Have you munched more puff pastry cases than Paul Hollywood? Think you're a bit of a cake connoisseur? Well, you're in luck, because the city of Cardiff has some pretty outstanding places to get your freshly-baked fix! Here are some of the best:

The Deck

Image source: @_TheDeck

Partial to a cupcake (or ten)? If buttercream frosting is your thing, then The Deck has to be at the top of your list for grabbing a bite in the Bay! With a host of food awards under their belt, and an amazing eye for detail, it's not difficult to see why this coffee house and cakery has built such a loyal following with the cake-lovers of Cardiff! Whether you're looking for a simple cupcake and coffee, or a deliciously decadent afternoon tea, The Deck serves up an unbeatable selection of freshly-baked goodies, in a delightful and cosy setting!

Cocorico 

No one does patisserie like the French, but even if you don't have the budget to fly over to France, you can still sample their baked delights right here in Cardiff! If you're looking for truly excellent sweet treats, that look as good as they taste, then Cocorico Patisserie is the ultimate indulgence to sample in the city. Hailing from France, and with experience in some of Cardiff's best-loved restaurants (including Milgi and Bullys), patisserie-owner Laurian brings both authenticity and local-knowledge to this business, with fantastic results!

Nata & Co

Image source: @natacouk

It's not just French offerings we serve up here in Cardiff! We're lucky enough to be home to a host of baking pros from around the world, including the amazing team at Nata&Co, who serve up mouth-watering Portuguese pastries! Thanks to the popularity of the once fledgling business, they're now expanding across Cardiff, so you'll be able to enjoy their fabulous selection of baked treats, wherever you are in the city! The stand-out has to be their iconic Pastel de Nata, which is guaranteed to have you leaving with takeaway box in hand!

Pettigrew Tea Rooms/Bakery

Image source: facebook.com/PettigrewBakeries

Everyone knows that there's only one place to go for afternoon tea in Cardiff, and that's Pettigrew! Serving up mouth-watering cakes and scones, it's been a firm favourite with locals and tourists for years, and now it even has its very own artisan bakery! While you'll have to pop outside the city centre to sample the latter, a trip to Cobridge Road East is truly worth it, to sample the delights of Pattigrew Bakeries. Whether you have a sweet tooth, or your a bigger fan of savoury breads and bakes, Pettigrew has it all, with a fantastically varied selection on offer.

Brød

Image source: @thedanishbakery

Didn't think we'd find another, authentic pastry of the world that you could sample here in Cardiff? Wrong! The Danish pastry is a firm favourite throughout the world, but those who haven't been lucky enough to visit Denmark itself, may not know how truly amazing their entire portfolio of baked goods are! Luckily, you can sample the wonderful creation that is the snegl, at Brød, which is cosily perched on a corner of Wyndham Crescent. This wonderfully Scandinavian bakery serves up a delicious array of breads and pastries, which are lovingly created by a proud Dane! 

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The UK is now home to several million people who do not eat meat, and yet it can sometimes still be tricky for vegetarians and vegans to find a decent place to eat. If you find yourself hungry in Cardiff, we'd strongly recommend the following veggie-friendly eateries, all of which are conveniently located in/near the centre of the Welsh capital...

Note: No list of outstanding veggie restaurants in Cardiff would be complete without a mention of the Vegetarian Food Studio on Penarth Road. However, in the interest of fairness, we've decided to omit them from our top 3 today; the VFS is very popular among local herbivores, and their food is undeniably delicious, but we featured them on our list of Cardiff's Best Indian Restaurants just a couple of weeks ago - today, we'd like to pay tribute to three exceptional meat-free establishments that we haven't talked about before!

Milgi
213 City Road, CF24 3JD

Image source: @milgicardiff

This 'plant-based restaurant and bar' can be found on Cardiff's bustling City Road, a brief 15-20 minute walk from Queen Street. They serve a colourful array of natural, meat-free dishes, and their very seasonal menu makes this place worth returning to again and again. They do a great variety of cocktails, too!

Atma
9-10 Church Street, CF10 1BG

Image source: facebook.com/cafeatma

Atma is handily located slap-bang in the middle of central Cardiff. This vegetarian/vegan café is operated by members of the Hare Krishna movement, and the menu encompasses a wide variety of cuisines; whatever you're in the mood for, you'll find it here!

Crumbs Kitchen
33 Morgan Arcade, CF10 1AF

Image source: @CrumbsKitchen

Tucked away in one of Cardiff's much-loved Victorian arcades (not far from Spillers Records, famously the 'oldest record shop in the world'), Crumbs Kitchen offer a great selection of light meals for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone else who just fancies a break from meat dishes. On the local scene, they're best known for their legendary vegetarian salad bowls, which you can fill to the brim with your choice of foods. If you're shopping in Cardiff and need a place to stop for lunch, Crumbs will do very nicely indeed!

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Indian cuisine doesn't begin and end with fiery curries - it's a rich, diverse thing, with all kinds of different dishes to choose from. Truthfully, it's not really even fair to lump it all under the same heading; each region of India has its own unique culinary experience to offer, from the tropical spices of Goa to the delicate flavours of Odisha.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

British people who aren't aware of this diversity often fall into the trap of associating Indian food exclusively with cheap and nasty takeaways, seldom venturing beyond microwaveable chicken kormas and the occasional cheeky vindaloo. Still, it's never too late to broaden one's horizons - if you're in Cardiff and you fancy trying something a little more exotic than the standard Indian takeaway, here are 3 local Indian restaurants that we think you'll enjoy:

Mint and Mustard

134 Whitchurch Road, CF14 3LZ

The Mint and Mustard team describe themselves as having "pioneered the British new wave of Indian cuisine". Built upon the flavours and philosophies of Kerala (a state in South West India that's known for fresh, healthy foods), Mint and Mustard's delicious dishes are wonderfully presented and critically acclaimed.

Vegetarian Food Studio

115-117 Penarth Road, CF11 6JU

Image source: @VegFoodStudio

 India reportedly has the lowest rate of meat consumption in the world, with some estimates suggesting that as much as 40% of the total Indian population is vegetarian. As this restaurant's name suggests, they don't serve any meat, but meat-eaters shouldn't be put off - owner Neil Patel and his team serve up a huge variety of veggie dishes from India and elsewhere in Asia that may well have you wondering if you even want to go back to meat.

Purple Poppadom

185A Cowbridge Road East, CF11 9AJ

Image source: @Purple_poppadom

Purple Poppadom purports to be the "home of New Indian Cuisine in Cardiff", and the many awards that have been heaped upon Chef Anand George's restaurant suggest that this boast may not be misplaced. This establishment on Whitchurch Road takes a fresh, innovative approach to traditional Indian meals, and this - combined with the restaurant's colourful decor - makes for an authentic yet very modern dining experience.

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Christmas in Cardiff is often a special time, as it is in many other cities across the UK. The Christmas lights on Cardiff castle, the lights on Queen Street, the Christmas stalls in the Hayes and not forgetting Cardiff’s very own Winter Wonderland all make Christmas in our capital city very special indeed.

So to help give you some ideas of what to do entertain yourselves and the rest of the family over the Christmas holidays, we have come up with a list of things to do in Cardiff this Christmas.

WalesOnline Winter Wonderland

If you are lacking festive spirit or just want to get out and about to do some more Christmas activities, winter wonderland is 100% the place to be! The ice rink is the star attraction and with tickets starting from £9 for adults, £7.50 for youths aged 13 to 16 and £6.50 for children aged 8 to 12, it is a fantastic way to spend a winters evening. Alternatively, you can get a family ticket for just £28!

Entry in to Winter Wonderland for the stores and other attractions is free so you wander round and take in the sights. The other attractions include the Alpine Village, serving authentic German sausage as well as sweet treats such as crepes and the funfair with a variety of rides and games that are suitable for the whole family!

We visited last week and absolutely loved it, so why not head down yourself for a look!

Get more information on the venue by clicking here.

Cardiff Christmas Market 

The Cardiff Christmas market has an abundance of stalls that will suit everybody! Perhaps you want to sample some of the food or drink on offer? Why not head over to Churros Ole for some freshly made Churros with chocolate sauce, or maybe for the adults, some locally brewed beer from the guys at Crafty Devil Brewing Ltd?

Hurry though as the market is only there until 23^rd December, so we recommend heading down to the Hayes soon to make sure you get to see all of the festive treats on offer!

For further information on the Cardiff Christmas market, simply click here!

Santa’s Grotto at Cardiff Castle

It’s not Christmas until you pay Santa a visit, and no matter how old we get here at Kitchen Economy, we still love it!

This year Santa has set up his grotto in the magical Black Tower at Cardiff Castle.

Prices start at £7.50 for a child with a photo and go up to £12 for a child, gift and two photos. Guaranteed to be an experience that your children will never forget, this will add that little bit of magic to Christmas 2015!

For more information and how to book, visit the Cardiff Castle website here.

So as you can see, there are some fantastic activities going in Cardiff this Christmas! Why not wrap up warm and head outside to experience some of those fantastic things!

From everyone here at Kitchen Economy, we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Now the school holidays have been in swing for over a week, we thought we would share a few school holiday activities for kids with you that we think are perfect for children of all ages.

We all know just because it is summer, there is no guarantee of sunshine all the time! So we have been considerate with our choices and chosen summer activities that are both outside and inside!

Cardiff Castle

If you are a resident of Cardiff, all you need to do is take a utility bill or anything else as proof of address to get your castle key which will then be valid for 3 years.

Don’t worry though, even if you don’t live in Cardiff, you can still get tickets for adults for £12.00 and tickets for children aged 5 to 16 for £9.00. Any children under the age of 5 get in to the castle for free.

To get more information on the Cardiff Castle opening hours and a full list of what the key entitles you to, simply visit the Cardiff Castle website here.

Free Swimming Sessions

Great news this summer, if your children are under the age of 16, the Welsh government is offering them the chance to go swimming for free in one of six leisure centres across the city between July 20^th and August 28^th.

Included in this list are Eastern Leisure Centre, Fairwater Leisure Centre, Llanishen Leisure Centre, Maindy Leisure Centre, Pentwyn Leisure Centre and Western Leisure Centre.

Each of the Leisure Centres offer free swimming sessions at various times during week. For further information, visit the designated Cardiff council page here.

Margam Park

Margam Park is a fantastic country park located just off Junction 38 of the M4. It is free to enter but there is a small car parking fee of £4.50 per car.

With attractions including a narrow gauge railway, a high wire adventure as well as all of the wonderful open space that Margam Park has to offer, you are guaranteed to have a fantastic day out in the great Welsh countryside.

Perhaps your children want to pay a visit to the Children’s Fairytale village which has a brilliant adventure castle and miniature houses, as well as picnic area!

The perfect day would be to pack a picnic for the whole family and head down to Margam Park to enjoy the views and attractions that this fantastic park has to offer.

For further information on all of the attractions at Margam Park, simply visit the parks website here.

National Museum of Wales

The National Museum of Wales is a fantastic building with many exhibitions and talks going on throughout the course of the summer holidays. A perfect venue for a rainy day, the museum has something for everyone to enjoy.

One exhibition that is a must see this summer is Wales’s Newest Dinosaur which is a skeleton of a 200 million year old dinosaur. The exhibition has been in place since 9^th June and is there until the 31^st August.

Sticking with nature, another exhibition “I Spy Nature” opened on 19^th July and is there until January 2016. The exhibition is family friendly and offers a fantastic interactive experience on how different animals see nature, and even offers the chance for you to dress up to experience the exhibition differently.

For further information on Wales’s Newest Dinosaur exhibition, click here. Or if you would like more information on the museum itself, visit the homepage here.

Other events to look out for are Admirals Cardiff Big Weekend at the Cardiff civic centre on 5^th August and the MAS Carnival on 6^th August. For more places to visit, try the Museum of Welsh Life and Cardiff Bay. For events further afield, try Big Pit in Blaenavon, or Mumbles in Swansea.