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Wales Online
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Popular restaurant in North Wales village expands with new Airbnb
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A couple who defied the odds and survived after opening their restaurant not long before Covid struck are expanding with an Airbnb rental. Talented chef Rob Dowell-Brown and his wife, Vicky, who run the Nant y Felin, in Llanrhaeadr YC, between Ruthin and Denbigh, were not eligible for financial support from the Government when the world went into lockdown. But the resourceful duo used the difficulty and weathered the storm by turning their hand to providing greatly appreciated take away meals for the community. Now Vicky has also taken on a two-bedroom apartment, Min y Maes, behind the property, effectively turning Nant y Felin into a restaurant with rooms. Rob, born in Elgin in North East Scotland, has a distinguished CV after working in AA Rosette restaurants in the West Country where he was brought up, the Home Counties, Scotland, the Scilly Isles. More locally, he has also tantalised taste buds at the Kinmel Manor in Abergele and the White Horse, Hendrerewydd, in the Vale of Clwyd. He has cooked for celebrities like John Cleese, Nigel Mansell, Frankie Howerd, Alan Titchmarsh and Maureen Lipman and as a trainee YTS chef was featured on GMTV's breakfast show in the 1990s. He said: 'John Cleese is from Weston Super Mare and Frankie Howerd also lived in Somerset when I was working there – Cleese would often do odd things like wear one sock. I had wanted to be a music teacher but didn't get the grades and when I left school at 16 I started to train as a chef on the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) getting £29.50 a week – my mum took £15. It was a harsh environment but it made me realistic about work – 29 of us started the YTS course and I was one of just three who finished it.' He met Vicky, from Ruthin, while working at the White Horse when she went along with her dad Bryn Dowell, there for an open mic folk music night and the couple – who both play guitar - now have a seven-year-old son, Billy. Things were particularly tough for them when the pandemic happened just over a year after they took over the Nant y Felin in 2018 and before they had the chance to build up the financial records needed to claim Government help. (Image: Mandy Jones) Rob said: 'We didn't really have any option other than to try and make a go of it by offering pizzas made in our proper pizza oven – the garden was overgrown and included three 40-foot leylandii spruce which provided fuel for the oven. We made sure all of our takeaway meals were served hot and to restaurant standard - allowing customers to enjoy a real treat at home when the UK was in lockdown" 'They proved very popular and on Father's Day we served 116 meals and at weekends it would be 70 a night and even in the week we were doing 30 or 40 a day and it's something we have continued ever since. 'We are always keen to try new ideas. We run our own open mic music nights on the third Wednesday of every month and I have been a forager for 20 years, finding edible plants and fungi and have done foraging walks. 'I did one in Denbigh for chef Chris Roberts, the Flamebaster chef on S4C and BBC Wales, and managed to find seven or eight ingredients to go with his open-fire cooking.' Nant y Felin fan Mario Kreft, from Denbigh, and his wife Gill, have a regular order for a takeaway Sunday lunch. He said: 'We discovered Rob's cooking during Covid when we were so busy but couldn't go anywhere and it was such a godsend to be able to enjoy his fantastic food at home on a Sunday after a difficult week. They literally stepped up to the plate, becoming honorary Covid warriors and providing an important community service. 'Rob and Vicky are a brilliant partnership. Their food is wonderful and we've also become regulars at the restaurant.' Vicky added: 'People found out about us in Covid and that got our names out there and that's something we've continued. So we are always looking at ways of increasing our offer so when our landlord, Huw Howatson, said that the two-bedroomed self-catering flat adjoining the restaurant was available Vicky decided to take the plunge and do it up. 'It's now on Airbnb and has hosted its first guest, someone from Canada who has relatives in the area, and we're hoping it will become a destination in its own right perhaps for people who want to go foraging. 'It's dog-friendly and so is the restaurant because it's all about being adaptable to people's needs to make the business more versatile.' Rob said: 'Since taking over at Nant y Felin, we have had to turn our hands to all sorts of things, from plumbing to joinery – I've made a lot of the furniture here and even our latest venture, turning an old fridge into a smoker. 'At the same time we're creating our own eco-system, putting food waste back into the garden whenever possible. 'We've also opened up the bar to customers who just want to come in and have a drink and we're employing 12 people here in the restaurant and most of us speak Welsh. 'Our menu changes virtually daily depending on what our suppliers have for us whether that's Vicky's uncle, Clwyd Dowell, at CLD Meats or the Vale Grocer, both in Denbigh, able to tell us exactly where their produce comes from or our fishmonger in Fleetwood . 'If they've got something special then we adapt the menu accordingly so we believe in using local produce even if we like to give it a twist. The idea is to go back to nature but using my skills as a fine dining chef to create something special.' That's true of Rob's signature dessert with tender young nettle leaves grown in the garden and harvested at the cost of a few stings before being transformed into a trio of nettle cheesecake, topped with a red nettle jelly and accompanied by deep pink nettle sorbet and garnished with ox-eye daisy and blue cornflowers. Vicky added: "The Nant y Felin really has become something very special to us. We are able to provide a service by cooking lovely produce for the local and wider community. 'We're a friendly place for people to just pop in and have a drink in the bar, it's a place where friends come to see us and most importantly, it's home for us, our son, Billy and our two lovely spaniels. 'Building all of this up over the last seven years is an achievement we're proud of and are looking forward to the future of the Nant y Felin." Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
North Wales Live
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
Popular restaurant in North Wales village expands with new Airbnb
A couple who defied the odds and survived after opening their restaurant not long before Covid struck are expanding with an Airbnb rental. Talented chef Rob Dowell-Brown and his wife, Vicky, who run the Nant y Felin, in Llanrhaeadr YC, between Ruthin and Denbigh, were not eligible for financial support from the Government when the world went into lockdown. But the resourceful duo used the difficulty and weathered the storm by turning their hand to providing greatly appreciated take away meals for the community. Now Vicky has also taken on a two-bedroom apartment, Min y Maes, behind the property, effectively turning Nant y Felin into a restaurant with rooms. Rob, born in Elgin in North East Scotland, has a distinguished CV after working in AA Rosette restaurants in the West Country where he was brought up, the Home Counties, Scotland, the Scilly Isles. More locally, he has also tantalised taste buds at the Kinmel Manor in Abergele and the White Horse, Hendrerewydd, in the Vale of Clwyd. He has cooked for celebrities like John Cleese, Nigel Mansell, Frankie Howerd, Alan Titchmarsh and Maureen Lipman and as a trainee YTS chef was featured on GMTV's breakfast show in the 1990s. He said: 'John Cleese is from Weston Super Mare and Frankie Howerd also lived in Somerset when I was working there – Cleese would often do odd things like wear one sock. I had wanted to be a music teacher but didn't get the grades and when I left school at 16 I started to train as a chef on the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) getting £29.50 a week – my mum took £15. It was a harsh environment but it made me realistic about work – 29 of us started the YTS course and I was one of just three who finished it.' He met Vicky, from Ruthin, while working at the White Horse when she went along with her dad Bryn Dowell, there for an open mic folk music night and the couple – who both play guitar - now have a seven-year-old son, Billy. Things were particularly tough for them when the pandemic happened just over a year after they took over the Nant y Felin in 2018 and before they had the chance to build up the financial records needed to claim Government help. Rob said: 'We didn't really have any option other than to try and make a go of it by offering pizzas made in our proper pizza oven – the garden was overgrown and included three 40-foot leylandii spruce which provided fuel for the oven. We made sure all of our takeaway meals were served hot and to restaurant standard - allowing customers to enjoy a real treat at home when the UK was in lockdown" 'They proved very popular and on Father's Day we served 116 meals and at weekends it would be 70 a night and even in the week we were doing 30 or 40 a day and it's something we have continued ever since. 'We are always keen to try new ideas. We run our own open mic music nights on the third Wednesday of every month and I have been a forager for 20 years, finding edible plants and fungi and have done foraging walks. 'I did one in Denbigh for chef Chris Roberts, the Flamebaster chef on S4C and BBC Wales, and managed to find seven or eight ingredients to go with his open-fire cooking.' Nant y Felin fan Mario Kreft, from Denbigh, and his wife Gill, have a regular order for a takeaway Sunday lunch. He said: 'We discovered Rob's cooking during Covid when we were so busy but couldn't go anywhere and it was such a godsend to be able to enjoy his fantastic food at home on a Sunday after a difficult week. They literally stepped up to the plate, becoming honorary Covid warriors and providing an important community service. 'Rob and Vicky are a brilliant partnership. Their food is wonderful and we've also become regulars at the restaurant.' Vicky added: 'People found out about us in Covid and that got our names out there and that's something we've continued. So we are always looking at ways of increasing our offer so when our landlord, Huw Howatson, said that the two-bedroomed self-catering flat adjoining the restaurant was available Vicky decided to take the plunge and do it up. 'It's now on Airbnb and has hosted its first guest, someone from Canada who has relatives in the area, and we're hoping it will become a destination in its own right perhaps for people who want to go foraging. 'It's dog-friendly and so is the restaurant because it's all about being adaptable to people's needs to make the business more versatile.' Rob said: 'Since taking over at Nant y Felin, we have had to turn our hands to all sorts of things, from plumbing to joinery – I've made a lot of the furniture here and even our latest venture, turning an old fridge into a smoker. 'At the same time we're creating our own eco-system, putting food waste back into the garden whenever possible. 'We've also opened up the bar to customers who just want to come in and have a drink and we're employing 12 people here in the restaurant and most of us speak Welsh. 'Our menu changes virtually daily depending on what our suppliers have for us whether that's Vicky's uncle, Clwyd Dowell, at CLD Meats or the Vale Grocer, both in Denbigh, able to tell us exactly where their produce comes from or our fishmonger in Fleetwood . 'If they've got something special then we adapt the menu accordingly so we believe in using local produce even if we like to give it a twist. The idea is to go back to nature but using my skills as a fine dining chef to create something special.' That's true of Rob's signature dessert with tender young nettle leaves grown in the garden and harvested at the cost of a few stings before being transformed into a trio of nettle cheesecake, topped with a red nettle jelly and accompanied by deep pink nettle sorbet and garnished with ox-eye daisy and blue cornflowers. Vicky added: "The Nant y Felin really has become something very special to us. We are able to provide a service by cooking lovely produce for the local and wider community. 'We're a friendly place for people to just pop in and have a drink in the bar, it's a place where friends come to see us and most importantly, it's home for us, our son, Billy and our two lovely spaniels. 'Building all of this up over the last seven years is an achievement we're proud of and are looking forward to the future of the Nant y Felin."
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A look back at David Beckham's highs and lows in Manchester as star turns 50
He is one of the best-known names, and recognisable faces, on the planet. David Beckham transcended football and established himself as a true global celebrity. It all began in London. David Robert Joseph Beckham was born at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, to kitchen fitter Ted and hairdresser Sandra Beckham on May 2, 1975. But it is Manchester that can rightly claim to have most shaped the life and career of Beckham, one of the most famous players to ever play the game. READ MORE: M62 LIVE as motorway shut after serious collision between 'two lorries and a vehicle' with severe traffic delays READ MORE: M62 crash latest: Motorists pictured out of their cars as motorway closed David's parents were both big Manchester United fans, a love he soon inherited. He was given the middle name Robert due to his father's love of Sir Bobby Charlton. They regularly travelled the 200 miles from their home to Old Trafford for matches. Beckham said that from an early age being a footballer was the 'only thing I ever wanted to do.' As a child, he attended one of Bobby Charlton's Soccer Schools in Manchester. And, after trials with Leyton Orient, Norwich and a stint at Tottenham's Centre of Excellence, Beckham signed a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) contract with United in July 1991, after a personal plea from Sir Alex Ferguson. "The moment I signed for United was the moment I knew my dream had come true, to play for the team my dad supported, and I supported" he said in 2013. He was part of the now legendary group of youth players, including Ryan Giggs, Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, who were coached by Eric Harrison, and helped the club win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992. Then known as 'Fergie's Fledglings' when they first broke into the first team, before being later dubbed 'the Class of 92' He said of Harrison, after his death in 2019: "He taught us how to play, how to never give up, how important it was to win your individual battles and what we needed to do to play for Manchester United Football Club. "He was always watching and always with us every time we played, I can still hear him telling me NO MORE HOLLYWOOD PASSES. "I can still see him as we played on The Cliff training ground looking down on us either with a proud smile or a loud bang of his fist on the window, knowing any minute he would be on his way down to probably advise me in the most polite way to stop playing those passes." Beckham has said he did not lead a wild life at this point. 'I was allowed out, but the manager knew where we all were every minute of the day,' he told the BBC's Desert Island Discs. He said there were 'so many things going on' and he loved the music of the time, but not neccessarily the partying. "It was incredible in Manchester back then. It was the time of the Haçienda club - there were so many great things happening there at that time" he once said in an interview with Man About Town magazine. "I wasn't a clubby person. I haven't been a big clubby person my whole life, you know, even at a very young age, which I think has helped me throughout my career. I've nothing against going out and having a good time, but I think, for me it was all about Manchester United... and, of course, The Stone Roses. "Apart from the music, all I was interested in was playing for Manchester United. It was all I wanted in my life." He said of the Hacienda: "I probably only went there once, but certain songs remind me of Manchester" as he picked the Stone Roses 'I Am the Resurrection' as one of his Desert Island Discs. Beckham made his full debut for United in 1994 and made his league debut a year later, after a loan spell at Preston North End, during which Beckham has admitted he thought they 'didn't want me anymore.' However, after returning, he established himself in the first team. And after the starting the 1995/96 with a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa - in which BBC pundit Alan Hansen famously said 'you can't win anything with kids' - he helped them to a league and FA Cup double in May. But it was on the opening day of the following season that Beckham truly announced himself to those outside of Old Trafford, with a stunning chip from the half-way line against Wimbledon. The following season he inherited the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by the likes of George Best and Eric Cantona, and with which he would become so associated. In 1997, his life would also change forever, off the pitch. He met Victoria Adams, 'Posh Spice' from hit pop group the Spice Girls in the Players' Lounge at a United match. In January 1998, they caused a major media storm, and it all centred around a hotel in Nantwich, Cheshire. Beckham had only been with girlfriend Victoria for 10 months when they visited Rookery Hall Hotel. But the morning after their visit, a major press conference was called at the resort. The nation's press assembled outside as Spice Girl Victoria flaunted her £65,000 diamond solitaire handcrafted ring. Then aged just 23, Victoria told the media: "I am the happiest girl on the world today. I'm with the man I know I'm going to grow old and wrinkly with." According to book Arise Sir David Beckham: Footballer, Celebrity, Legend, Becks popped the question when the couple were in one of the Rookery's lavish rooms in their dressing gowns. Victoria had been given 30 roses, before arriving in her room to be greeted by £200-worth of lillies. And as part of the band that pioneered the term 'girl power', she had also bought her beau a £50,000 diamond-encrusted gold ring during filming for Spice World from a Hollywood jeweller. She reportedly said: "I said yes, then produced my own ring and said 'don't forget girl power – will YOU marry me?" When he first met Victoria, David was living in a modest pad on Hazelhurst Road in Worsley, Salford which, aged 20, he had bought directly from a developer for £150,000 It was thought that he moved to Worsley, Salford, to be close to his friend and fellow United star Ryan Giggs who lived nearby. Victoria was a regular visitor and spoke fondly of it to the Manchester Evening News back in 2008. She said: 'When we were last in Manchester for the Spice Girls gig David and I drove back to that house in Hazelhurst Road to have a look. "There are such fond memories for us - of the Trafford Centre and all that kind of thing. I know David misses Manchester as well and still keeps in touch with everyone.' The lowpoint of Beckham's career came as he was sent off for petulantly kicking out at Diego Simeone during England's defeat by Argentina in the last 16 of the 1998 World Cup. Many fans blamed him for the loss and he suffered a very public vilification. David has previously said there were a lot of misconceptions about his life at this time. People thought he was living in London with Victoria and driving to Manchester to train, which wasn't true. The first property they bought together was apartment at Oakwood House in Alderley Edge, in Cheshire's 'golden triangle.' The couple gave birth to son Brooklyn in March 1999, who took his first steps there. Posh and Becks were said to among the visitors to the legendary Alderley Edge nightclub Brasingamens. Ncknamed The Braz, it was also frequented by Cristiano Ronaldo, Peter Crouch and John Terry when in its early-noughties heyday. The club was famed for its lock-ins, often featuring famous faces. Beckham attended football super-agent Dave Gardner's stag do at the club in 2003. Although they bought Rowneybury House in Hertfordshire, which became known as 'Beckingham Palace' - in 1999, in 2001 they moved onto the Heawood Hall Estate in the idyllic Cheshire village of Nether Alderley. The estate which was once owned by the family behind the well-known, Manchester-based brewery Boddingtons. Grade II listed Heawood Hall is believed to date from 1720 and was later divided into three separate properties, one being the Beckham's converted barn Their two oldest children, Brooklyn and brother Romeo, grew up here. According to CheshireLive, there were fewer than 700 people lived in the sparse smattering of large houses when the Beckhams purchased their property, but United teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjær was among their neighbours. Solskjær would ultimatel gift Beckham his greatest footballing moment, with his last-gasp goal against Bayern Munich in the Nou Camp in 1999 winning them the Champions League and completing the treble. An estimated half a million people lined the streets for an open-top bus crawl from Sale into the city centre to a reception in front of thousands more at the Manchester Arena. Beckham was named England captain by stand-in boss Peter Taylor in 2000, and he went on to skipper his country 59 times. He achieved full redemption in the eyes of the English public when he secured a spot in the 2002 World Cup with a stunning free-kick in stoppage time of the last qualifier against Greece at Old Trafford. England were trailing 2-1 and staring at the prospect of a play-off when Beckham curled home in spectacular, trademark style. He also featured in one of the best-known moments of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Kirsty Howard, from Wyhenshawe, who had been born with a back-to-front heart and who was given weeks to live at the age of four, joined Beckham in handing over the baton to the Queen at the opening ceremony. Through the 'Kirsty Appeal' she went on to raise £7.5 million for Francis House which it said 'secured its future.' Following her death in 2015, at the age of 20, David paid tribute to an 'inspirational young lady.' One of the most enduring images from Beckham's career came after he emerged from Old Trafford with a cut above his eye following a defeat to Arsenal in 2003. It later transpired United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had kicked a boot in frustration and it struck Beckham, who went on to join Real Madrid later that year. Despite playing a prominent role in Madrid's 'galactico' era alongside the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, it was not until Beckham's fourth and final season at the Bernabeu he finally won LaLiga. Beckham became just the fifth player to earn 100 England caps when he featured against France in Paris in 2008. The last of his 115 international appearances came in 2009. After playing 724 games in a professional career that also included spells at Preston, Los Angeles Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris St Germain, Beckham broke down in tears as he made his final outing for the French side against Brest in May 2013. David has said he will 'always' be a United fan. He is also invested in the area in other ways. Beckham has a 10 percent stake in the League Two club alongside former Manchester United teammates Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. When the former teammates took over the club in 2014, Beckham was notably absent from the new ownership team. It would take another five years, until January 2019, for him to purchase his stake in the club from Lim and join his former teammates as directors. David said the 'time was right.' He said: "'It's a really special club and a special group of people. My early years in Manchester were all spent in Salford. I grew up there in many ways, so to be able to finally join the lads and the club today is a great feeling.' In January this year, Beckham attended the funeral of long-serving United receptionist Kath Phipps at Manchester. In a post on Instagram where he was holding her hand, he said: "The first and last face I would always see was Kath sat at reception at Old Trafford waiting to give me my tickets for the game. "She was the heartbeat of Manchester United , everyone knew who Kath was and everyone adored her.. "I moved up to Manchester at 15 and Kath made a promise to my mum and dad 'I'll look after your boy for you don't you worry' and from that first day till the last day I spent with her that's exactly what she did. "Old Trafford will never be the same without your smile as we walk through those doors... We love you."
