WE all know produce from closer to home is the ideal.

But what if rather than talking about food miles it’s more like food yards?

That’s the situation for guests at Bodnant Welsh Food in North Wales where freshly baked bread and butter made at the eaterie takes door-stopper slices of toast with your breakfast to a new level.

The newly revamped centre, nestled on the edge of the River Conwy in picturesque surroundings just outside the main town, prides itself on fresh produce.

Whether it’s the cheese or ice cream made on site, meat from the fields across the river or honey from the estate, it’s almost impossible to find anything on the menu at the tea room and restaurant or on sale in the farm shop that has travelled any distance.

We visited on a blustery autumn weekend but I can imagine there is nothing better on a cold winter night than picking up a bottle of wine from the on-site specialist store, grabbing two glasses from the well-stocked communal kitchen and parking myself for the evening on the farmhouse accommodation’s couch.

It’s easy to see where the owners spent their £6.5m on the building, which opened just over a year ago, as our cosy room had a modern ensuite bathroom, and state-of-the-art cameras in the centre mean you can watch bees in The National Beekeeping Centre for Wales and bats in a nearby roost.

Our day was rounded off with a delicious three-course evening meal in the Hayloft restaurant where the highlight was a perfectly-cooked rack of Welsh lamb with gnocchi, peas and tomatoes.

Foodie heaven also extends to those who love a lie-in with a full Welsh breakfast served from 8am to 12pm.

With so much going for it, it’s no wonder the centre’s cookery school is attracting some premiere food specialists, including artisan baker Alex Gooch, winner of BBC Radio 4’s ‘best producer award’ in 2011, and chef and TV presenter Angela Gray.

Check their packed timetable online for session dates and prices, with everything from cooking with youngsters to Italian or Thai or all things festive on offer.

Overall, our stay was a very enjoyable one while also slightly ironic as once you have arrived, following just over an hour’s drive from Warrington town centre, you will have probably travelled further than any of the food on your plate.