The Hunters Moon Inn — Restaurant in Wales

Recently I was in Wales for the first time, staying at a nearby cottage that was literally a one minute walk from the Hunter's Moon. The first night my lady and I arrived, we stopped in for a pint and a bite. My mind was blown. The food was so unbelievably good I wish that I'd had more time to eat literally everything on the menu.

The day before arriving, I'd eaten at two Gordon Ramsay restaurants in London, yet the flavor that was in the steak and ale pie here at the inn blew those away (including Gordon's wellington!). Not joking at all. My lady had the venison casserole and neither one of us could get enough. We knew we'd be back, and we were several times.

The burgers were great, and the chips were outstanding each time. Paired with the Butty Bach, we were incredibly happy. And though we did not catch his name, the chef was incredibly personable and friendly and stopped to talk to us each time we were there. It just added that extra element of care, which was noticeable in the food. And, he even gave us some great recommendations of places to check out in the area after we mentioned we wanted to enjoy being in nature.

We came back at least twice more, once for a pint and again for dinner. After seeing and smelling all the wild garlic, we knew we had to try the asparagus, wild garlic and pesto soup. It got better with every bite. The wild boar ragu was phenomenal as well. Every single bite of food we had just made us happy and comforted.

Of course, because my lady and I were on vacation, dessert always had to happen. Again, everything was just right. Nothing was too sweet or heavy, just spot on.

My only regret is that we couldn't take back the days we spent in London and instead spend them in Wales so that we could have another meal or two here at the inn and enjoy the cozy atmosphere. Hope to be...

We were booked for lunch at 1230 hours and when we arrived at 1220 hours the door was locked. Once the door was opened, there was no welcome and as we entered the bar area we were assailed by the strong smell of bleach emanating from the cleaning of the area that was taking place. We were advised we could eat in the bar area or in the restaurant. We chose the restaurant to get away from the bleach smell and instead had to listen to the loud noises as the staff moved chairs and tables to create one large table for 15 people booked for 1330 hours.||The fire appeared to have only recently been lit so both rooms were equally cool.||We made a polite request to omit the red onion from the garnish of the chicken goujon burger which seemed to cause a problem between the server and chef so that the garnish was reduced to one piece of lettuce and nothing else e.g. tomato, red pepper. The sweet potato and white bean chilli was barely hot from the oven, lacked a garnish, and the basmati rice had no seasoning. ||We had to ask for the dessert menu because it was not offered to us and we had to order from the bar because no-one seemed interested in coming to the table to take the order.||Our advice to the staff at the Hunters Moon:||If you do not enjoy hospitality work then find another area of work because hospitality needs positive interactions.||Tip: As Lee Child’s protagonist, Jack Reacher, might say,...

Steeped in history, this building was erected in the 13th century, as was of't the way in Britain, to house the masons and other craftsmen who were building the church next door. What is now the bar room was a cider mill in the 19th century, an indentation on the central beam showing where the vertical pivot of the mill was fixed. The inn being known as the Carpenter’s Arms at that time and briefly called 'As You Like It' in the 1900s before becoming the Hunter’s Moon, a traditional name for the first full moon after the Harvest Moon in autumn. The inn is now run as a pub and guesthouse by three generations of the Bateman family, which acquired it in 2013 to restore to its former glory.

Well they have certainly done a grand job, keeping all the history including a keystone dated in 1217. The landlord and staff were very friendly and made us so welcome on a Tuesday afternoon. These days rural pubs in the area seldom seem open on Monday + Tuesday but this is open every day and all day! 3 real ales in superb condition and local cider. The menu is exceptional value, and the rear beer garden has a tranquil view across the churchyard. This is a pub not to be missed. Enjoy!

And if you are staying, watch out for the friendly ghosts at the inn, including one of a lady who moves across the top...