food/drink
WATERLOO TEA AT THE WASHINGTON
UK’S FIRST ORGANIC GIN
Gin slinging at the Dà Mhile distillary
Tucked down a lane near Llandysul, Ceredigion, is the unlikely home of the UK’s first organic distillery. Dà Mhìle produces exceptional quality, small-batch botanical gin and orange liqueur: the sort you’d see in upmarket cocktail bars or hipster hangouts. After relocating from Scotland, the Savage-Onstwedder family started up Teifi Cheese over 30 years ago with a sustainable, organic ethos well before it became a popular lifestyle addition. Yet it was only a year ago that John-James and his father John made the leap into full-time distilling. Aptly set in a newly refurbished 16th century granary, gin and orange liqueur have been flying off the shelves since manufacturing began almost a year ago – and the aroma of oranges and spices inside is pretty incredible! Impressively, nearly all raw ingredients are sourced from their own or neighbouring farms and they boast complete in-house manufacturing. Fresh botanics foraged on their land include chamomile, elderflower and gorse, which make up three of the twenty complimentary botanics used to infuse their gin – and it’s these small details that has given them a unique product. With a price typical of any craft distillery, the ‘you get what you pay for’ notion is truly applicable here. The gin doesn’t have that typical wince-inducing afternote when drunk straight. It is silky smooth, with subtle floral notes as well as a spicy kick. The True Taste bronze award-winning orange liqueur is also far removed from mass-produced, sickly-sweet equivalents. They really deserve pride of place on shelves and I’m certain I’ll be able to say the same about the rum, whisky, eau-de-vie and brandy which are in the pipeline for production very soon. Dà Mhìle is currently available in outlets nationwide and markets including Cardiff Riverside, Penarth, Mumbles, Brecon, Cowbridge, Aberystwyth, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest. PHOEBE THOMAS Info: 01239 851528 / www.damhile.co.uk
Those avid tea connoisseurs among us around central Cardiff have been lucky enough to boast one of the best tea shops in the UK, the quaint little Waterloo Tea Gardens. This safe haven for those who still enjoy a quiet and cultured cuppa won an award for best UK coffee house in 2009, but it’s their tea that makes them renowned. Those who live slightly further out however need no longer fear, as the company has purchased the recently closed Washington building in Penarth and decked it out with more delicious cakes, sandwiches and quality teas than you can shake a spoon at. Open now. Waterloo Tea at the Washington, Penarth. Info: 029 2045 6073 / www.waterlootea.com
THE SPICE IS RIGHT
Takeaway chains are well known and numerous, from Dominos to Chicken Cottage, but the UK’s first Indian takeaway chain has just set up shop in Cardiff. Spice 2 Go started serving out chain Indian cuisine back in February, but just opened its first store in Wales. Finding its new home on Albany Road, Cardiff, Spice 2 Go will have to compete with many of the independently run Indian restaurants in the area. Only time will tell if its promise of reliable quality can hold its own against the character of neighbouring takeaways, but the fact that British Curry Award-winning chef Dipna Anand has added some of her signature dishes to the menu is certain not to hurt. Info: 029 2049 5757 / www.spice2go.com
BUZZ 32
SINK YOUR TEETH IN WITH THE SCARLETS
If you’re a die-hard Llanelli rugby fan now you really can eat, sleep and drink the Scarlets. OK, so they can’t offer you a bed, but The Red Room Bar & Kitchen can take care of the rest. Recently opened at the East Gate development in Llanelli town centre, The Red Room offers a range of gourmet burgers, pizzas, snacks and salads with ingredients sourced largely from local producers. The interior is also a nod to the surrounding community with exposed concrete, pipes and pillars reminiscent of Llanelli’s industrial roots. They had pizza back then, right? The Red Room Bar & Kitchen, Llanelli. Info: 01554 753317 / www.scarlets.co.uk