The spoons of love
Called "lovespoon", they symbolize the age-old tradition of carved wooden wedding spoons.
According to Welsh tradition, they are said to have been made from a single piece of wood by young men to declare their love to their beloved. The oldest lovespoon, in the National Museum in Cardiff, dates back to 1667. However, the tradition is thought to be much older than that. Originally, the lovespoon was inspired by the soup spoon, to which decorative carvings were added. It became a decorative object, often hung on the wall. Today, they are offered for a variety of occasions, and depending on the carved motif, the meaning varies: for example, a wheel is to support a loved one, a horseshoe brings good luck, a dragon symbolizes country and protection, and a bell or Celtic cross symbolizes marriage.
They can be found everywhere, for example in Cardiff, at Castle Welsh Crafts. On the Gower Peninsula, in Mumbles, don't hesitate to visit The Lovespoon Gallery, where you'll find wooden and silver spoons.
Rare books
For literature fans, there's a must-see in the Brecon Beacons region: the town of Hay-on-Wye. Richard Booth was a bookseller, entrepreneur, scholar and iconoclast born in Hay-on-Wye in 1938. Hostile to established conventions, he created a new concept of establishing a major second-hand book trade in a picturesque rural locality. In 1962, the book industry saw the birth of a new model for rural and tourist development in Wales: the "Book Village". Or when books bring a town to life!
The project quickly took off and became the talk of the town. On the strength of this success, novelist Richard Booth proclaimed himself King of Hay-on-Wye!
Since then, the idea has been adopted and adapted all over the world.
Here are just a few: Hay Cinema Bookshop, a store specializing in cinema, but not only! Located in the town's old cinema, it boasts over 200,000 books! Enough to unearth a few nuggets.
Vinyls
For music lovers with a record player, many stores have a fine collection of vinyl records. It's a great opportunity to discover new bands!
Take Spillers Records in Cardiff, for example.
A Welsh Blanket
This is a typical blanket (or plaid) made with old looms. The Jane Beck Welsh Blankets store in Tregaron is full of these blankets.
A choice of local drinks
With whisky, and more specifically, Penderyn, the country's only single malt whisky.
Penderyn Distillery is located in the Brecon Beacons, a few miles from Merthyr Tudful. Opened in 2000, it's the first Welsh distillery to make whisky in 100 years! As well as being a wonderful discovery, it is renowned for the quality of its ageing in old Madeira casks.
Those who prefer wine can visit Llaneyard Vineyard on the outskirts of Cardiff. With 3.5 ha of vineyards, it also offers wine tastings. The area is a great place for a stroll, especially in autumn when the vines take on their orange-red hues.
A little further north, in Llanvetherine, White Castle Vine yard is a 5-hectare vineyard offering a fine pinot noir.
The country also has a brewing culture, with a wide choice of beers. In Wales, and in Great Britain in general, beer is top-fermented, which means it contains less carbon dioxide than bottom-fermented beers. This brewing method considerably alters the taste compared with French or Belgian beers. Tasting is done at room temperature (pub temperature!), which can be surprising at first, but you soon get used to it!
Not far from Tintern Abbey, you'll find the Kingstone Brewery, a very nice micro-brewery to visit.
And to finish on the subject of spirits, it's impossible not to mention gin: a spirit made from juniper berries. And to discover a distillery, head for Llandysul in the Ceredigion region, with Da Mhile Distillery. Their speciality: "seaweed" gin in which seaweed has been macerated for 3 weeks. The result is surprisingly good!
Some gourmet ideas
And since the country boasts a large number of farms, it's only natural to find a wide variety of cheeses. These include the delicious Llangoffan, the subtly astringent Gorwydd Caerphilly, the delicate, herbaceous Hafod and the beer and mustard-scented Y Fenni. To buy any of these, simply visit the stalls at Cardiff Central Market. In Powys, for example, Blasau Delicatessen is a great store selling Welsh products, including fragrant cheese from Snowdonia. And in Blaenafon, don't miss the Blaenafon Cheddar Company, which has a surprising number of different cheddars, including the "Big Pot Cheddar" which is matured deep in the mine.
Honey is a great gift idea! Purchased from a small local beekeeper, it also helps to protect bees. And this flagship product, which can be found all over the globe, is always different depending on the place and the type of flowers. North of Cardigan, for example, you'll find the small LLwyhelyg Farm Shop. But don't hesitate to visit www.localhoneyfinder.org to find a beekeeper on your itinerary.
Incidentally, in 2016, a hive of over 110,000 bees took up residence under the roof of Cardiff's Rookwood Hospital. They discovered it because honey was literally dripping from the ceiling! With the high temperatures, the beeswax had melted.
