Located in south Gower, a stone’s throw from the beautiful tourist spot of Langland Bay is the Valley Hotel in Bishopston, well-regarded to locals and tourists for its high-quality pub food and local produce.
It boasts a cozy and welcoming interior, blending traditional pub charm with modern touches. Its warm atmosphere, comfortable seating, and tasteful decor are reminiscent of a holiday memory modernised into the current era.
Showcasing comfortable seating and a relaxed environment, it is a great spot for both locals and visitors alike.
42-year-old Ryan who has worked in some of Wales’ best restaurants and gastro pubs jumped at the chance to reinvent what was once a popular establishment that had lost its way in recent years with co-owners Wayne Rees and Louise Price (pictured below).
“It was close to closing when we took over,” explained Ryan (pictured centre).
“They brought me in, as we had the same mindset. When it came up, we jumped at it, because we thought there was massive scope and potential for what we wanted to do in bringing in a wider audience.
“I do all the food side and then Wayne and Louise run the front of house.
The restaurant features a dedicated dining area that can accommodate up to 40 people, making it ideal for both casual meals, and private functions and has a cozy atmosphere with a large outdoor area but badly needed updating.
“First of all, we wanted to refurbish this pub to make it a nice place to be so that families and new customers as well were able just to relax and feel at home – feel like they’re in somewhere that’s been cared about. Based on that, then we wanted to give the pub a good food reputation.
“It needed a full refurb so; we had to gut everything in here and rip it out. We moved in last year, so it’s about a year and a half now.
“If you could have seen it before it’s completely unrecognisable. For what we wanted to do with the business, we had to refurbish it.
“The kitchen is brand new from top to bottom. We ripped everything out as what was there before just wasn’t suitable for what we needed.”
Creating a good quality affordable menu helps you stand out
Known for its locally sourced dishes, the restaurant offers a variety of options to suit different tastes. Ryan’s menu includes traditional British pub grub, vegetarian-friendly dishes, and vegan options.
“Over the years, I’ve realised that being able to create a menu and cost it makes you stand out; there are not many chefs that can do that,” continued Ryan.
“It’s something I quite enjoy doing. A big passion of mine is creating and customising menus.
“We wanted to not just be a pub that just did ok pub food. We wanted to elevate it, because, if you go somewhere and pay for food and can do it better yourself at home, then what’s the point? You’re coming out and spending money.
“If the customers are of that mindset, they might pay for it once but they’re not going to come back. That is the way we think about it and that’s how we’ve reflected the prices to be affordable, but the quality is still there.
“For example, the effort that goes into the Sunday lunch. The brisket and the lamb shoulders are cut at least 48 hours beforehand.
“What I find with a lot of chefs now is they use the quickest route possible to get food on the plate rather than opting for a cut that needs a longer process. It isn’t as expensive and it’s faster for them to get on a plate.
“The results of those sort of things though are a million miles away. For example, a top side of beef that most people use for a Sunday lunch is quite a lean bit of meat and can be cut quickly. Whereas a brisket’s full of fat. Which is flavour, but it needs a very long process.
“If they were to be popped side by side on a plate, the taste couldn’t be further apart, but effort needs to go into it to do it and that’s what we do, it’s that care process for us from when we buy the meat to that the end process.
“It’s a good, varied and creative menu although, there are still some things on there that people may recognise like pub food. What we’re doing is we’re elevating things.
“For example, the ham, egg, and chips. We’re preparing the ham and using good quality eggs, whilst we make our own brown sauce. It’s these little touches that give a simple dish a little bit of elevation.
“The fish and chips we serve has a little curry sauce, a mint pea puree, and a tartar sauce just on the side. Something a bit different.
“There is lots of variation. It’s not a massive menu which is also important to us, that could be a bit overwhelming. I go to a places with big menus and by the time I’ve read them it’s a massive overlap. You don’t know what to order.
“For me, it’s too much and also no restaurant or whatever can keep that stuff fresh. It is impossible. Fresh is a big thing, and it’s important to the customer.”
Quality, fresh, and local produce is so important
The food provides good value for the quality and portion sizes and does not try to be something it isn’t. It is not the cheapest option around, but for the quality, service, and ambiance it offers an edge over its competitors.
Ryan’s use of fresh, local ingredients to create flavourful and well-presented meals are also a hit with guests who frequently praise the variety, value for money, and quality of the menu, which caters to different dietary preferences, including gluten-free and allergen-free dishes.
“The price is important to getting people in so they’re not being scared off.
“The key is having that balance with the quality – that’s a massive thing these days. It’s huge and that’s really where we wanted to stand out as being able to give the customers affordable quality.
“It’s something that we’ve built on over the last year and a half now, and we’ve got a good reputation for food because the customers know when they come in, that quality is there even in the kid’s menu.
“Howard, the butcher I’ve known for a long time. I have a great relationship with him. If we run out of food, even if it’s 11pm, I’ll ring him. He’ll drop it off. It’s brilliant. He is a really good butcher.
“A lot of his business is sold to high-quality restaurants and pubs because all his meats are Welsh, and the quality is excellent. We wanted to establish that local connection with the community.
“I’ve got a very good relationship with the fishmongers Celtic Coast. They’ll often ring me four times a week and say, look I’ve been out on a day boat and I’ve got this or this. If it’s suitable, we’ll have it. All his fish are fresh fish from UK waters.
“That then goes on the specials board. We also do something on a Sunday called fishmongers recommendation. At the end of the week, he rings me and says, look, I’ve got this. I then put it on our Sunday lunch menu and every few weeks that changes depending on what he what he has.
“Creativity is also important for us like the specials board. We’ve got customers that come in regularly on a weekend that just eat the specials depending on what we have available.
“I worked in a vegan/veggie restaurant in Mumbles called the Kitchen Table and that was the kind of catalyst for many of the cafes. It is such a big customer market.
“At the time it was the only place in Swansea that was doing that sort of food with quality. The owners at that time weren’t so much focused on the profit of the business. They wanted to provide quality, and it was packed.
“From that experience, I learned a lot about vegetarian and vegan food. It can be seen with the Spanish board that we use on our main menu. The Buddha bowl is a massive seller.
“We also have this dish that is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free – It’s all of them. It’s a perfect creative, warm salad, I guess, but it’s a good-looking bit of food and it hits all those kinds of markets.
“There’s lots of other things on there as well that are vegan and vegetarian also gluten-free, brownies.”
Plenty more things will be coming soon as Ryan looks to expand the business. Currently, the restaurant serves meals like lunch, dinner, brunch, and drinks and also features a cozy atmosphere with outdoor seating and a full bar offering a selection of local drinks. They often feature locally brewed ales and ciders, showcasing the best of the region’s craft beverages.
“The drink side we’re going to expand a little bit. We have local brews from the Gower already and now will be looking into cocktails, that sort of stuff, especially for the summer.
“That’s the vibe that we’ll have outside, live music cocktails, that sort of stuff, provide a range of nice wines and things like that. We also have a range of soft drinks for kids and non-alcoholic things as well, which is a huge market now along with gluten-free beer.
“We’ve also just started this [he points to the burger takeaway outside] which has been a big hit. It’s stuff we use throughout the menu anyway, but it’s just a different option for the customers.
“There are so many pubs now, it’s trying to stand out and offer something different, you’ve got to adapt with the times to bring those customers to you.
“The feedback from the customers is it’s kind of the same stuff but I wasn’t expecting that all. That for us is great feedback and is exactly what we want to hear because a lot of effort does go into the food.
“We had a blogger come in and she said, you should use the tagline ‘not your average pub grub’. I quite like that because it is all the same stuff. There might be a few different variations, but essentially, It’s all the same pub stuff with an admission of creative food and fresh quality.
“She did hit the nail on the head, not your average pub grub. Isn’t it just! I think that’s us in a nutshell.”
For menu information at the Valley Hotel at Bishopston and to book a table reservation click here.
[Lead image Ryan Waters]
