News

Secret Bara Brith recipe at heart of Welsh town’s new puzzle adventure

29 Aug 2026 3 minute read

Testing the new Crumb Busters game are (from left) Jodie Griffith and Chris Jones from Newtown Food Festival with Lorna Morris and Jo Woodall from Beyond Breakout.

Nation.Cymru Staff

A new outdoor puzzle adventure inspired by a secret Bara Brith recipe will send players searching for clues through the streets of a mid Wales town.

As part of Newtown Food Festival, the new outdoor escape adventure, Crumb Busters, created by Mid Wales escape-game specialists Beyond Breakout, will run throughout the festival on 5 and 6 September.

The activity centres around one of Newtown’s most famous pioneers, Robert Owen, whose precious family Bara Brith recipe players will help to uncover.

Using their phones, teams will explore Newtown, follow clues and complete challenges as they work their way towards the missing recipe, with the first 100 teams able to take part for free.

The game is a mixture of treasure hunt, escape game and local adventure with opportunities for both teamwork and detective work.

Beyond Breakout, creators of a growing range of outdoor and digital escape adventures, have developed the game in partnership with Newtown Food Festival, who funded the first 100 free team plays as part of the launch celebrations.

Lorna Morris and Jo Woodall, Beyond Breakout partners, said: “We wanted to create something that would encourage people to explore Newtown in a completely different way, while involving one of the town’s most fascinating characters into a fun, family-friendly adventure.

“Robert Owen’s story provided the perfect inspiration and what better treasure to be searching for during a food festival than a precious family Bara Brith recipe!

“We’re incredibly grateful to Newtown Food Festival for supporting the launch and making it possible for the first 100 teams to experience Crumb Busters for free.”

Chris Jones, a member of the Newtown Food Festival committee, added: “We’re thrilled to be working in collaboration with Beyond Breakout and to support a fantastic local business in bringing such a fun and interactive experience to life in Newtown.

“What makes Crumb Busters particularly exciting is that its legacy will continue long after the festival weekend. It gives both visitors and local people a new reason to explore Newtown, discover more about the town and see familiar places from a completely different perspective.

“We’re delighted to be able to support the launch and can’t wait to see people out solving the puzzles and, hopefully, getting their hands on Robert Owen’s secret Bara Brith recipe!”

To claim their free game, players must visit Lorna and Jo from Beyond Breakout at their stall on High Street on Saturday, during the Newtown Food Festival.

The first 100 teams will receive a code to play Crumb Busters free of charge. Each team can then set off on their Newtown adventure using their own phones.

Following the festival, Crumb Busters will remain available as a pay-and-play experience for £36 per team, making it a new year-round attraction for families, visitors and locals.

Newtown Food Festival celebrates the food, drink and producers of Newtown and the surrounding area. More information is available on the festival’s site here.

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