Radical changes

Nant Ddu Lodge, through designer Andrew Shipley, is well into the tendering process for the hotel's refurbishment and upgrading work. Daniel Ronson had an operation at the end of last month. His two-week convalescence put additional pressure on the team, particularly Jill. But the staff have responded well to the increased workload, ensuring the business continues to do well despite a tailing off of the boom summer trade.

Scampi to marlin, gammon to guinea fowl - the change in eating habits of the Nant Ddu customers has been radical. Over the past three years the hotel's bar menu has become increasingly more adventurous - and, judging by current sales figures, the customers love it.

"When we first came here, it would have been hard to pick out our bar menu from most pubs in Wales. The dishes revolved around the standard gammon, or plaice with chips and the occasional curry," says Daniel Ronson.

And they are still there, because - as Daniel points out - no financial benefit is derived from becoming elitist about the food the hotel serves.

"Obviously there will always be people who want that type of food, but our aim was to ensure that anybody could walk in and see something they liked."

The Ronsons were always confident they could achieve a fair degree of "palate pushing" with existing and future clientele - indeed, the potential of the bar was an important factor in their decision to buy the hotel.

The bar's the star

When the Ronsons took over they were serving no more than 500 meals a month, in both restaurant and bar. Three years later, figures have been known to hit 6,000 plus. And though neither the restaurant nor the bar showed any great promise, the bar, where most of head chef John McAneney's experiments take place, is definitely the star now.

Developing the menu has been largely his work, and he has built up a regular following which eagerly awaits his new dishes.

The hotel has a particularly interesting catchment area, surrounded as it is by highly populated areas of middle-aged, middle-class people who have paid off their mortgages and whose children have left home. "There isn't very much to do around here, except go out to eat. We have been lucky enough to attract a lot of locals with relatively high disposable incomes by giving them scampi and chips if they want it, while also giving them the option of something a little more adventurous," says Daniel.

One of the dishes that started as a bit of an experiment is Cajun chicken. "We put it on the menu without expecting great things," said Jill. "Now it is one of our biggest sellers." She estimates that 70% of all bar food sales come from Cajun chicken or chicken with Stilton and white wine sauce. "It took ages to convince one of our regular weekly couples that it was worth trying something new. At last they did - now they order chicken Stilton every single week!" she laughs.

Sourcing the chicken for these dishes has not been without its problems. "We need 200 breast portions a week. Our local butcher used to supply us, but he increasingly had problems with the volume and the fact that we wanted 8oz breasts with skin on," says Jill.

Recently a supplier who is prepared to meet the hotel's specifications has been found, but it took quite a lot of legwork to find one. "We only managed to source one supplier in the whole of Wales." The chicken comes from Cardiff and the hotel has got a better deal on price.

On average, the "specials" on the menu will be prepared for no more than 10-12 portions, perhaps a few more on a busy Saturday night when the bar is full by 6.30pm and people are queuing for a table.

"It's where John really comes in to his own," says Daniel. "Some of his dishes are really innovative. We even have customers who come in to try his latest dish."

Special occasions

Despite having a bar filled almost to capacity, the hotel's dining room is still falling below expectations, particularly at mid-week. "It is still used almost on a ‘special occasion' basis," says Daniel. And while customers may go into the bar week after week and order a range of foods - when it comes to that special occasion and a meal in the restaurant, steak tops the orders.

The Ronsons and head chef John McAneney believe they have made some headway in encouraging people to trade up from the bar. "We feel we have made some progress in that the room is now more of a restaurant and less of a hotel dining room," says Jill, "but we have still got some work to do to encourage a less formal, more friendly atmosphere."

In the meantime, marlin and mussels continue to feature in the bar, alongside grilled lamb chops and fish and chips. A winning combination, it seems.

Next visit to Nant Ddu Lodge: 30 November