Castle Coch

A fairytale castle outside Cardiff, poking out of the trees above a valley full of engineering sheds, Castle Coch is a sweet little folly that looks like it has been airlifted from Bavaria. The best thing about it, though, is the cafe, which you can visit without paying the castle entrance fee. The Bakestone Cafe is tucked into an oddly shaped room in a corner of the castle, and serves very Welsh themed food which is simple, solid and wholesome. The best thing to have is the Lamb Cawl, basically a lamb stew with carrots, swede, parsnip etc. Despite grabbing a handful of salt and pepper sachets we found it didn't require any seasoning, was perfectly made, and came with an inch thick slice of brown bread and a triangle of garlic cheese in green wax. Cawl should not be confused with caul - the amniotic sac or peritoneum which covers some babies' heads when they are born (and thus confers psychic powers or protection from drowning (see David Copperfield)Lamb Cawl has nothing to do with that particular anatomical feature, and instead is just a word for stew derived, probably, from a word for a vegetable root). Also good is the Welsh Rarebit. My daughter's cheese and ham toastie was also very well made, generously portioned and came with enough salad to be a meal in itself. There were solid, hefty but tasty-looking cakes, and the menu was heavy with welsh cheeses, which you could have with almost anything. Even the milkshakes were generous, full of big thick bubbles. Then afterwards you can walk up the hill through the woods and play with sticks, climb trees, swing on vines, pulverise rotten tree stumps, or just walk around. Castle Coch's cafe is a real delight, you should go there, but not for the next month (this is 3rd Jan 2010) because it is closed for refurbishment. Hope this doesn't mean any change to the character and atmosphere or food.