Hello lovely people, There's quite a lot happening at The Warren at the moment. It feels like we're entering another exciting chapter, with new ideas taking shape, familiar faces returning and plenty of opportunities to bring people together. More than anything, we're trying to create a place that feels alive, welcoming and connected to the community around us. And this week, there's something particularly special on the horizon.
Tomorrow evening, we're bringing a little bit of that old Warren magic back with the return of our much-loved Open Mic Nights. If you've ever been to one of our old Warren parties, you'll know exactly what we're talking about. Those evenings when people come together, strangers become friends, music fills the room and nobody is particularly in a hurry to go home. We're hoping to recreate a little of that atmosphere with our first Community Gathering, and we're making it a regular thing. We've already got a lovely lineup of musicians ready to take to the stage, and we're really looking forward to seeing what the evening brings. Tickets are just £5, including a complimentary drink, and we've also made a number of solidarity tickets available for anyone who might find the cost a bit difficult at the moment. We want these evenings to be accessible to everyone, and we're also accepting Tempo Time Credits, recognising those who give their time to support their communities through volunteering.
There's more happening upstairs, too. Our Cwtch space will be open, where we'll be screening a documentary about the ancient Welsh tradition of coracle fishing. The evening will also be a tribute to the recently departed Andrew Davies, a passionate advocate for our rivers and someone who supplied The Warren with fish and game. Andrew was a real champion of our waterways, and we'd like to do our bit to continue the work he cared so deeply about. We'll also be raising a glass to the rivers with Freedom River, a lager from Freedom Brewery, which has partnered with the Angling Trust to support its campaign against river pollution. And, of course, there'll be food. We're making a big pot of homemade cawl, serving Caws Teifi Caerphilly cheese and freshly baked focaccia, alongside a few other treats from the bar. It's shaping up to be a lovely evening, and we'd really like you to be part of it.
Tomorrow also marks the first collection day for our new Warren Food Collective. We've had twelve orders come in for our first month, which feels like a really encouraging start. The idea behind the collective is simple: we want to make high-quality, organic and sustainably sourced ingredients more accessible by giving our community the opportunity to buy at prices much closer to what we pay as a restaurant. It's about helping people build up their store cupboards, access better ingredients and become a little more resilient in a world where the cost of food and the pressures on our food system seem to be ever increasing. It's early days, but we're excited about what this could become. We're also keen to hear from local growers and producers who might like to get involved. If you're growing, making or producing something lovely and would like to make it available through the Food Collective, we'd love to hear from you. We think there's a real opportunity to bring more local producers and customers together, creating a stronger, more connected food community.
We're also introducing another regular event at The Warren: The Warren Wine Club, hosted by the wonderful Bethan Roberts. The idea is to create a relaxed, completely unpretentious space where people can enjoy wine, learn a little more about it and share the stories that come with it. You don't need to know your Malbec from your Merlot, and you certainly don't need to be a wine expert. You just need to enjoy a glass, be curious and be open to discovering something new. There'll be plenty of good wine, good conversation and hopefully a few surprises along the way. Our first gathering is on Saturday 21st November, and we're really looking forward to welcoming people along.
Away from the food and events, we've also been thinking about how we can support the brilliant independent businesses that make our local economy what it is. Running a small business can be a pretty lonely and challenging business, so we've been working on an idea called The Warren Business Club. We'd like to find more ways to recognise, celebrate and support the people who put so much into keeping our local high streets and communities going. Our first initiative is a festive collaboration: throughout December, we'll be opening a new window on our Advent Calendar every day, revealing a prize generously donated by a local business. In return, we'll showcase those businesses here at The Warren, on our social media and across our various channels. It's a bit of festive fun, but there's a bigger idea behind it: supporting one another, sharing audiences and introducing local businesses to new customers. If you're a local business and fancy getting involved, we'd love to hear from you.
As we head towards Christmas, we'll also be opening for lunch on selected days throughout December, giving people a chance to escape the Christmas shopping, catch up with friends or simply enjoy a bit of good food in the middle of all the festive madness. We'll be stocking up on plenty of lovely local goodies in the run-up to Christmas, too, so there'll be opportunities to pick up a few things while you're here.
Our little outdoor honesty shop has also had a good first outing, with some lovely sales and plenty of positive feedback, so we're giving it another go. Open Thursday to Sunday, from 8am until 8pm, it's stocked with beautiful seasonal vegetables from our friends at Bremenda Farm. At the moment you'll find gorgeous squash, leeks and cabbages. The idea is simple: you don't even need to come into the restaurant. Just choose your vegetables, scan the QR code and pay for what you've taken. We're trusting our community to make it work, and so far, so good. If people keep buying, we'll keep stocking it.
Finally, a little heads-up for your diaries. We're planning a private New Year's Eve party at The Warren, complete with food, drink and music. We're still putting the details together, but it's shaping up to be a lovely way to see out the year. More news coming soon!
If you've made it this far and you're not my mum, then fair play. Thanks for reading! There's a lot of energy around The Warren at the moment. We're getting some lovely attention, meeting new people, making new connections and finding new ways to bring people together. More than anything, we want The Warren to be somewhere that belongs to its community. Somewhere to eat, drink, listen to music, meet people, learn something new, support local businesses and occasionally have a really good party.
Tomorrow feels like another little step in that direction, and we'd love to see you there.
Much love,
Deri