Castle Cottage

Another of those excellent small no-nonsense restaurants that are happily, becoming more frequent, Castle Cottage is a Restaurant with Rooms in one of the oldest houses in Harlech, 100 metres from the 13th century castle on the wonderfully mellow Welsh coast.

Paddy Burt, that veteran of the away weekend, writing in Travel Telegraph says, 'for pure enjoyment, Castle Cottage, on the brow of a hill overlooking Harlech Castle, is hard to beat'.

They have three twin/super king size luxury en-suite bedrooms in the main building. In an adjacent annex a former 17th century coaching inn has been converted into four large, luxury twin/super king sized en-suite rooms, the sumptuousness of which is such that if I was staying there I fear I would be looking for some grotty weather to provide justification for not venturing out from such comfort.

Central heating throughout and an oak-beamed and oak-floored bar, with leather sofas and a contemporary recessed log fire provides a congenial place in which to relax. Should you wish, however, to eye up Mount Snowdon with a view to imminent conquest you can do so from a comfortable lounge with a fantastic view of your objective. As Churchill once remarked, 'if ever I feel like exercise I lie down until it goes away'. Alternatively take the mountain railway.

The success of Castle Cottage to a large degree depends upon a combination of very well sourced materials and a sensitive pair of hands at the stoves. Glyn and Jacqueline Roberts have 54 years experience between them in the hospitality and restaurant trade, which I imagine also helps. Local produce is well to the fore in Glyn's menus.

After starting with canapés served in the bar a stroll through to the dining room offers even further assurance that one is in the hands of experts. Crisp white and cream linen provides a backcloth for Alchemy china, Italian designed cutlery, stout oak furniture made in Wales and contemporary leather chairs. The glittering glassware catches the bright reflections from walls decorated with modern original Welsh art.

Dinner starts with a choice from amongst six or so dishes, which could include Barmouth lobster bisque, a dash of brandy, Gruyere cheese, rouille and croutons, or grilled asparagus with Camarthen ham, roasted tomatoes, pesto dressing and Parmesan shavings.

Five main courses could yield Welsh Black rib-eye steak, grilled and served with chunky chips, tomato and mushroom and a peppercorn cream sauce, or boned and rolled suckling pig with red cabbage, sage potatoes, black pudding, apple sauce and Calvados jus. For vegetarians a wild mushroom risotto finished with a poached egg, and a mixed salad is always welcome.

It would be a sad restaurant of distinction that did not run to a savoury; naturally enough here in Wales a grilled Welsh rarebit on toast with marinated anchovies does the trick perfectly. Frankly, that alone would be enough to get me there, not so much the dish, which I adore, but the gesture. For those with, shall we say, less eccentric tastes there's the banana and rum strudel with vanilla pod ice cream.

The wine list excites and there are some interesting finds to be had amongst the bin-ends, not to mention a strong showing from South Africa. The entire establishment is non-smoking. Keep abreast of any changes and brilliant packages at Castle Cottage by reference to their friendly Website.