Bread of heaven (From Western Telegraph)

Bread of heaven

Michael Snelling from Moylegrove left Pembrokeshire to pursue a career as chef.

His job took him to some of the UK's most prestigious sporting venues and he ended up at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. But now he has returned home to take over the Abergwaun Hotel on Market Square, Fishguard.

Michael, aged 37, trained with TrustHouse Forte Hotels, and worked his way up through the ranks. He began doing outdoor catering for special events including the Henley Regatta, Royal Ascot, the Open and the Ryder Cup.

He became head chef at Huddersfield's Alfred McAlpine stadium, before moving on to the Bolton Wanderers' Reebok Stadium and at Blackburn Rovers.

Michael was head-hunted to set up the catering service at the Millennium Stadium, where he worked until he decided to strike out on his own.

"I've been employed by corporate organisations all my working life, and the next step up would have been a desk job," he said. "I'm a chef at heart, that's where the hotel comes in."

Plans are afoot for a complete refurbishment of the building, and in the meantime Michael is developing the food side of the business. "I'm going for traditional pub food, using Pembrokeshire produce," he said. "I want to offer quality, freshness of ingredients and value for money to a local market."