Foodie tours south Wales in search of the perfect custard slice

A creator is touring cafes, bakeries, and coffee shops across south Wales in search of the best custard slices on offer, and 35,000 social media followers are joining her for the journey.

Having hit six spots since the series began on 16 January, Dawn said “it’s mad” that she’s even made a radio appearance about the tour.

After asking for recommendations from her viewers in mid-January, the series has garnered over 200,000 views on TikTok and 6,000 likes on Instagram.

Dawn has sampled the custard slices from The Tea Rooms in Glynneath, Princes in Ponty, Jersey Bakery in Port Talbot, PoGo Bakery in Bridgend, The Chocolate House in the Rhondda Heritage Park, and Terry’s Patisserie in Aberbargoed.

She offers her viewers a final verdict on each slice, measuring them with both a silver tray and her ‘custard slice ruler’ to ensure she is “consistent”, and factoring in price and taste before giving them a rating out of ten.

 

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A post shared by Dawn Fearn (@dawnietheexplorer)

So far, The Tea Rooms’ offering has ranked highest with a rating of 9.5, also providing the biggest slice at 4.5 x 2.5 inches. In keeping with Dawn’s love of the sweet treats, thus far no slice has scored lower than 7.5.

“I am trying to stick to the traditional custard slice. Going off on variants, I know I should have a jam one. I’m also trying to do a mixture of sit-in places and bakeries,” Dawn explained. “It’s been quite interesting to see how much the sizes vary.”

Although Dawn’s content usually focuses on her home, Swansea, she is no stranger to evaluating what local eateries have to offer, also creating series on the city’s cafes and Chinese takeaways.

Dawn has previously cooked food on GMTV and shared a meal with iconic chef, Marco Pierre White. The “self-declared foodie” works as a full-time carer.

It’s safe to say the series has made quite a splash with south Wales locals, with one commenter saying, “I am honest to god obsessed with this journey – I’ll be tuning in every time!”

On the task Dawn has undertaken, another commenter added: “It’s a difficult job but someone has to do it. What a selfless public servant you are.”

Follow Dawn on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to keep up with the tour and offer any local recommendations for the custard slice rankings.