A woodland not far from the sea with twinkly lights, a fire pit, colourful bunting, some of the country's finest food and drink vendors and even a huge disco ball strung up in the trees sounds like a magical place to spend a few hours doesn't it?
Well that is the setting for Street Food Circus' Forest Feastival which has just returned to Merthyr Mawr for the next four weekends. The festival was first held at the location a year ago but at the time we were just coming out of lockdown and many restrictions were still in place.
Back then you had to remain seated while waiters brought food to you which was ordered via an app. And with a few technical glitches and not enough staff to cater for the opening weekend crowd, there were inevitable teething problems with a long wait for food and items running out. It also had to battle with extreme weather conditions.
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But the 2022 opening on Good Friday was an altogether different affair. After leaving our car at the designated parking area and trekking along the woodland path to reach the site for the start of the evening session, it was still pretty empty so there were hardly any queues at the stalls or the bar, which was great news for our rumbling tummies.
There's a good range of undercover seating, chill out areas and benches around a fire pit to ward off the cold night air. As well as a bar transformed from a rustic bus, there's another undercover pub area which is perfect for downpours.
This year's line-up of rotating vendors includes Tukka Tuk, Bearded Taco, Laksa Shack, Bare Bones Pizza, Hogi Hogi Hogi, Hot Damn and Carnival Brazilian. On the opening day, hungry visitors could choose from Fire & Flank, Pwdin, The Fork Society, Keralan Karavan, Smokin' Griddle and Bao Selecta.
My partner and I decided to share a selection of dishes so we could each sample a wide range. The Fork Society was the first place to tempt us with its chargrilled pork served on skin on chips. For £10 you had a bowl packed with perfectly crispy chips with a good helping of pork piled on top. The chipotle mayo and lime added a lovely dimension but some of the meat was a little on the fatty side for us.
Keralan Karavan is renowned for specialising in southern Indian street food and we chose the Wrap-chick for £8. The wrap itself was a gorgeously flaky roti filled with pulled chicken, chutney and - something we wouldnt have even considered in a wrap - Bombay Mix. While it was a little unusual, it certainly added a good crunch and the dunkin sauce gave a kick.
But it was Bao Selecta's bao buns which were the star of the show for us. The crispy chilli beef was everything you'd expect it to be and more - beautiful sticky coating covering tender meat and refreshing pickles wrapped in the softest of buns. The lean pork was also a hit but it couldnt knock the beef from the top spot. At £5.50, they aren't much more than a few mouthfuls but those few mouthfuls were a taste sensation.
We finished off with a dessert from Pwdin and while their chocolate brownie and sticky toffee pudd sounded amazing, we were tempted by the creme brulee with strawberry infusion and a shortbread biscuit for £6.95. While the biscuit was a little too charred around the edges, it was crunchy and sweet and the brulee itself was creamy goodness.
With no app ordering stress or massive waits for food, we had a lovely relaxed evening at Forest Feastival this year and enjoyed some brilliant Welsh street food. While the weather was kind when we were there, temperatures dropped as the evening wore on and with so much space another fire pit or two would definitely be worth the investment.
Last year we struggled to find our way back to the car park in the dark but the addition of new lighting strung from the trees along the path made the walk back a breeze this time round. It was the perfect start to the Easter weekend...
Forest Feastival is running now until Easter Monday (April 18) and then returns for weekends on April 22-24, April 29-May 2 and May 6-8. You will find it at Candleston Castle Campsite, Merthyr Mawr Road, Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend, CF32 0LS. For more details and tickets, which start at £5, click here.
