Food Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/tag/food/ Tales from a down-shifted family - Making the most of modest means in West Wales Tue, 08 Jul 2025 07:54:03 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/cropped-favicon-160x160.jpg Food Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/tag/food/ 32 32 2696646 A Wedding Anniversary Weekend: Mud, House Martins and a Lot of Steam https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/07/a-wedding-anniversary-weekend-mud-house-martins-and-a-lot-of-steam/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/07/a-wedding-anniversary-weekend-mud-house-martins-and-a-lot-of-steam/#comments Tue, 08 Jul 2025 07:53:57 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=46103 Anna and I haven’t long got back from a nice little anniversary treat. In fact, we had two treats: an evening out on the day itself, and then a night away at the weekend. The evening out wasn’t anything too extravagant — just dinner at the Cambrian Coast Holiday Park down the road. Morgan came...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/07/a-wedding-anniversary-weekend-mud-house-martins-and-a-lot-of-steam/feed/ 1 46103 A Valentine’s Surprise: Sunday Lunch at Penmaenuchaf Hall https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/02/a-valentines-surprise-sunday-lunch-at-penmaenuchaf-hall/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/02/a-valentines-surprise-sunday-lunch-at-penmaenuchaf-hall/#comments Mon, 17 Feb 2025 06:39:00 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=44967 We don’t usually do much for Valentine’s Day. However, this year, Anna bought me a chocolate banana from M&S! Then, I received an email from Penmaenuchaf Hall saying they had finished some of their renovations and were open again. I took it as a sign, so I decided to reciprocate and asked Anna if she...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2025/02/a-valentines-surprise-sunday-lunch-at-penmaenuchaf-hall/feed/ 1 44967 Fine Dining at Gwen https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2023/07/fine-dining-at-gwen/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2023/07/fine-dining-at-gwen/#comments Tue, 11 Jul 2023 08:56:00 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=40101 The (probably) last of our anniversary treats was a fine-dining experience at the relatively new restaurant “Gwen” in Machynlleth. Gwen is an intimate 8-seat restaurant offering a communal dining experience. The experience begins at 3pm or 7pm, where you’ll have a chance to have a drink before a 10 course tasting menu is served by...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2023/07/fine-dining-at-gwen/feed/ 3 40101 Roast Dinner Take Away https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2020/07/roast-dinner-take-away/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2020/07/roast-dinner-take-away/#respond Mon, 20 Jul 2020 07:05:34 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=34074 After having had a couple of Take Away meals from the Michelin starred Ynyshir Hall, they put the prices up. £10 each was pretty good as a treat now and then, but £15 each soon mounts up. So, we thought we’d try something else and support a different local business this weekend. Roast Dinner Take...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2020/07/roast-dinner-take-away/feed/ 0 34074 Fine Dining at Ynyshir Hall https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2019/08/fine-dining-at-ynyshir-hall/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2019/08/fine-dining-at-ynyshir-hall/#comments Sat, 10 Aug 2019 08:46:47 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=30822 You may remember that Anna treated me to a fine dining experience at Ynyshir Hall for my birthday last year. It was 11 courses of Michelin starred food by renowned chef Gareth Ward. Not the full on dinner experience due to the cost, so just the lunch menu but it was still a meal to...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2019/08/fine-dining-at-ynyshir-hall/feed/ 2 30822 A Tasting Menu at Ynyshir Hall https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2018/01/tasting-menu-ynyshir-hall/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2018/01/tasting-menu-ynyshir-hall/#comments Sun, 14 Jan 2018 18:44:11 +0000 https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=25796 We had an exciting day out on Saturday. Lunch with the tasting menu at Ynyshir Hall. Ingredient Led, Flavour Driven, Fat Fuelled, Meat Obsessed. That’s the motto of Gareth Ward and his Michelin starred restaurant at Ynyshir Hall. Not our usual Saturday lunch admittedly and quite out of our price range usually, but this was...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2018/01/tasting-menu-ynyshir-hall/feed/ 6 25796 Cheesemaking at River Cottage https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2016/12/cheesemaking-river-cottage/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2016/12/cheesemaking-river-cottage/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2016 13:39:48 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=23365 So, Alan treated me to a cheesemaking course at River Cottage for my birthday.  I’m not really sure how we decided on cheesemaking but I fancied a cookery course and I think we thought it would be nice to do some something completely different rather than baking bread or cakes.  We did some research and...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2016/12/cheesemaking-river-cottage/feed/ 3 23365 Spider Crabs https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2015/06/spider-crabs/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2015/06/spider-crabs/#respond Tue, 16 Jun 2015 15:02:08 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=19456 Whilst on an open water swim session on Monday here at Ynyslas the water was clearer than usual so I was actually able to see the seabed. I was also able to see lots of large Spider Crabs roaming around out there. The larger ones seemed to be wandering around on the sand on their...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2015/06/spider-crabs/feed/ 0 19456 Work Induced Injuries and Over-Eating. https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2014/02/work-induced-injuries-eating/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2014/02/work-induced-injuries-eating/#comments Wed, 05 Feb 2014 16:24:30 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=15552 I’ve always said that ‘work’ isn’t good for you and once again I proved it yesterday by tweaking a muscle in my back whilst moving a carpet for someone. I’d been painting and decorating at their house and now had to move an old carpet out of the room so that a new one could be...

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]]> https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2014/02/work-induced-injuries-eating/feed/ 1 15552 Foraging and Food at Ynyslas https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2013/09/foraging-and-food-at-ynyslaa/ https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2013/09/foraging-and-food-at-ynyslaa/#comments Sun, 01 Sep 2013 06:00:53 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=14467 With Anna’s Mum here and my parents here we feel as though we should get out and do things. Trouble is they aren’t really up to anything too strenuous and we can’t all fit in one car so we are fairly limited to local easy activities –  and of course eating lots of cakes at...

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