20 years of graft pays off as pub named Wales's finest

IN A QUIET picturesque Welsh village lies a 17th-century pub which is the only survivor of four taverns that existed there in the early 1800s.

- ROBERT DALLING

Well-preserved and complete with a fascinating history, it is a real gem in the food and drink scene in Swansea.

But its reputation goes far beyond the city itself. It has now been named the best pub anywhere in Wales.

The Britannia Inn in Llanmadoc, Gower, is run by Martin and Lindsey Davies who took over in 2006, having previously been backpacking for six years working in hotels and restaurants in Australia and New Zealand, and restaurants in their hometown in Swansea.

Mr Davies recalled: “We were about to set off to backpack India, but my mum was retiring, and she put to us whether we'd be interested in taking over the Britannia Inn.

“It felt like a new challenge for us. and so we took it on. We'd previously started restaurants with people, so we knew what was involved and how hard it was going to be, but we had the experience.

“We travelled a lot, and we came back so proud of where we live. You realise, we've got all of this on our doorstep, and maybe we don’t get the weather like some places, but the Gower is so special.”

The pair worked hard on developing the business, with a breakthrough coming after its kitchen was extended.