Caerphilly

Chris ‘Flamebaster’ Roberts continues his culinary odyssey through Wales as he visits the historic town of Caerphilly, famous for its castle and its cheese. First stop is the brand new, state-of-the-art, eco-friendly food hall in the middle of town – Ffos Caerffili. Showcasing independent traders making mouth-watering grub, Chris wastes no time getting stuck in sampling the delights on offer – from Simpsons-sized doughnuts to an incredible meat-free bao bun made with seitan. But he’s really here to see chef Leyli Homayoonfar. Her blend of Middle Eastern and Mexican food at her restaurant Bab Haus is legendary in south Wales. Chris tries her most famous dish – beef cheeks cooked in a smoker for six hours and then braised in spices for another eight hours, before being served in a cheesy fried taco with a consommé and pickled red cabbage.

Chris then visits a local cheese shop to sample and collect four different varieties of Caerphilly cheese for his next cookout – a giant Welsh rarebit cooked at the top of Caerphilly mountain.

Back in town, Chris heads to an unassuming industrial estate where Portuguese pie master Alexandre specialises in award-winning pies inspired by his mother’s Portuguese recipe. Chris tries the best-selling chicken and chorizo filling, and leaves with his bags bulging with more pies to tuck into later.

Chris then tries his hand at making his own super-sized pie in the form of the traditional oggie – a pie that was eaten by workers at the peak of the mining industry in Wales.