'Everything is handmade with love and proper ingredients'

IT’S a pretty impressive feat.

- KATHRYN WILLIAMS

Rachel Mabbitt, owner of Pitchfork and Provision deli, Llandeilo.

(ROB BROWNE)

A pair of friends whose life revolves around delicious food started baking bread and pastries in a garage in the heart of Carmarthenshire when it became clear there was a gap in the market.That gap resulted in a bigger life change as the success of their tiny garage-based bakery led to opening a hugely popular cafe in the heart of one of Wales' most lovely market towns with a 20-strong staff.

What started as a lockdown project quickly escalated into the impressive cafe/deli you will find today.

Tucked just off Llandeilo high street is Pitchfork & Provision, which friends Rachel Mabbitt and chef Gareth Parcell opened in 2022 - first as a cafe serving brunches, lunches and coffees, before incorporating a deli into the mix that brings in local cheeses, eggs, smoked fish, and more.

But it’s their fresh bread and pastries which have people marvelling.

The picture-perfect patisserie is almost too good to be true but it does exist as I've seen it in real life.

The pair's eye-catching dishes - even simple things like smoked salmon and pea guacamole on toast - look like something from an expertly crafted photoshoot.

Think M&S food pictures, but much, much better.

It's not surprising, though - the kitchen team at Pitchfork & Provision is made up of former chefs from The Ritz, the nearby reaper of constant awards for their food and luxury accommodation Grove of Narberth, plus former garage-based baker Gareth.

They are a gang of perfectionists, according to Rachel, who grew up in nearby Betws, where she was raised on homemade Welsh fare from her brilliantly creative Mungu Bach (what Rachel calls her granny).

"I'm so grateful for the team we've got here," said the former environmental health inspector, who stays firmly out of the kitchen and looks after the day-to-day-running of the business.