TŶ CAWS

Owner of Tŷ Caws, Owen Davies.

A taste of Wales, and a new chapter for Castle Arcade 

A visitor to Cardiff recently left with a rather unusual souvenir: an entire ten-kilogram wheel of Welsh cheese, worth around £400. 

The American tourist had visited Tŷ Caws independent cheese shop as part of a Welsh food tour, sampling three different cheeses, including the award-winning Hafod. When he spotted that the batch date on the cheese matched his birthday, he decided it was meant to be. 

Later that afternoon, he returned to buy the entire wheel. 

“I don't know how they got it back to America,” laughs shop owner Owen Davies, who describes it as one of the most memorable sales the shop has ever made. 

It's a story that captures something of the appeal of independent food shopping: the opportunity to discover something unexpected, learn about where it comes from and, occasionally, develop such an attachment to it that you end up buying ten kilos. 

And it's exactly the kind of experience that Owen is hoping to create at Tŷ Caws, a specialist cheese shop and wine bar dedicated to showcasing the best of Welsh and British cheesemaking. 

The business sells carefully selected cheeses through its Castle Arcade shop, online and at local farmers' markets, helping customers discover the producers and traditions behind some of the country's most distinctive foods. 

But establishing a permanent home in Cardiff city centre was about more than finding somewhere to sell cheese. For Owen, it was important that the Welsh capital should have a specialist cheese shop of its own, and that it should occupy a space that reflected the character of the products on its shelves. Castle Arcade offered both. 

“It's like walking through a piece of history,” he says of the Victorian arcade, whose original architecture and distinctive shopfronts make it one of Cardiff's most recognisable destinations. 

It also had a connection to Cardiff's food-shopping history. Castle Arcade was previously home to Madame Fromage, a much-loved specialist food business that had already established the arcade as somewhere people could seek out cheese and other delicacies. 

For Owen, opening Tŷ Caws offered an opportunity to continue that tradition while creating something distinctly his own. And while the shop's surroundings celebrate the past, its approach to food retail is very much focused on the future. 

As Owen observes, the way people shop has changed in recent years. Customers don't necessarily visit city centres to buy everyday groceries in the way they once did, but they are increasingly interested in experiences that offer something beyond a conventional shopping trip. 

For Tŷ Caws, the addition of a cheese and wine bar has been an important part of that evolution. Visitors can settle in with a cheeseboard and a glass of wine, sample unfamiliar varieties and discover the stories behind the cheeses before deciding what to take home. 

“People don't necessarily shop for food in the city centre, but they want the experience,” Owen explains. “The cheese bar has been a great addition because people can experience what we offer. They often come for cheese and wine and leave with cheese to take home.” 

The shop also hosts tasting events, creating opportunities for customers to explore different varieties and learn more about the people producing them. Alongside cheese, Tŷ Caws champions other Welsh products, including charcuterie and crackers, giving visitors an opportunity to enjoy a taste of Wales in the heart of its capital. It's an approach that has proved particularly appealing to tourists. 

Owen admits he hadn't anticipated just how many international visitors would find their way into the arcades, with customers arriving from America, Canada and further afield. 

Many are actively looking for independent businesses and authentic local experiences and often ask the Tŷ Caws team for recommendations on other places to explore. The arcades, he believes, are one of Cardiff's greatest assets in meeting that demand. 

“When you go to a city, you're wanting to discover things, and the arcades give you that sense of discovery. You never know what's going to be in there. There's a lovely eclectic mix of different businesses, and that's really special.” 

There's plenty to discover within Tŷ Caws itself, too. The original brickwork and stonework offer a glimpse into the building's history, while a network of underground spaces connects parts of Cardiff's historic arcades. 

Owen is particularly fond of these less-visible features, which add another layer of intrigue - but the building's age brings an unexpected practical advantage, too: its basement remains naturally cool throughout the year, making it particularly useful for a business specialising in cheese. 

It's a fitting example of an old space finding a new purpose, and for Owen, that combination of heritage and independent enterprise is what makes the arcades such important places for Cardiff. 

Their historic architecture gives the city something distinctive, but it's the businesses within them that keep the spaces interesting and relevant to new generations. 

Tŷ Caws is one of those: a business taking traditional Welsh food products and finding new ways to introduce them to a modern audience. 

In a city centre where shopping habits continue to evolve, Owen is demonstrating that independent food retail can still have a place - particularly when it offers people something they can't get from a supermarket shelf. 

Sometimes that's a new favourite cheese, discovered over a glass of wine. Sometimes it's a conversation with someone passionate about Welsh food. Every now and then, it's a ten-kilogram wheel of Hafod making an unexpected journey across the Atlantic.