Horse Trailer Turned Mobile Cafe

What do you do with an old horse trailer? Actually, what do you do with an old horse trailer that is filled with straw, has a bum axle, useless wheels and needs a new towing bar? Well, make it into a mobile cafe, obviously.

If you know the name ‘Ian Llewellyn,’ you’re probably a little too into the behind-the-scenes workings of the overseas film and television industry. He may be best known for being a ‘food stylist’ or a ‘food dresser’ on production sets, but according to an article by Wales Online, Llewellyn has converted a small, run-down horse trailer into a mobile coffee shop that, along with great fare, boasts the highest food hygiene rating that it could possibly secure.

Llewellyn had looked high and low for the right catering trailer, although, when he couldn’t find the one he wanted, he ended up turning his vision into a quirky mobile office – and a tasty one, too.

“I was out of work and I had fancied doing something like this for ages and then I just went looking for a catering trailer,” Llewellyn said.

The conversion of the trailer took 10 weeks, which forced Llewellyn to miss some events that he was looking to hit up. “The only thing we kept was the shell,” he said.

The confines of the eatery are cramped, without a doubt, but the meticulous design and custom work has paid off in spades.

Warm beverages and an assortment of classic Welsh fare have helped turn the once-dilapidated trailer into a hot local favourite at Ogmore-by-Sea, a pristine locale which is found just to the west of Cardiff.

And it’s not just the locals that are reveling in some of the dishes that are being served up. Actor Jerome Flynn, best known as of late for portraying ‘Bronn’ on HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones,’ recently showed up for a taste of Welsh rarebit.

The enterprise – which goes by the name ‘The Coffi Pig’ – has been such a hit with the locals that it has been opening seven days a week.

Business has been such that Llewellyn has had to enlist the help of his daughters and his parents to help keep up with demand.

“It’s probably the best office I have ever worked in in my life,” he said. “The horse box has taken over my life. I wake up thinking about the horse box and I go to sleep thinking about the horse box.”

(With files from Wales Online)