The Warren

Lunches on Sunday
Volunteer Days Every Thursday
Let’s reopen The Warren, together
See the plan here https://www.warrenmanselst.co.uk/
(903)

The Warren is a cafe/restaurant/food hub based in the historic Welsh town of Carmarthen. Think great wholesome food and drinks to match.

16/05/2026

What if restaurants didn’t have to burn people out to survive?

Over the past few months I’ve been asking myself some difficult questions about the future of The Warren.

I don’t think I want to return to running it in the traditional way.
But I also don’t think I’m ready to let go of what it could still become.

What if The Warren became something more collaborative?
More community-rooted?
More shared?
Less dependent on one exhausted owner trying to hold everything together?

Over recent years, helping build the pay-what-you-can-afford model at Cegin Hedyn CIC has completely changed how I think about food, hospitality and community.

It’s made me wonder whether there’s another model worth exploring here altogether.

Something between:

* restaurant
* community space
* cooperative
* cultural hub
* local food project

I’m genuinely curious:

Do you think a worker/community-supported model like this could actually work in Carmarthen?

And what would make you want to support or be part of something like it?

I’d really love to hear people’s honest thoughts, ideas and reactions below.

Please share this too if you know someone who might have something valuable to bring to the conversation.

17/02/2026

Last minute event we're hosting for SERO Community Environment Centre.

One of the UK’s most respected environmental voices. He’s on tour with his latest book Love, Anger & Betrayal and Carmarthen is on the map.

Free entry. 7–9pm. Booking essential!

Bar will be open.

If you care about climate, food systems and where all this is heading, come and be part of the conversation.

13/02/2026

"Cocoa Crisis" message from our friends at Suma Wholefoods

If you’ve been trying to buy cocoa powder recently and found the shelves empty, you’re not imagining it. There is a serious global cocoa shortage right now, and the organic Fairtrade cocoa that meets the standards we believe in simply isn’t available.

Cocoa-growing regions have been hit hard by climate disruption, crop disease and deep-rooted inequalities in farming systems. Yields are down. Demand is high. Prices have reached levels the industry hasn’t seen before.

Even conventional cocoa is now difficult and expensive to source. But organic Fairtrade cocoa, which is the only kind our suppliers at Suma will sell, is even harder to come by. At the moment, there just isn’t enough of it available, at any price. Buyers are being told that meaningful supply may not return until mid-2026.

When ingredients get scarce, some brands quietly lower standards. They switch away from Fairtrade, reformulate with cheaper fats like palm oil, shrink the product and keep the price high.

The risks of environmental harm, unsafe working conditions and forced labour in cocoa supply chains are very real. That’s exactly why organic and Fairtrade certification matter. Rather than sell something that doesn’t meet their standards, they’ve chosen to pause sales and be honest about it. No quiet substitutions. No skimpflation. Just transparency.

This isn’t just affecting Suma. The whole chocolate industry is under pressure. You may have noticed shrinking bars, ingredient changes, or products that technically aren’t even “chocolate” anymore. These are all signs of the same global cocoa crisis.

For me, this is another reminder of how fragile our food system is. Ethical and sustainable food doesn’t always mean everything is available all of the time, especially as the climate crisis continues to put pressure on global supply chains.

Thanks to Suma for being upfront about it, and thanks to everyone who continues to choose food with integrity, even when it’s inconvenient.

Deri Reed x

Soil Association Fairtrade Foundation Suma Wholefoods Centre for Alternative Technology Ethical Consumer Magazine

11/02/2026

A huge congratulations to everyone who completed the Home Cookery Course with Cegin Y Bobl here at The Warren. It has been brilliant to see people building confidence, skills and a deeper connection to food.

Next up is a two-part Food Leadership Course for anyone wanting to lead positive change around food in their workplace or community. In my opinion a fantastic opportunity for someone
who cares about food security, sustainability, education or community change.

If someone springs to mind please tag them in the comments below.

Until next time, Deri x

Bouygues Construction The National Lottery Community Fund

24/01/2026

I’m not reopening The Warren. I’m re-thinking it.

Not a big announcement. Not a relaunch. Just some honest thinking about what a slower, more shared next chapter could look like.

I’m exploring co-operative ways of working and community ownership ideas, and as part of that I’m also considering a very gentle Sunday lunch pilot, one day a week, to test the waters.

Before anything happens, I wanted to open the conversation.

If you’re curious, I’d love to hear from you. There are a few different ways this might resonate:

Lane 1: interested in shaping the long-term direction (co-op ideas, community ownership, systems, big-picture thinking)

Lane 2: interested in helping trial a Sunday lunch pilot (paid, Sunday-only, low pressure)

Lane 3: just curious and cheering from the sidelines

👇 Drop a comment below with Lane 1, Lane 2, or Lane 3

Deri x

12/01/2026

And that’s a wrap! Huge shout out to Debs, who has been behind the scenes keeping this all running as smoothly as possible! One of our customers said she had the most important job, her face lit up with a smile when she told me this and they weren’t wrong! A huge team effort from all 3 of us!

Huge thank you to everyone who has supported us for these past 6 weeks, quite the rollercoaster from behind and in front of the scenes :)

What’s next? Want to collaborate? If you are a chef, producer, winemaker, artist, organiser or simply someone with an idea you’d like to explore, we would love to hear from you. The Warren is very much becoming a shared space, shaped by the people who pass through it. And if you know someone who you think would enjoy what we’re doing, please do spread the word.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Deri x

10/01/2026

It’s Gnocchi Time! For our last two services Jack is pulling out all the stops and preparing one of his favourite dishes, Gnocchi. With cheese from Caws Teifi Cheese, Polenta from Y Felin & the show stopping crown prince from Bwyd Sir Gâr Food!

Thank you to each and every one of you who have supported this collabouration between Jack & I, the two words that spring to mind are enchanting & magical!

Keep your eyes peeled for what’s next to come.

Deri & Jack ###

05/01/2026

Over 15 years ago, I read a book called Wild Garlic, Gooseberries, and Me by Dennis Cotter. At the time, I was working in kitchens where my belief in local food, cooking from scratch, and proper nutrition often felt out of place. Reading that book gave me faith that there were chefs and restaurants out there doing things differently and doing them well.

I wrote to Dennis and asked if I could come and do a stage. A week later, that leap of faith turned into a job at Café Paradiso, and I moved to Ireland with very little plan beyond cooking good food and seeing where it might lead. It was challenging, life changing, and it shaped so much of who I am as a chef today.

Fast forward to now, and it is this very book that quietly brought Jack and me together to create these pop-ups at The Warren. We share a deep love for this way of cooking, and with just one week left, I am feeling a huge amount of gratitude for Jack, for this space, and for everyone who has joined us along the way.

As we head into the final week, I am fully focused on making these last four pop-ups as magical as they can possibly be.

Now I would love to hear from you 👇
Has a book, meal, or place ever changed the direction of your life or work?
Or is there a food book you always recommend to others?

Drop it in the comments, I am always looking for the next good read.

Deri

Address

11 Mansel Street
Carmarthen
SA311PX

Opening Hours

12pm - 3pm

Website

http://www.WarrenManselSt.co.uk/

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