewydd, in the Vale of Clwyd.
He has cooked for celebrities like John Cleese, Nigel Mansell, Frankie Howerd, Alan Titchmarsh and Maureen Lipman and as a trainee YTS chef was featured on GMTV's breakfast show in the 1990s.
He said: 'John Cleese is from Weston Super Mare and Frankie Howerd also lived in Somerset when I was working there – Cleese would often do odd things like wear one sock. I had wanted to be a music teacher but didn't get the grades and when I left school at 16 I started to train as a chef on the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) getting £29.50 a week – my mum took £15. It was a harsh environment but it made me realistic about work – 29 of us started the YTS course and I was one of just three who finished it.'
He met Vicky, from Ruthin, while working at the White Horse when she went along with her dad Bryn Dowell, there for an open mic folk music night and the couple – who both play guitar - now have a seven-year-old son, Billy.
Things were particularly tough for them when the pandemic happened just over a year after they took over the Nant y Felin in 2018 and before they had the chance to build up the financial records needed to claim Government help.
Rob said: 'We didn't really have any option other than to try and make a go of it by offering pizzas made in our proper pizza oven – the garden was overgrown and included three 40-foot leylandii spruce which provided fuel for the oven. We made sure all of our takeaway meals were served hot and to restaurant standard - allowing customers to enjoy a real treat at home when the UK was in lockdown"
'They proved very popular and on Father's Day we served 116 meals and at weekends it would be 70 a night and even in the week we were doing 30 or 40 a day and it's something we have continued ever since.
'We are always keen to try new ideas. We run our own open mic music nights on the third Wednesday of every month and I have been a forager for 20 years, finding edible plants and fungi and have done foraging walks.
'I did one in Denbigh for chef Chris Roberts, the Flamebaster chef on S4C and BBC Wales, and managed to find seven or eight ingredients to go with his open-fire cooking.'
Nant y Felin fan Mario Kreft, from Denbigh, and his wife Gill, have a regular order for a takeaway Sunday lunch. He said: 'We discovered Rob's cooking during Covid when we were so busy but couldn't go anywhere and it was such a godsend to be able to enjoy his fantastic food at home on a Sunday after a difficult week. They literally stepped up to the plate, becoming honorary Covid warriors and providing an important community service.
'Rob and Vicky are a brilliant partnership. Their food is wonderful and we've also become regulars at the restaurant.'
Vicky added: 'People found out about us in Covid and that got our names out there and that's something we've continued. So we are always looking at ways of increasing our offer so when our landlord, Huw Howatson, said that the two-bedroomed self-catering flat adjoining the restaurant was available Vicky decided to take the plunge and do it up.
'It's now on Airbnb and has hosted its first guest, someone from Canada who has relatives in the area, and we're hoping it will become a destination in its own right perhaps for people who want to go foraging.
'It's dog-friendly and so is the restaurant because it's all about being adaptable to people's needs to make the business more versatile.'
Rob said: 'Since taking over at Nant y Felin, we have had to turn our hands to all sorts of things, from plumbing to joinery – I've made a lot of the furniture here and even our latest venture, turning an old fridge into a smoker.
'At the same time we're creating our own eco-system, putting food waste back into the garden whenever possible.
'We've also opened up the bar to customers who just want to come in and have a drink and we're employing 12 people here in the restaurant and most of us speak Welsh.
'Our menu changes virtually daily depending on what our suppliers have for us whether that's Vicky's uncle, Clwyd Dowell, at CLD Meats or the Vale Grocer, both in Denbigh, able to tell us exactly where their produce comes from or our fishmonger in Fleetwood .
'If they've got something special then we adapt the menu accordingly so we believe in using local produce even if we like to give it a twist. The idea is to go back to nature but using my skills as a fine dining chef to create something special.'
That's true of Rob's signature dessert with tender young nettle leaves grown in the garden and harvested at the cost of a few stings before being transformed into a trio of nettle cheesecake, topped with a red nettle jelly and accompanied by deep pink nettle sorbet and garnished with ox-eye daisy and blue cornflowers.
Vicky added: "The Nant y Felin really has become something very special to us. We are able to provide a service by cooking lovely produce for the local and wider community.
'We're a friendly place for people to just pop in and have a drink in the bar, it's a place where friends come to see us and most importantly, it's home for us, our son, Billy and our two lovely spaniels.
'Building all of this up over the last seven years is an achievement we're proud of and are looking forward to the future of the Nant y Felin."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
14 hours ago
- ITV News
Keir Starmer promises government's 'full backing' to get Sunderland's Crown Works Studios on track
Sir Keir Starmer has promised the Government's 'full backing' to get Sunderland's flagship Crown Works Studios project back on track. It emerged earlier this summer that the main private backer behind the £450 million film and TV studio development had pulled out. North East leaders are now pushing to find new investors to ensure that the huge regeneration, earmarked for the banks of the River Wear in Pallion, can go ahead. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Tuesday, the Prime Minister pledged his support in the hunt for new investment that can deliver a project hailed as the biggest boost for the region since the arrival of Nissan. The Government has already put £25 million into the Crown Works plans, via the devolution deal which established the North East mayor last year, while the local authorities have committed to a total public investment of up to £120 million. Asked what support Downing Street had offered since Cain International's withdrawal from the Crown Works deal, Sir Keir said: 'Let me be really clear on this because I know it really matters – we really want to see this landmark project come to fruition. It is such a good project, good for jobs, good for growth. 'We announced £25 million of funding for the studios in the Autumn Statement to support filmmaking and economic growth, and we are working with the mayor [Kim McGuinness] very closely because we need to get private investors to get in behind this. 'I am determined that we will do everything we can to see this project come to fruition. It is really important locally, it is a huge thing, and we need to give it our full backing.' Global entertainment company Fulwell Entertainment, who were behind the Sunderland 'Til I Die Netflix series, had partnered with Cain on the joint venture to build 19 sound stages on the riverside plot. The firm has said it remains committed to working with Sunderland Council to find new funding for the filmmaking hub. It had been hoped that the scheme could create more than 8,000 jobs and Labour's new creative industries strategy specifically highlights the 'game-changing plans for film production in Sunderland'. Planning permission for the development was secured last year, but detailed approval has only been granted for a first phase of building that would include four sound stages, production offices, workshop buildings, and a multi-storey car park. City council leader Michael Mordey has previously said that he expects to have new funding secured by the time that land remediation works at the site are completed later this year.
Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer sent urgent letter from celebs - 'he must listen'
The musicians argued that further development of the oil field north west of Shetland would undermine the UK's climate commitments and the sustainability of the cultural sector Stars including Paloma Faith, Lola Young and The Cure's Robert Smith have warned Keir Starmer to reject future drilling at Rosebank in the North Sea. In a letter addressed to the PM and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, the musicians argued that further development of the oil field north west of Shetland would undermine the UK's climate commitments and the sustainability of the cultural sector. The letter urges the Government to follow the science and states "any new application to exploit Rosebank's reserves must be refused". Ministers published new guidance last month on how the environmental impacts of oil and gas are included in assessments. As a result, offshore developers can now submit applications for consent to extract fossil fuels in oil and gas fields that are already licensed, which includes Rosebank and the Jackdaw gas field off Aberdeen. It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves dismissed Donald Trump's 'con job' wind turbine claim. This came after the Supreme Court ruled that emissions created by burning fossil fuels should be considered when granting planning permission for new drilling sites, in a case that focused on an oil well in Surrey but reverberated through the energy sector. The open letter, co-ordinated by Earth Percent and backed by the Stop Rosebank campaign, is also signed by artists including Ed O'Brien and Philip Selway of Radiohead, rock band Enter Shikari, Imogen Heap, and Olly Alexander of Years & Years. They warn that the expansion of operations at Rosebank will accelerate the climate crisis, deliver no meaningful benefit to the UK public, and burden future generations. Producer Brian Eno, who co-founded Earth Percent, said: 'As musicians and artists our creativity is deeply connected to the state of the world around us. "Fossil fuels are not only unsustainable – they are actively destructive. The evidence is clear: burning them accelerates the climate crisis, endangers our futures, and undermines the UK's credibility as a climate leader. We have the tools and the knowledge to make the transition. The Prime Minister must listen – reject Rosebank, and stop approving new oil and gas developments.' A Department for Energy Security & Net Zero spokesperson said: 'Our priority is to deliver a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills, and good, long-term jobs.'
South Wales Argus
21 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Paloma Faith, Lola Young and The Cure urge Starmer to block Rosebank development
In a letter addressed to Sir Keir Starmer and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, the musicians argued that further development of the oil field north west of Shetland would undermine the UK's climate commitments and the sustainability of the cultural sector. The letter urges the Government to follow the science and states 'any new application to exploit Rosebank's reserves must be refused'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Anthony Upton/PA) The Government said it was committed to a fair transition in line with its climate and legal obligations, while also aiming to lower bills. Ministers published new guidance last month on how the environmental impacts of oil and gas are included in assessments. As a result, offshore developers can submit applications for consent to extract fossil fuels in oil and gas fields that are already licensed, which includes Rosebank and the Jackdaw gas field off Aberdeen. This came after the Supreme Court ruled that emissions created by burning fossil fuels should be considered when granting planning permission for new drilling sites, in a case that focused on an oil well in Surrey but reverberated through the energy sector. Robert Smith of The Cure performing at the Glastonbury Festival in 2019 (Aaron Chown/PA) A challenge brought by environmental campaigners in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, over approval for Rosebank and Jackdaw, was upheld at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in January. Greenpeace and Uplift argued the UK Government and North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) had acted unlawfully when granting consent to the projects, as environmental impact assessments did not take into account downstream emissions resulting from the burning of the extracted fuels. The open letter, co-ordinated by Earth Percent and backed by the Stop Rosebank campaign, is also signed by artists including Ed O'Brien and Philip Selway of Radiohead, rock band Enter Shikari, Imogen Heap, and Olly Alexander of Years & Years. The signatories claim the expansion of operations at Rosebank will accelerate the climate crisis, deliver no meaningful benefit to the UK public, and burden future generations. Producer Brian Eno, who co-founded Earth Percent, said: 'As musicians and artists our creativity is deeply connected to the state of the world around us. Being an advocate for greater climate action for many years, I feel deeply that the continued expansion of oil and gas, such as Rosebank, is a huge threat to that world. 'Fossil fuels are not only unsustainable – they are actively destructive. The evidence is clear: burning them accelerates the climate crisis, endangers our futures, and undermines the UK's credibility as a climate leader. We have the tools and the knowledge to make the transition. 'The Prime Minister must listen – reject Rosebank, and stop approving new oil and gas developments.' Cathy Runciman, co-executive director at Earth Percent, said: 'The creative community is clear: the Prime Minister must reject Rosebank and commit to a clean, fair transition that protects people and planet alike.' Lauren MacDonald, lead campaigner at Stop Rosebank, said: 'Opposition to Rosebank is not just found among climate activists, a broad church of opponents has developed since the field's approval in 2023. 'These artists aren't just speaking as individuals, they represent a creative community that understands what's at stake if the Government keeps backing oil giants over climate science and public interest. 'The UK cannot claim to be a climate leader while approving massive new oil fields like Rosebank. 'It won't bring down bills, it won't boost UK energy security, and it won't create the sustainable future people across this country are calling for. Rosebank must be rejected, and this is the moment for the Prime Minister to show he's listening.' A Department for Energy Security & Net Zero spokesperson said: 'Our priority is to deliver a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills, and good, long-term jobs.'
