The Felin Fach Griffin, a bright red countryside dining pub in the Welsh hills with eight rooms, has been named one of the best pubs in the UK by the Good Food Guide.
The pub, which sits between the Black Mountains and Bannau Brycheiniog, is one of six Welsh inns to feature on the guide's new list of the 100 Best Pubs in Britain. Adam Hyman, owner of the Good Food Guide, said: "While our industry continues to adapt to the new norm of what running a hospitality business looks like in Britain, our Best Pubs list once again shows that some of the best food and hospitality can be found in pubs."
A Historic Inn With Modern Touches
The dog-friendly pub is described by the Good Food Guide as an "archetypal dream of a country inn". It has a dark cherry-red exterior and features a roaring fire, low beams, squishy sofas, colourful walls, and seasonal decorations. It is part of brothers Charles and Edmund Inkin's Eat, Drink, Sleep trilogy, which also includes the Gurnard's Head and the Old Coastguard in Cornwall.
The pub holds multiple accolades, including awards from the Good Pub Guide, a César award for Welsh Inn of the Year from the Good Hotel Guide, and a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide. Drinks are priced for local trade rather than seasonal visitors, with the owners saying "London prices can remain in London". The bar offers ales from local breweries including Brecon Brewing, Antur Brew Co., Wye Valley, Rhymney Brewery, Monty's, and Waen, alongside a wine list with carafes and options by the glass.
Seasonal Menu Led by Head Chef
Head chef Gwenann Davies, previously senior sous chef at Lush by Tom Kerridge, leads the kitchen. The concise menu changes daily and seasonally, using ingredients from the surrounding hills, farms, and dairies, including Welsh lamb, beef, game, and cheese.
Starters on the menu included carrot tartare with black garlic, coriander seed, and smoked rapeseed oil; Black Mountains Smokery smoked salmon with baby beetroot, wasabi, and puffed rice; and salted pork belly with bacon jam, pickled onion, and shimeji mushroom. Mains ranged from beef rump with creamed potato and bourguignon jus to pork belly with barbecue apple purée, black pudding, and pork fritter. Other options included plaice with warm tartare sauce, cod with salt-baked celeriac, a mushroom and celeriac pithivier, and gnocchi with roasted beetroot and goat curd. Sides included triple-cooked chips with aioli, tenderstem broccoli with Perl Las cheese and hazelnuts, and extra creamed potato.
Dessert featured a white chocolate mousse with berry ice cream, fresh raspberries, and honeycomb. The Good Food Guide summarised the menu: "Each dish is carefully considered, right through to dessert. Sunday lunch is an ultra-traditional feast featuring meat from the lowland hills, garden greens, and plenty of homely touches."
Rooms and Breakfast
The pub's eight rooms are TV-free and include robes, a cafetiere coffee press, Roberts Radios, Bramley toiletries, homemade biscuits, and local art. Breakfast uses ingredients from the same local sources, with options including a Borders Breakfast, Welsh natural yoghurt, Griffin muesli, fruit from the kitchen garden, and apple juice from the Usk Valley.
Mains are priced from around £21 to £38, and rooms start from £185 for a double. Seasonal deals include two-night sleepover packages with supper included in spring and autumn, with booking available through the pub's website.
