THE HOME OF HOME COOKING

We certainly have our favourites around the Vale, and Cardiff, but if we’re looking for Sunday lunch, there’s one place that we turn to again and again.

Hilary & Iain’s By The Sea is a cool little bistro overlooking the Bristol Channel in Ogmore. We’ve been going there since it opened. In fact, we used to go to there before it was Hilary and Iain’s! It’s had several incarnations over the years - it was a really good little pizza place many years ago.

Nowadays it’s run by Hilary and Iain and, quite frankly, the food they turn out is pretty scrummy. If you’re looking for Sunday lunch, you’d be hard pressed to find better. Their lamb is astonishingly good - that’s Mark’s go-to. For Jack, our son, it’s roast beef every time. I usually opt for a steak, and I like it rare. And rare is what I always get. I usually have a couple of poached or fried eggs on top, but the flavour is really good. The boys like their veg too and it’s always cooked perfectly. All topped off with the most excellent gravy - real home cooking at its best.

At this time of year, if you’re lucky, Hilary’s legendary bread and butter pudding will be on the dessert menu. Honestly, you have to try it, with custard or ice cream, but we love the custard. Seriously, I run out of adjectives when it comes to the desserts.

As we’re talking about dessert, the Ogmore Eton Mess (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) is incredible and if you love sticky toffee pudding, again you’ll find Hilary’s hard to beat. Crispy banana fritters, fudge cake, Belgian waffles - they’re all good here. If you follow them on Facebook, there’s always a chocolate cake pic on there to drool over. Quite cruel really when you’re stuck in work.

We love Sunday lunch there. It’s always consistently good. We must have eaten there at least fifty times - we keep going back. And not just for Sunday lunch. Iain’s steaks are excellent. The lasagne is to die for. Jack says it’s the best he’s tasted, and he’s eaten enough of them to know. They do a wicked cawl - very popular at this time of year and if you fancy a great fish and chips takeaway, then Hilary & Iain’s do that too.

Working backwards, their starters are certainly something to write home about. We love the creamy garlic mushrooms but the sticky tandoori chicken is equally as good (the minted garlic mayo makes it a winning combo). Once you’ve had those, we can highly recommend the crispy crumb Cajun wholetail scampi with sweet chili dip (it’s a lot easier to say after a large glass of the house red Merlot). Whatever you choose on your first outing, we suggest you try the others too at some point.

I think the thing we love the most is it’s unpretentious. So many places put style above substance and fail to deliver on flavour. If I had to describe Hilary and Iain’s food to anyone it would be just great home cooking. It’s relaxed there; locals come and go, families having lunch, cyclists will turn up and have a brunch outside in the spring and summer. It’s a great little pitstop for people visiting the local beaches - they are among some of the most beautiful in the Vale and the view from there isn’t too shabby, especially in the summer months.

It’s just a good vibe. Every so often they put on a music night with food. Local Vale musicians drop in for a jam - all very relaxed, but they sell out quickly so make sure you check out their Facebook page to keep up with the latest menus and events.

So if you’re looking for “feel good food”, give them a try if you haven’t already. The prices are very reasonable and, once you’ve eaten there, like a lot of their fans, we’re confident you’ll return again and again.

I’ve lived my whole life in Barry and eaten in most of the restaurants in the Vale so I can’t think for the life of me why I haven’t eaten at Mr. Villa’s Fish and Chip restaurant on The Knap before now.