Forage for seafood in coastal Carmarthenshire
Sandwiched between the Gower Peninsula and Pembrokeshire, the often-overlooked west Welsh county of Carmarthenshire has a cove-studded coastline that’s full of breathtaking scenery – and great food if you know where to look for it. Here you have the opportunity to catch wild mussels, clams, prawns and other seafood, then cook and eat them metres from where you found them. But for this you need a guide, and few know more about the wild food, biodiversity and conservation of this stretch of coast than forager Craig Evans.
Craig is the real deal; as local as they come, he’s been foraging in the area for over 50 years and knows every rockpool. A day out with Craig will take you to several locations to get different ingredients – a bay for mussels, an estuary for oysters, then onto a beach for razor clams. Craig is like a beach magician, pulling fish and shellfish from out of nowhere. The foraged goods are then cooked on an open fire, beachside –the whole experience is seafood nirvana. A day of sea air will build up an appetite so head deep into the Towy Valley, where you’ll find one of the best pub restaurants in Wales, Y Polyn ( ypolyn. co.uk), which cooks unpretentious dishes showcasing local produce like salt marsh lamb and local game (mains £16-£20). New to the Carmarthen food scene is Y Sied ( ysied.co.uk) run by Welsh cook, Lisa Fearn. The titular ‘shed’ is a converted barn that houses a coffee shop and cookery school specialising in kids’ cooking classes (from £25). Off the beaten track in Llanarthney, Wright’s Food Emporium (wrightsfood. co.uk) has one of the finest biodynamic wine cellars in the country, and serves brunch favourites, big sandwiches and home-baked cakes (dishes £2-£10). Wright’s also now has two smart two-bedroom rental cottages, from £100 per night, including essentials for your arrival (Wright’s bread and jam, local milk, butter, Brew Tea Co tea and proper coffee), and you can pre-order breakfast and supper from the shop online. Barney Desmazery
How to do it
Coastal foraging courses with Craig Evans (coastalforaging.co.uk) cost from £80 per adult (children aged 16 and under go free).