Three Welsh gastropubs have been named among the best in Britain.
The Felin Fach Griffin in Brecon, The Hardwick in Abergavenny and The Black Bear Inn in Bettws Newydd, Usk, have made the coveted ranks of the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub Awards.
The list is voted for by hundreds of experts and aficionados in the food and hospitality industries - including gastropub operators, food writers, pubco catering development managers and executive chefs, celebrity and top hospitality industry chefs, pub guide editors, industry chiefs and food operators, according to the awards' website.
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The Hardwick, which came 20th, is located just outside Abergavenny and is owned by chef Stephen Terry, who trained under Marco Pierre White.
The previous winner of multiple accolades including best restaurant in Wales at the National Restaurant Awards 2013, the Hardwick has a number of celebrity fans including Gregg Wallace and Michel Roux Jr, who declared the restaurant to be his favourite in Wales.
Dishes on the current menu include duck hash with poached egg and duck heart and a taste of Brecon lamb made with slow cooked shoulder, ragu & crispy belly.
The Felin Fach Griffin, which came 34th, can be found between the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons.
"Visitors can expect to find a seven-bedroom gourmet bolthole whose food menu reflects the land that surrounds it with a typical supper menu boasting fish from Cornwall as well as Welsh beef and lamb, game from local estates, and cheeses from world renowned dairies," reads the description of the venue on the awards' website.
Dishes on the lunch menu have included "onion and thyme soup with rarebit muffin; salt cod fritters with slow cooked tomatoes, gribiche and balsamic; and grilled mackerel with beetroot, horseradish and dill".
The dinner menu costs £40 for three courses, with starters such as "crisp lamb with mint, wild garlic and shallots; smoked ham hock with piccalilli, gherkin and tomato", while mains include "charred pork rib-eye with BBQ apple and Shropshire Blue salad; beef cheek with beef fat onion, mash and cabbage; and chicken breast with Griffin garlic, alliums and crisp onions".
The Black Bear Inn, which came in at 47, is run by young couple Josh and Hannah Byrne, who have plenty of experience in top Bristol restaurants.
They oversee an a locally-sourced concise à la carte menu which changes every week, with seasonal dishes and natural wines. Snacks are a particular highlight, including top-notch Welsh rarebit topped with a rich cheesy ooze and addictive deep fried potato skins with smoked cods roe.
The pub serves the same menu for lunch and dinner, and do not have a traditional roast on Sundays. Previous dishes have included "duck breast served with onion marmalade, carrots, in addition to halibut with cauliflower and green sauce, as well as breaded squash, barley, root vegetables, fennel and garlic", according to the awards' website.
Past desserts have included "a mincemeat and frangipane tart served with custard and a ginger loaf served with toffee sauce and whisky ice cream".
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