![\"Outside](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2_WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-16-at-153944jpeg.jpg\")
The Inn at the Sticks has won several awards(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\nIt was no surprise why it was named as one of the best in the country<\/p>\n
16:24, 21 Aug 2025Updated 16:43, 21 Aug 2025<\/p>\n
The Inn at the Sticks has won several awards(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\n
The Inn at the Sticks, a unique restaurant in Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire was established by two women <\/a>with a vision to blend the best of both worlds, is not your everyday dining place. They offer small plates of locally sourced ingredients with a Spanish twist all in a relaxed environment that feels cosy, welcoming and in no wayuptight.<\/p>\n The restaurant has received several awards and rave reviews. It was crowned the Best Local Restaurant in Wales<\/a> by the Good Food Guide in 2024, which is a title that I can fully vouch for. I had the pleasure of spending a night at the Inn at the Sticks last summer and was obsessed with everything about it.<\/a><\/p>\n The site features a deli selling premium wine, cheese, and a variety of other products, and it’s definitely one of those places that feels good for the soul. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The concept for their food is simple: choose a few small savoury dishes, perhaps to share, or to enjoy on your own.<\/p>\n The restaurant offers a variety of dishes that celebrate Welsh produce. Their ‘From The Sea’ menu features Welsh seafood, from prawns to mackerel and cockles.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, their ‘From The Land’ menu includes traditional plates like faggots and Welsh beef.<\/p>\n But fear not vegetarians, as their ‘Garden menu’ also incorporates plenty of meat-free alternatives.<\/p>\n I decided to sample the skewered shiitake mushrooms served on a bed of hummus from their specials board.<\/p>\n Without wanting to sound overly dramatic, it’s possibly one of the best dishes I’ve ever encountered.<\/p>\n The mushrooms were delightfully salty, tasting incredibly earthy and cooked to perfection.<\/p>\n They were served with the most divine, creamy hummus with fresh, herbal flavours which acted as a comforting base to balance out the bold flavours from the mushrooms.<\/p>\n It’s a combination I could eat all day.<\/p>\n I visited the restaurant with my partner, who is a huge foodie, and opted for a beautifully presented plate of burrata with locally sourced aged ham.<\/p>\n He noted it was “full of flavour and each ingredient complemented the others very well”, and he particularly praised the light texture and rich flavour of the ham.<\/p>\n For pudding, we opted to share the sticky toffee dessert. Despite my initial lack of a sweet tooth, this proved to be an excellent choice.<\/p>\n The sponge was delightful and airy, soaked in a warm, buttery toffee sauce that was bursting with caramel flavour without being overly sweet. It was perfectly complemented by just the right amount of vanilla ice cream, providing a creamy contrast.<\/p>\n The following morning, we were greeted by a fantastic breakfast, served in two stages.<\/p>\n To start, we both enjoyed fresh croissants, which were light and flaky, accompanied by jam, butter and marmalade as well as refreshing coffees and orange juice.<\/p>\n For the main course, I chose one of my brunch favourites – eggs florentine.<\/p>\n Two slices of toast arrived topped with a poached egg and a generous portion of saute\u0301ed spinach.<\/p>\n The spinach was superb, striking the perfect balance, paired with the silky texture of the poached egg.<\/p>\n I can’t think of another place where you’re welcomed with sandy shoes, while savouring top-notch food in a relaxed setting, not to mention the tasteful de\u0301cor that blends country classic with a trendy finish, ensuring everyone’s satisfaction.<\/p>\n Before dinner, I’d been for a swim in the water down at Llansteffan beach, and hadn’t spent hours on a full face of makeup or tamed my hair, but I realised when going downstairs (to my delight) that it wasn’t that kind of place.<\/p>\n Every staff member I interacted with seemed genuinely pleased to be there, and it’s by no means intrusive.<\/p>\n Everyone is treated like a regular. I overheard two friends being served next to me, who had journeyed from somewhere in England and didn’t appear to have visited before.<\/p>\n Yet they were addressed by the waitress as if they had been faithful locals for years.<\/p>\n The Sticks is owned by Teej Down and Tracy Jenkins, a former police officer and a hairdresser.<\/p>\n Teej took on the building in 2015 after having been part of the police force for 12 years. She was an officer in Gwent Police<\/a> and it was around the time when lots of things were changing in the force that she applied for a career break and it was granted.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI\u2019ve always loved food and eating out and wine and the whole experience that comes with that. So I\u2019d always wanted to try my hand at cheffing and cooking.<\/p>\n “I started work in a little bistro in Carmarthen<\/a> called Calon Cafe and just fell in love with it. So I did that for a year and I used to walk the dogs down Llansteffan at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Inn at the Sticks had been on the market and been empty for a few years. So we ended up buying it basically. I handed my notice in to the police and it took about a year to renovate altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n But the vision was to renovate it to a standard which would reflect its past while making a real moment of the present.<\/p>\n Teej said: \u201cWe were given a photograph by one of the villagers showing how the property looked back in 1840 or something I think it was. And that was basically the inspiration behind the design now.”<\/p>\n Tracy also added that when they met, which is now seven years ago, it was “always Teej’s baby.”<\/p>\n She added: “She always said after we got together that we would either go and live in Spain or come back here so it was a new world for me.”<\/p>\n Tracy continued: “When the lease came back up after it was rented out that\u2019s when we made the decision to come here.\u201d<\/p>\n But before making the move Tracy had to make a tough decision about what would be best for her as she was already running a successful hair salon in Cardiff<\/a>. She said: \u201cTeej and I had already decided to get married so we knew we were going to be together forever.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it was a case of: \u2018Do I give up a business I\u2019ve only just started three years ago?\u2019 My mum had passed away and left me some money which had made it possible as I\u2019d been a hairdresser since I was 22.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I thought: \u2018I\u2019m going to do something with that money.\u2019 I did wonder whether I should give up something I love and have done all my life. But if I was going to do it I needed to do it then because I was 51 and Teej was nearly 50.\u201d<\/p>\n But fast forward to today and she is enjoying life in west Wales just as much as Teej as they co-run the entire business together. She said: \u201cI love village life. I feel as though I was born here actually.<\/p>\n \u201cI come from a little tiny village in the Rhondda<\/a> so it feels very familiar. I\u2019m a part of a choir so I\u2019m part of the community here and I felt as if I fitted in straightaway.<\/p>\n![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-16-at-154043jpeg.jpg\")
Inside the deli(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\n![\"Skewered](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-16-at-154138-1jpeg.jpg\")
Skewered shiitake mushrooms from the specials board (Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-16-at-154138jpeg.jpg\")
The beautifully presented buratta, with locally sourced ham(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\n![\"Croissants\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-16-at-155923jpeg.jpg\")
The croissants at the Inn at the Sticks are definitely a 10\/10(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\n![\"Eggs](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2_WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-16-at-154139-1jpeg.jpg\")
Eggs Florentine(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-16-at-154229jpeg.jpg\")
The double room had a perfect cosy, traditional feel to it(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\n![\"Swimming](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-17-at-224703jpeg.jpg\")
I took a 20 minute dip in the water- which only felt a view degrees colder than the beaches in the south of France and north western Italy at the moment(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_IMG_9635.jpg\")
Teej and Tracy say they were either going to make the move to Spain, or come back to the Inn at the Sticks(Image: Rhiannon Morgan Bell)<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_IMG_9678.jpg\")
Tracy says she always knew the business would be a success because she believed in her partner’s vision so much(Image: Rhiannon Morgan Bell)<\/p>\n