Rocket & Rye

The place

Cowbridge High Street is where you’ll find Rocket and Rye. It’s a welcoming little haven, a lovely spot to relax and take some time out for yourself or with friends.

You can sit in the front and watch town life go by, or choose the garden area with its pastel shades. Whether it’s daylight flooding in from the canopied ceiling, or scores of tiny lights in the evening, this is a cosy place to spend a couple of hours.

Good to know

Owners John and Ceri Cook use nearby suppliers as much as possible- it’s a mutual beneficial arrangement for the local economy, they reason.

Each month the menu is completely rewritten. So we won’t recommend individual ‘must order’ dishes, because the food here is about staying true to one key principle: “Use what’s good, when it’s good”.

It’s an uncomplicated idea for uncomplicated cooking. But don’t mistake ‘uncomplicated’ for unremarkable: we mean that what guides Rocket & Rye is a belief in putting things together which will get along famously. Thoughtful, tasteful combinations, unfussy dishes, and everything there for a reason.

What to order

With that year-round commitment to what they call ‘seasonal dishes created for sharing’, and that monthly menu change, we’ll just give you a flavour of what you might find.

Fat wild prawns with wild garlic; or beetroot sliced carpaccio-thin dotted with celeriac puree, puy lentils and mixed seeds. Perhaps it’ll be plump asparagus with Jersey royals and an oozing soft-boiled egg; or chicken thighs with harissa, honey and yoghurt. Maybe you’ll find the softest ricotta dumplings with sage butter, or flat iron steak served pink with punchy salsa verde? The problem here is narrowing it down as to what to order.

Sunday lunches are hugely popular here because they get the basics right: huge puffed Yorkshires, beef cooked rosy pink, a rich dark gravy, the crispest roasted potatoes.

If any of those are beckoning, you’ll find much more to enjoy here. Typically there will be around 20 dishes, and plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Just don’t expect an easy ride when it comes to choosing. This is somewhere you’ll be keen to come back to time and time again, to relax in that cosy space and to work your way through the menu.

Rocket & Rye: thoughtful food, skilfully planned and put together in a way which encourages relaxed sociable eating. In short, the sort of place every town needs, but not all towns get.

Facilities & Services:

• Limited on street parking is available, but there is plenty in the Town Hall Car Park. First 2 hours are free.
• A child’s roast is available to order on a Sunday.
• High chairs and baby-changing are available.
• The Rocket & Rye garden is dog-friendly.