The Jackdaw in Conwy wins Wales' top AA wine award as chef Nick Rudge opens The Nest

It has been a big autumn for Nick Rudge. The Llandudno-born chef's restaurant The Jackdaw, which sits above the old Palace Cinema in Conwy, has won the AA Wine Award of the Year for Wales, and he has just opened a second, more relaxed restaurant a short walk away.

The AA Wine Award recognises the best wine list in the country, and Nick collected it at the AA Hospitality Awards in London, a ceremony attended by more than 1,000 guests. "Winning the AA Wine Award of the Year for Wales is a huge honour, and wonderful recognition of what we have been building at The Jackdaw over the past five years," he said. "We are passionate about working with local producers and showcasing the incredible quality of Welsh wine alongside the exceptional ingredients we have on our doorstep."

The Jackdaw's list champions Welsh vineyards to sit alongside its tasting menus. To mark the restaurant's fifth anniversary, Nick ran a special à la carte menu this October featuring dishes that helped define its story, including barbecued courgette with horseradish and kefir sauce, Dyffryn Conwy lamb with pickled cockles and mint, and the much-loved Gynwys dessert.

Nick knows the area well. A former pupil of Ysgol San Sior and Ysgol Bryn Elian and a student at Llandrillo College, he was a junior sous chef at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck before moving home to Llandudno in 2021. He ran a sellout takeaway, The Jackdaw At Home, during lockdown, then opened the restaurant. In 2024 he appeared on BBC Two's Great British Menu.

The new venture, The Nest, has opened in the former Midland Tapas premises on Castle Street after a soft opening on 16 October. It was fully booked for its first week. "I know not everybody wants a tasting menu," Nick explained, adding that he hoped the new restaurant would also give his staff more hours.

The Nest has a bar area for walk-in customers, with snacks such as Welsh charcuterie and salted almonds, a lunch menu from 12pm to 2pm with sandwiches and bagels, and an all-day à la carte menu. Dishes include a fishcake made with local pollock from Mermaid Seafoods in Llandudno, whitebait in a batter made with Wild Horse's Nokota Session Ale, sea bass with seaweed butter, and steak and chips with béarnaise sauce. Specials will follow once the kitchen has found its feet.

Nick describes the atmosphere as very chilled and relaxed, with the same calm feel as The Jackdaw.

Menus and bookings for The Jackdaw on Conwy High Street can be found at thejackdawconwy.co.uk.