OVER the past few months Angus Birditt and Lilly Hedley, also known as The Bridge Lodge, have taken diners at Hawarden Farm Shop on a culinary trip around the British Isles during a series of themed supper clubs.

So far lucky food fans have enjoyed foraged feasts based on woodland, land and river, with this weekend seeing the pair exploring the beautiful North Wales coastline with a menu which celebrates all things delicious from the sea.

"Here on the British Isles, we have over 12,000 kilometres of coastline," explains Angus. "We want to celebrate that incredible fact by using as many local, seasonal, but most importantly sea ingredients in our five-course menu.

"We have teamed up with several local seafood and sea ingredient supplies around our coasts and foraged other sea ingredients from the Isle of Anglesey.

"Our 'SEA' supper club will promote and encourage the use of local produce from shellfish to fish, seaweed to sea vegetation - and especially being in Wales, we have used fish caught by local Welsh fishermen."

Angus and Lilly co-founded The Bridge Lodge food company in 2016 whilst still studying for their finals at Oxford Brookes University. The business takes its name from Lilly's grandmother's house, which is upriver from the old bridge at Erbistock, near Wrexham, and where the pair now have their production headquarters and office area. Neatly positioned in a deep valley, hugging the waterfront of the River Dee and with picturesque views of ancient forests on one side and mooing cows on the other, Angus and Lilly were surrounded by flora and fauna alike.

Angus says: "Having always loved walking through the Lodge's ancient woodlands, identifying and foraging the wild foods along the way, we both decided, why not share it with others?

"From day one, it was our goal to bring the flavours of the landscape to life, creating products from the wild ingredients foraged from the surrounding area, hosting events to bring people together and eat food from the land, and collaborations with other creative and sustainable companies.

"The idea behind setting up The Bridge Lodge company was to encourage a simpler, healthier way of living. We wanted to go back to the basics of making food with the wild foods growing right outside our doorstep. With each of our products we not only want to create a tasty, seasonal product but more importantly increase awareness and appreciation of what nature grows around us."

Interestingly, it was wild garlic which proved the initial impetus for The Bridge Lodge, with Angus and Lilly taking advantage of its abundance in the woodland close to their base, where it provides plenty of foraging opportunities.

"Unbeknownst to many, wild garlic is one of Britain's most ancient ingredients, but it seems not enough people know about it," says Angus. "Our products are made with the wild garlic leaves that grow naturally in the ancient woodlands that surround us here at the Lodge. Our patch has the perfect growing conditions for wild garlic, with lots of light, shade, and moisture."

The pair have also enjoyed success with their Wild Garlic Leaf Sea Salt, which has seen them collaborating with Halen Mon Sea Salt Company in Anglesey.

Saturday's event will see Angus and Lilly prepare a mouthwatering meal featuring the likes of scallops with monk's beard, cod croquette with whelks in wild garlic, and razor clams or local mussels with samphire, while even the pudding will include Irish moss and sea buckthorn ice cream.

"Our menu will focus on using the freshest seasonal sea ingredients as possible, so even up to the day before the supper club a couple of elements in the dishes may change due to what the fishermen have caught throughout the night," added Angus.

"Hawarden Estate Farm Shop is the perfect place for it too, as they firmly believe in the traditional village shop, where friendliness, service and putting the customer first are their core values.

"Unlike our previous three landscape supper clubs where we served a three-course menu, we will be a creating a five-course menu of slightly smaller plates ,as we thought that there are so many amazing ingredients in and around our sea landscape that we wanted to try and incorporate as many as possible through five dishes.

"There will be lots of fish, shellfish and foraged sea-plants to wet your appetite and cocktail will be awaiting your arrival as usual.

"We will also begin the night by showing an incredible short film that celebrates the lives and produce of our Welsh fishermen. The short film was created by the Welsh Government Food and Drink Wales department to tell the story of our local fisherman and to promote using their wonderful produce.

"We're very excited to share it!"

SEA | Supper Club takes place at Hawarden Estate Farm Shop on Saturday, March 16, 2019, from 7pm-9pm. Tickets are available from www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sea-supper-club-tickets-53687847798

For more information call 01244 533 442 or email manager@hawardenestate.co.uk