Aberteifi

Chris heads to the wild west of Wales, Aberteifi, aka Cardigan - a coastal town where the River Teifi meets the sea. A place steeped in tradition, powered by producers, and full of people cooking with purpose.

He kicks things off at Pizza Tipi, a riverside institution run by band of brothers Calder, Teifi and Jackson. After a bellyful of wood-fired pizza, Chris joins the bros and their mam and dad to celebrate one of Cardigan Bay’s most overlooked and underrated treasures: spider crab. On a hidden cove, they boil the crabs in seawater over driftwood flames, cracking shells and laughing through a messy, glorious feast as the sun sets over the bay.

Next, Chris takes to the River Teifi with local fishing legend Len Walters for a crash course in one of Wales’s oldest - and wobbliest - traditions: coracle fishing for sewin, the highly prized Welsh sea trout. Under moonlight, they cast their nets from tiny round boats, hunting for the perfect fish to cook at dawn over open fire.

But Cardigan isn’t just good times and great food. Beneath the surface, the town faces tough challenges - seasonal work, rural poverty and growing mental health struggles among its young people. At The Depot Café, Chris meets passionate chef Michelle Corrigan and young cook Viktoriia, a Ukrainian refugee who’s found hope and belonging through food. Together, they cook for the community and inspire Chris to carry that spirit into his final feast.

In the hills above town, Owen and Tanya of Myrddin Heritage welcome Chris to their smallholding. A farm born from a dream to live simply and raise animals with respect. They’ve traded city life for mud, graft and a herd of slow-grown retired breeding sows. Their pork is bold and deep with flavour. Chris picks up a beautiful cut for the final cook.

Of course, no perfect calzone is complete without cheese. At Caws Teifi Cheese, Wales’s oldest artisan cheesemaker, Chris samples delicious raw milk wheels and grabs the perfect melter for his feast.

Back at Pizza Tipi, everything comes together. The pork is smoked low and slow, the cheese molten, and the huge wood oven is roaring. Chris and the brothers crank out Cardigan-inspired calzones, loaded with local flavour and heart, for a crowd of hungry locals.