Swansea Reviewed

The Dunvant Farm Shop and Cafe is one of Swansea’s best hidden treasures. I’ve really been making the effort to try and buy as much as I can from small, local, businesses over the last few years, so I have been getting my meat, cakes and veggies from here – or Murton Farm shop instead of schlepping into Swansea Centre to brave the Tesco. It’s a much nicer experience.

You’ll find it on the way from Dunvant to Gorsienon – Bevexe Fawr Farm, Dunvant, Swansea SA2 7XD, and is open between Tuesday – Saturday. It’s a little bit off the beaten track, up on a hill – which is what makes it a lovely place to visit.

Dunvant Farm Shop

I think it’s fair to say that you can split the Dunvant Farm shop into three categories:

• The farm shop itself, with cakes, meats, fruits and veggies, as well as local gift items such as candles, hats, hand creams etc.
• A garden centre – with a lot of it grown on-site, there’s everything you need for your garden there. You’ll also be able to get pumpkins at Halloween and real Christmas trees in December.
• A cafe, selling hot and cold food – often with meat raised on the farm. There’s an indoor section with a log burner and a big, dog-friendly balcony, which is covered up to protect you from the rain, looking over a mini field where some sheep live.

If you’re looking for other dog-friendly cafes in Swansea, I’d recommend The Observatory, The Lighthouse and The Mermaid which all very much welcome pets.

There’s a big selection of items in the shop, so you can easily get everything you’d need for a meal there -from stock cubes, fresh bread, ice-cream and hand-made mum and baby bobble-hats. I bought some laverbread cheese there the other day which is a must-try.

If you’re a tourist, it’s a good spot to pick up some local items to take home with you, as well as arts and crafts from local artists.

Now and then, they’ll hold markets up in the big shed by the farm shop. I went to the one at Christmas and bought the most beautiful dried flower wreath from Petallica Flower Farm from down the road – another business more people need to hear about.

I’ll go and visit so I can write a full review of what you can do there.

It’s a farm shop, so of course, it’s going to cost you more than a big supermarket, but if you want to support local farmers, this is a great way to do it. I’ll also say that the couple who I think own the farm shop, are so lovely. They always make a fuss of my children when I’m in there – and the gentleman is always cracking jokes.

The lady who owns it saw me struggling to my car, so took my bags without me asking and helped me out. You’re not getting that at Aldi, are you?

That said, we’re a household that gets through a ton of eggs, so I like to buy giant trays of them, which works out a lot cheaper than if you’re buying six or twelve at the supermarket.

There’s also a section with a surprisingly big gluten free offering, and while I was dairy free, lots of vegan options.

Dunvant Farm Shop Cafe

The cafe frustrates me a bit. The location, set-up and concept is amazing. You can sit on the balcony in the sun or rain, looking at the animals, while eating cake and drinking tea – or sit inside by the log fire and get a fry-up on a weekend.

With meat and veggies right from the farm, or locally produced – it has all the ingredients to be one of the best places in Swansea to eat, but I think it falls a bit short.

It’s not that the food is bad – it’s just that it’s never blown me away, and it could be incredible. I’ve had cake and coffee there loads of times, and a fry-up twice – both times were pretty disappointing, to be honest.

I’ll have to get back there and try out some of the meat, and see how that is – because I really want to love it here.

That said, I do think it’s worth visiting. It’s a great location, owned by lovely people. Let me know what you think in the comments.