Picton Castle and Gardens

Restaurant: Maria@Picton

Maria’s Courtyard Restaurant at Picton Castle Gardens is the ideal place for a tasty lunchtime treat or afternoon indulgence.

OPENING TIMES

March-October 10am-5pm daily

November-March 10am – 4pm

Please be aware that garden admission prices do apply for access, as the Restaurant is located within the castle courtyard and is a facility for our guests.

The restaurant is fully licenced to serve alcohol and has a wide range of Spanish wines available.

Our menu changes seasonally, using local produce where possible, to create a superb selection of dishes. All food is prepared fresh to order. If you have any special dietary requirements please speak to our staff and any dish will be altered to your needs.

The fully licensed ‘bistro’ style restaurant has table service, with plenty of seating inside and out. Reservations are not normally taken during the busy summer or Bank Holiday periods, but can be made at other times – please call for more details.

The Restaurant was extended a couple of years ago to include seating in an atmospheric ‘wine cellar’, kept cosy by a wood-burning fire, and also includes a fully stocked deli counter and shop. In addition to its regular daytime indulgences of coffee, cakes, winter warmers and light lunches, Maria’s Sunday Lunches ‘with a Mediterranean twist’ and her Friday night ‘Tapas Time’ are a speciality. Tapas, originated in the south of Spain, with the word ‘tapa’ meaning ‘cover’ – when a cover of bread or cheese would be placed over your glass of wine to stop the fruit flies getting in!

Take a brisk morning walk, or gentle afternoon stroll around the ever changing beautiful grounds of Picton Castle and then head into the restaurant to warm up with a hot cappuccino – or really treat yourself with a traditional thick Spanish hot chocolate and churros.

The Deli and Shop The new Deli and shop has a wide range of products to help recreate the Spanish feel at home, stocking deli meats such as Serrano Ham, French Saucisson, Chorizo (and cooking chorizo) and Morcilla (black pudding) along with Welsh and Spanish cheeses, olives and olive oils, Spanish wines, coffees – plus an essential piece of equipment for that most famous of Spanish dishes…the Paella Pan!

The Picnic Box Situated right next door to the Restaurant you can now purchase take away tea, coffee, hot chocolate, wines and beers, salad boxes, bagels, baras, sandwiches, ice cream and cold drinks! Picnic boxes can also be pre-ordered to take with you on your adventures around the gardens and Maria and her friendly staff will also be more than happy to cater for allergies and intolerances.

Private Parties For bookings of 12 or more people, we would be happy to accommodate your private party any evening of the week. We can tailor a menu to suit you or you can choose one of our set tapas menus. Please contact us for more information.

Christmas Parties Looking for somewhere and something different to the usual Christmas party? Head on over to Maria’s where her team will cater for your party from 12 to 50 people. Whatever your needs, we’re sure you will find the perfect menu for you, but if not, our team will create one to suit your requirements!

The new ‘Wine Cellar’ with a vaulted ceiling and wood burning fire provides the perfect atmosphere for Christmas parties or cosy lunches

Outside Catering Yes we do that too! So if you’re planning a party or event and need catering then do speak to us and we can tailor a menu to suit your requirements.

Tapas Parties  Do you want to hold a tapas evening at your home? Why not let us do all the hard work for you? Give us 48 hours notice and we will prepare a delicious selection of tapas of your choice and have it ready for you to collect to heat up in your own home.

Freshly prepared tortillas, quiches and frittatas Just give us 24 hours notice and we can freshly prepare for your collection!

Reservations for evening events is essential – call 01437 751346

A Fascinating Background…

Casa Maria the popular Cafe, Restaurant and Delicatessen in Haverfordwest relocated to Picton Castle Gardens in September 2014 to embark on a new culinary adventure

Maria Grimwood, who designed and cooked a 3 course lunch menu for the Royal visit to Picton Castle in the early summer of 2014, has run the Courtyard Restaurant at Picton for 15 years alongside Casa Maria, and will now devote all her time to the Restaurant at Picton – which has been totally refurbished to include a Shop and Deli Counter and has be re-named Marias@Picton.

Maria, who is from a small town in Spain, is a passionate lover of food . “I have lived in this country for so many years but I am happy to say I have never lost my appetite for good Spanish food… I make authentic, rustic dishes, not fancy or decorative; only glorious food, cooked with love and drunk with great Spanish wine.”

Catering for events and weddings at Picton is nothing new for Maria – and she is somewhat of a TV celebrity too, having cooked a traditional Spanish dish for Celebrity Chef Nigel Slater on BBC1 in the summer of 2015!