Tomos Parry, the chef behind Shoreditch institution Brat and Soho favourite Mountain, has been announced as chef-in-residence at Welsh rural retreat, fforest, from September 19 to 21.
The team behind Mountain will host dinner on Saturday night while fforest will look after Friday’s wood-fired supper and Sunday morning’s brunch.
The program also includes a Q&A with Parry and fforest co-founder James Lynch, a former design and architecture professional who cut his teeth in east London before decamping to Wales with his family 21 years ago.
For Parry, the fforest residency constitutes something of a homecoming. He was born in Anglesey, a part of the world he once likened to California (‘you can see both the snow on the mountain tops and the beaches at the same time’). He’s cooked for the Welsh rugby squad in Tokyo, having gone to school with player and coach Robin McBryde. As part of his residency, he will create a one-off menu using local produce inspired by his Welsh upbringing — while also weaving in Mountain’s signature flair.
Mountain and Brat have earned deep respect among culinary experts and amateur foodies alike. Much of Parry’s renown boils down to his expertise in grilling; but it’s the originality of the menu — the melding of sweetbreads with violet artichokes, or fish roe, peach and walnut bread — that kickstarted the hype for his restaurants in the capital. Mountain, which came after Brat, endows Parry’s classic menu with a more experimental flavour: think Tamworth sow collar, turbot head and spider crab omelette.
Fforest (above), where the kitchen specialises in wood smoked and barbecued meats, is a natural fit for Parry. Set within 500 acres of verdant wilderness in Cardigan, West Wales, it was bought in 2004 as a derelict farming estate on the Afon Teifi, just moments from the coast, and over the years has flourished into one of the country’s most covetable rural sanctuaries. Guests began flocking there in 2007 and it is now a popular wedding venue.
Cardigan itself has become a hotspot for foodies, with beach bars like The Boy Ashore serving freshly caught lobster and fish burgers; the Castle Inn, a renovated alehouse also owned by fforest group, which serves its own brews; and the site’s own pub, Y Bwthyn, one of the smallest (and cosiest) in all of Wales.
-
Some Like (to quiz when) It Hot: Country Life Quiz of the Day heatwave special, July 11, 2025If you're struggling to keep cool — and who isn't? — our Quiz of the Day will at least take your mind off the soaring temperatures.
-
No strings attached: A brief history of swimwear, from heavy skirts of linen linked to women's drownings, to the skimpy two-piece named after a nuclear weapons siteFrom knee-length numbers to a scandalous suit denounced by the Pope, the colourful history of swimwear has been brought to life by a glamorous London exhibition.
-
How to make The Connaught Bar's legendary martini — and a few othersIt's the weekend which means it's time to kick back and make yourself an ice cold martini — courtesy of The Connaught Bar.
-
Gill Meller's tomato, egg, bread and herb big-hearted summer saladThis summer salad is for people who enjoy proper seasonal produce.
-
Sophia Money-Coutts: Why clinking glasses and saying ‘Cheers!’ is a tiny bit embarrassingSophia Money-Coutts is the new Debrett's and she's here every Wednesday to set some modern etiquette wrongs, right.
-
What do an order of Catholic priests and actor Hugh Bonneville have in common? They helped this West Sussex sparkling wine triumph over multiple French Champagne housesAfter being approached by a group of Catholic priests in 2006 to plant a vineyard, the power of the divine, and climate change, was on the winemaker Dermot Sugrue’s side.
-
11 golden rules for making a perfect cup of teaWe drink tea every day, but are we doing it correctly? Who decided on the rules and do they really matter? Jonathon Jones reveals all.
-
How to make Eton mess strawberry blondiesOur kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson shares a mouthwatering recipe bringing together two of the greatest foodstuffs on the planet: strawberries and meringue.
-
The era of the £50 burger and chips is here — and it's a revelationThe second coming of the high-low restaurant — where chefs pair martinis with burgers — is here. Will Hosie tells more.
-
The imperfect science of the perfect martini and where you can get one in LondonDirty, dry, with fries, gin or vodka. There's a lot to think about for such a simple cocktail.
