Wallys Deli in the Royal Arcade

Within the compact city of Cardiff, where innovative architecture sits alongside historic buildings, you can find unique attractions, top class entertainment and quality shopping with a difference.

Chloe Green, daisygreenmagazine.co.uk roving reporter tells us more.

The bustle of the city centre is only a few strides from acres of peaceful parklands, and Cardiff Bay offers indoor and outdoor entertainment for everyone. My home for the past ten years, Cardiff has changed dramatically, with Europe’s largest waterfront regeneration project – Cardiff Bay, the Millennium Stadium, the Old Brewery Quarter, Wales Millennium Centre, luxury hotels, award winning restaurants, gastro-bars and designer shops all appearing within the last decade.

St David’s Day
In 2009 a fresh set of national and international events come to Cardiff, with sporting fun going on throughout March in the form of the RBS Six Nations matches, as well as Welsh celebrations for St David’s Day. Born in the late fifth century, St David was recognised as a national patron saint of Wales at the height of Welsh resistance to the Normans.

Welshmen everywhere celebrate their patron saint by wearing a leek or a daffodil, both emblems of Wales, which share the same Welsh name of Ceninen. Cardiff has gone one further by organising a parade with floats, flags, bands, dragons and participants in national or historic dress. As they say in these parts, ‘Os ych chi’n Gymro, dylech chi fod yno!’ (If you’re Welsh, you should be there!). And even if you’re not Welsh, it’s still a lot of fun…

The world’s first Fairtrade Capital
Cardiff became the world’s first Fairtrade Capital in March 2004 and is home to numerous shops, cafes and organisations selling and using fairly traded products. In a global society where our every action impacts on hundreds, thousands and millions of people, through an act as simple as shopping you make a real difference to people’s lives.

FairDo’s Ltd is one of the best Fair Trade shops in Wales, with a huge range of gifts, clothing, greetings cards, foods, snacks, beverages, and just about anything else you can think of. Based in the Canton area of West Cardiff about a twenty-five minute walk from the world famous Cardiff Castle, FairDo’s aim to ensure that everything in the shop is bought from suppliers who have been accredited by the British Association for Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS). The majority of products sold come from the developing world, but occasionally they stock products from the UK or Europe that still fit into their Fair Trade ethos, either because they use fairly traded ingredients or help marginalised groups.

City of arcades
Cardiff has a number of beautiful Victorian and Edwardian arcades in the centre of town, as well as a couple of more modern ones. Perhaps it is homage to Cardiff’s notoriously wet weather that there are so many, as they are a great place to shelter from the rain. The older arcades are situated on St Mary’s Street, and starting from the top is Castle Arcade. Built in 1887, it is L-Shaped coming out onto Castle Street.

At this entrance, and definitely worth a visit is Comfortably Numb Lifestyle Café- a unique coffee shop opened by the Joshua Foundation, a Cardiff charity organisation formed by Sarah Cornelius in honour of her seven-year-old son Joshua who died of cancer in December 1998. This café is designed as a way of raising money for the charity and also gaining publicity for their cause. It makes a welcome bolt-hole just off from the crowds of Queen Street but still in the hustle and bustle of one of Cardiff’s busiest and prettiest arcades where you can sip your coffee and spoil yourself with cake while easing your conscience.

Next up is High Street Arcade, built in 1886 with the excellent Atlantic Coffee Co cafe at the entrance and inside the tasty New York Deli, which is well worth a visit. While by no means the cheapest sandwiches in the world, this place is not poor value. It’s eating on an American scale, by which I mean big! With plenty of choice, this is a great deli really into recycling, they have different bins to separate waste and use paper plates so less washing, detergents, water, power etc.  New York Deli makes an enjoyable and different lunch option that won’t leave you feeling hungry later on.

With entrances on St Mary St and St John’s Square, Cardiff Central Market is an impressive Victorian structure that is always a hive of activity and also worth a visit.

Further along St Mary Street are Morgan & Royal Arcades – joined by a connecting corridor, they house a number of speciality shops including the fantastic Wally’s Delicatessen that has been trading from its premises in Royal Arcade for 30 years, and has been established in Cardiff for nearly 60 years. Here you’ll also find Shared Earth – a branch of the largest retailer and wholesaler of Fair Trade products in the UK, that imports its own unique jewellery, fashion accessories, wood, ceramics, paper, soapstone and more.

Right in the middle of Morgan Arcade you’ll find The Plan Café- A lovely hideaway where Trevor Hyam, the recent regional winner of the UK Barista Championships, serves up his award winning espresso blend. With a laid back atmosphere, attentive staff, and a focus on vegetarian food, it makes an ideal café to enjoy a leisurely cuppa and watch the world go by, as well as a great place to grab a quick, healthy and hearty lunch. And it’s reassuring to know that they only source fresh local ingredients, many of which are organic.

Lastly, Wyndham Arcade is situated next to the recently established ‘cafe quarter’ along Mill Lane, which in conjunction with St Mary Street and the Brewery Quarter form the busy West End District that is the heart of Cardiff’s Nightlife.

Roath – My local stomping ground…

Cardiff and charity shops go together like Ant and Dec, beans and toast…you get the idea. So forget designer, forget the high street, and head down Roath’s Albany Road. With almost ten charity shops, this place is a haven for all things second hand and the ultimate street for finding a bargain. Charity shops are ideal if you’re on a budget, looking for something to pass off as vintage as well as a great place to find treasured gifts or shift unwanted prezzies in an ethical manner. Albany Road is definitely the place to start uncovering retro, vintage and rare delights, which I endlessly manage to do, to the envy of family and friends.

Whilst in Roath, I recommend refuelling in Coffee #1- With an outlet on Albany Road and around the corner on Wellfield Road, they provide great coffee and delicious cakes in comfortable surroundings, and all house blends have 100 per cent Fairtrade status.

Local food for local people

Finally, I have to mention the award winning Riverside ‘Real Food’ Market, which takes place every Sunday in the very heart of Cardiff. Located along the banks of the River Taff right opposite the Millennium Stadium on Fitzhamon Embankment, it is a great meeting place for food lovers to convene and one of Cardiff’s most popular sites to source local, Welsh and organic produce.

The Market promotes the economic and environmental advantages of locally produced food, where use of fossil fuels in transportation and wasteful packaging are kept to a minimum. It is lively and bustling, full of people and stalls selling a wide variety of baked goods, fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, as well as a fine choice of cooked foods and more. It is a great place to come for breakfast, lunch, a quick bite and a hot or cold beverage. So whether you’re a visitor to Cardiff or a local resident let the Riverside ‘Real Food’ Market fill that hungry gap this and every Sunday between 10am and 2pm.

The future
Cardiff’s development is far from over, and billions of pounds are being spent on projects that will further transform the city and region. Alongside other major developments in the Welsh capital, ‘St David’s 2′ – Cardiff’s city centre retail development, representing a £675m investment, and due to open later this year, brings an outstanding opportunity to make a contribution to the emergence of Cardiff as a major European destination.

Alongside these developments, let’s hope that ethical and inspiring enterprises continue to thrive – I’ll keep you posted…