Chris Flamebaster Roberts brings the community together as he recreates a historic 1954 whole‑cow feast in Llanberis – a 30‑hour cookout that brings a village’s history back to life 70 years on.
Chris first discovered the power of cooking while working as a support worker in north Wales, using food to bring joy and connection to people with additional needs:
Chris says: “Working as a support worker for people with learning disabilities in Caernarfon for over 17 years, I saw the transformative power of food firsthand. From making ingredient lists to visiting local butchers, fishmongers, and farmers, I watched how cooking brought people together and built confidence.”
Since then, he has travelled the world – from New York to Japan – cooking and feasting with top international chefs, but in his latest BBC series, Flaming Feasts, he wants to explore more of his homeland and uncover Wales’ incredible food past, present and future.
One of the standout moments from the series is a 30‑hour cow cookout for hundreds of Llanberis locals – a recreation of the village’s 1954 celebration marking the end of World War II food rationing. Chris hopes this new cookout will become a fresh community memory for the next generation. He says:
“We recreated a famous whole cow feast that the village held in 1954 to celebrate the end of wartime rationing. Three locals who were kids back then came to share their stories and memories of ’54 and to enjoy our recreation – and I was soooo relieved they loved the beef! A special moment. We fed well over 300 people, including lots of kids, and seeing them experience something that made such an impact on the older generations was incredible. This wasn’t just about feeding people – it was about creating new memories for future generations. And the beef… We cooked it for 30 hours over open fire, and it was spectacular!
“30 hours of cooking, no sleep, and a whole lot of fire and smoke.”
It was an extra‑special moment, as he was reunited with Steffan, who he used to support during his years as a support worker – the period in which he developed a true passion for cooking and saw its power in uniting communities and in bringing people together.
All episodes of Flaming Feasts Series 2 will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from Friday 27 March. The Llanberis episode will also be available to watch on television on BBC One Wales, Friday 3 April, and across the UK on BBC One (Network) Saturday 4 April.
