Salt, Soil and Sea: The Anglesey Makers Behind the Black Lion’s Menu

A good pub menu should tell you where you are. At the Black Lion, it does exactly that — not with a paragraph of chef-speak, but with the quiet logic of an island larder. The salt on the table comes from Brynsiencyn. The shellfish has a short journey from the Menai Strait. The lamb and beef have spent their lives on Welsh grass, and the bread is the sort you tear apart before the main event arrives.

This isn’t a directory of every producer on Ynys Môn. Think of it as a taste trail: a handful of ingredients that turn up on the Black Lion’s tables, why they matter, and how visitors can follow the flavour a little further while they’re here.

Salt first, always

Start with the simplest thing on the table. Anglesey sea salt has become a calling card for the island, and Halen Môn near Brynsiencyn is the name most people know. The flakes are bright and clean, with a crunch that makes ordinary buttered bread feel like a starter worth ordering.

At the pub, that salt is the kind of ingredient you notice without being told to notice it. It finishes a plate rather than dominating it. If you’re the sort of person who asks what’s in the seasoning, this is your cue. Pick up a tub from the visitor centre and you’ll find yourself using it at home on everything from boiled eggs to roast potatoes — the edible equivalent of a postcard.

The Menai Strait on a plate

The water between Anglesey and the mainland is not just scenery. It’s a working larder. Mussels, oysters and crab all have a place in the island’s food story, and when they appear on a specials board, order them. Shellfish is at its best when it has travelled the shortest distance, and it’s hard to beat a bowl of Menai mussels with bread and a pint after a walk.

Oysters are traditionally enjoyed in the months with an ‘R’ in them, which is a polite way of saying autumn through spring. Mussels are good year-round but tend to feel right when the weather has a nip in it. Ask what’s local, ask what’s fresh, and don’t be shy about ordering the shellfish special as a starter — it’s often the most honest thing on the menu.

Fields, flocks and a proper Sunday lunch

Anglesey is farming country, and the pub’s kitchen leans on that. Welsh lamb is the headline act for many visitors, especially when it’s slow-roasted and served with proper gravy and vegetables. Welsh black beef turns up in pies, burgers and Sunday roasts. The joy is not just the meat itself but the fact that it hasn’t spent a week on a lorry.

Seasonality matters here. Spring brings lamb and the first green vegetables. Summer is salad, crab and lighter plates. Autumn is game, mushrooms and root vegetables. Winter is stews, suet puddings and anything that goes with mash. If you’re planning a Sunday lunch, book ahead — the roast is not a secret, and the best tables go early.

Bread, beer and the bits in between

A pub is only as good as its bread, and the Black Lion’s kitchen knows it. Local bakeries supply the loaves, buns and sometimes the bara brith that appears on the bar. It’s worth asking what’s from the island — the answer changes with the seasons and the suppliers.

Then there’s the beer. Anglesey and the wider North Wales coast have a growing number of small breweries, and the pub’s hand-pulls often feature something brewed within a reasonable drive. If you’re not sure, ask for a taste. A pint of something local, a bag of crisps and a window seat is not a complicated pleasure, but it is one of the best reasons to stay another night.

What to order, and when

A quick field guide for the indecisive:

• Spring: Welsh lamb, young vegetables, lighter seafood, and anything with new potatoes.
• Summer: Crab, salads, shellfish, and a pint taken outside if the weather behaves.
• Autumn: Mussels, mushrooms, game, and the first proper stews of the year.
• Winter: Slow-cooked beef, root vegetables, suet puddings, and a seat near the fire.

If you only have one meal, make it a Sunday lunch or whatever fish special is on. If you have two, add a shellfish starter and a local cheese board. If you have three, you’re on holiday — relax.

Taste more of the island

You don’t have to stay in the pub to eat well. Halen Môn’s visitor centre at Brynsiencyn is an easy half-day out and a good place to stock up on gifts that aren’t fridge magnets. Menai Bridge has independent shops and a proper foodie streak. Beaumaris has bakeries, delis and a castle to walk off lunch. Farmers’ markets and local food events pop up around the island through the year, so check what’s on before you travel.

The Black Lion works well as a base for all of this: sleep upstairs, eat downstairs, then go and meet the people behind the plate. It’s a small island, but the larder is deep.