A FARMING estate near Corwen has made the most of its time in lockdown by transforming the look of one of several facilities it has on sight.

Rhug Estate’s Bison Grill Bistro has been transformed into the new-look Café Rhug, which opened today.

Speaking to the Denbighshire Free Press in June, Rhug owner Lord Newborough aka Robert Wynn, said the estate was 'under pressure' due to the coronavirus pandemic, with redundancies having to be made at the site.

He added that visitor numbers on weekends had dropped from 3000 to below 50.

However, with lockdown now lifted, Rhug can begin to find its feet again and it is hoped the re-branded Rhug Cafe can go some way towards achieving that.

The new layout will mean customers will order their meals and drinks from the counter before sitting down in the comfort of the old Bistro. The concept behind Café Rhug is to make it a ‘quick and easy’ visit for customers.

Similar to Rhug Estate’s Takeaway and Drive Thru the Café’s dishes will use seasonal ingredients and organic meat produced on Rhug’s farm.

Lord Newborough, Owner of Rhug Estate said, “The opportunity to reflect on what our indoor dining customers desire has arisen as a result of having to close the bistro during Lockdown.

"I am delighted to be able to open again and offer a new and exciting eating experience which should hopefully reassure our visitors of their health and safety at the same time. We all know how unpredictable the Welsh weather can be and we are pleased to now be able to offer visitors a place to enjoy their meal without battling the elements.

"We hope both local customers and those travelling from afar support our new café. I know it will be different to what we had before but we had to think out of the box and address what we can provide our customers in these very difficult times.”

Café Rhug will be open five days a week to begin with from Thursdays to Mondays, 9am until 5pm initially, until Rhug Estate’s staff numbers are back to full strength.

Rhug Estate itself covers 2,500 acres extending from Gwyddelwern in the north, Carrog to the east, Cynwyd to the south and Maerdy to the west.

As well as its new cafe, Rhug unveiled another project during the coronavirus lockdown - a skincare collection called 'Wild Beauty'.

These products have all been made using organic and wild foraged ingredients from Rhug Estate itself.