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North Wales Live

Taste of Ukraine brings beautiful bakes to Llangollen

A woman from Ukraine has launched her 'dream' café in the tourist hot spot of Llangollen. After initially launching as part of Wrexham's new Chapter Court, owner Anna Samsonidze found a building spacious enough for the café and kitchen to be located in one place. She relocated to Oak Street in bustling Llangollen, which has just been named as one of the top destinations to visit this summer by Trip Advisor. The picturesque town can get really busy though and car parking at Market Street was practically gridlocked when we tried to find a space. Anna used to have her own bakery in Ukraine, which also supplied cakes to other stores in the area. However, after the war started, she left with her four children, and moved to Wales in October 2022. She first focused on learning the language but then decided to start her own business. She says the café is a real family effort with her children helping out when they can. She opened Anna's Bakery and café earlier this year, and welcomed customers to try a delicious selection of freshly made cakes, pastries and artisan bread. The bakery is a proud unique blend of British and Ukrainian bakes, including one that Anna calls 'Kraffin', a hybrid of puff croissant and muffin, and Syrnyky, cottage cheese-inspired pancakes that are soft in the middle and golden-crisp on the outside. The wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread is one of life's simple pleasures and you won't be disappointed as you walk through the café doors. Customers had the choice of Georgian, multi-seed or wholemeal bread, with some disappointed that the popular sourdough had long sold out. Our eyes were instantly drawn to a large fridge display, which showed off the delicious looking cakes and bakes with a generous number of flakey pastries on top of the counter. We sat on a table for two and noticed art prints on the wood paneled wall, which showed Ukrainian and Georgian recipes. The hot food menu included lots of meals that I had never experienced before such as Khinkali, (Georgian dumplings with meat or cheese), Imeruli Khachapuri, (stone baked bread stuffed with a blend of cheeses). Derumy, (potato fritters served with mushroom sauce) Although, they also offered, the not so mysterious and more familiar British favourite Chicken Kyiv. One of the most popular items on the menu was the chicken pie, which was stuffed with chicken and cheese. We noticed that the customers couldn't get enough of them. However, we had our beady eyes on the cake selection, which included pakhlava, medoviks, honey cake, or the more familiar chocolate brownies. After a lot of deliberation, we eventually picked a Napoleon, which was a classic Ukrainian cake, made of very thin and flaky puff pastry, cake layers and a smooth, rich and luscious pastry cream. We also had a very photogenic fruit cake, which was a layered sponge packed with fresh cream. It was topped by luscious fresh fruit, which give me the excuse that some of the cake, was at least healthy, and passed as one of the recommended five portions of fruit for the day. We also tried two small unusual looking strawberry zefir cakes. Zefir is a type of soft confectionery made by whipping fruit and purée with sugar and egg whites into a swirl. The resulting texture is both soft and spongy and tasted a little bit like a small strawberry meringue. Next to the counter was a fridge with chilled drinks but we were more interested in the hot drink's section. We couldn't see any obvious Ukrainian drinks so opted for a good old hot chocolate and a frothy cappuccino. The hot chocolate was creamy and smooth and did the perfect job of washing down the crumbs. Customers were genuinely friendly and curious in the café. For instance, the owner was asked how to say 'thank you' in Ukrainian or about a recipe for how to bake one of the delicious looking cakes on the counter. It looked like the people of Llangollen, have taken the small Ukrainian café and its owners to the bottom of their heart. There is so much to do in Llangollen with its many natural and cultural attractions. The town is absolutely awash with tourists, browsing its many independent shops, cafes and welcoming pubs. Now, you can add the wonderful Anna's Bakery to the long list of must-visit places in this most scenic of towns. The Facts - Anna's Bakery Fruit cake £4.50 Napoleon Cake £4.00 Zefir £2.50 Cappuccino £3.50 Hot chocolate £3.95 Total £18.45 Opening Times: Tuesday to Saturday, from 7.30am until 5pm Sunday from 7.30am until 2pm Atmosphere - Made with love. Car Parking - Market Street car park in the centre of Llangollen. Disabled Access - Access possible although not much room inside Service - Order at the counter Overall - The Ukrainian bakery and café serving up homemade cakes in the bustling town of Llangollen.