Bakeries in St Asaph

The baking story of St Asaph

St Asaph, in the Vale of Clwyd, was granted city status in 2012, though its cathedral — one of the smallest ancient cathedrals in Britain — has stood here for centuries. William Morgan, who completed the first full translation of the Bible into Welsh in 1588, later became its bishop. The Vale around the city is rich farming country, with dairy herds, sheep and arable fields stretching between the Clwydian hills and the coast. Teatime here is thoroughly Welsh: Welsh cakes cooked on a bakestone, bara brith sliced and buttered, and perhaps teisen lap, a moist, light fruit cake once baked for miners and farmworkers. The Denbighshire market towns of Denbigh and Ruthin nearby offer more local bakers and tea rooms.

Local bakes to look out for

• Welsh cake – A griddle-cooked cake with currants, dusted with caster sugar.
• Bara brith – A fruit loaf made with tea-soaked dried fruit and mixed spice.
• Teisen lap – A moist, shallow fruit cake, traditionally made with buttermilk.

Bakery hunter's tip: St Asaph is small, so combine it with nearby Denbigh, Ruthin and Rhuddlan for market-town bakeries and tea rooms.

Did you know? Welsh cakes go by several Welsh names, including picau ar y maen — 'maen' meaning the stone, or bakestone, they are cooked on.