The Food Hall at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair is a magnet for visitors, and provides an important festive shop-window for Welsh food and drink producers.
This year a number of small and up and coming food producers will be featured in the Food Hall under the auspices of Cywain – a project created to bring added value to primary produce within the agriculture sector.
Many of the producers will be making their show debut, while others will be launching new products and ideas.
Seven companies will feature on the Cywain-managed stand over the two days (December 1 & 2) of the event which is this year celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Talgarth Mill’s traditionally milled flour has won the Brecon Beacons National Park’s community enterprise a host of fans and plaudits including a Silver Award Green Business award.
Run by community volunteers the mill – which uses only water-powered machinery – has worked with Cywain to launch its ‘new look’ products at the Winter Fair.
These include the Pure Range of flours, the Speciality Range for serious bakers and Bread Kits for learner bakers. Top of the bill in this range is ‘Blawd Cymreig’ – 100% Welsh flour made from organic wheat grown just eight miles down the road from the Mill.
Among the Bread Kit range is Spelt, Soda Bread, Spicy Bun Loaf, Sundried Tomato & Herb, and Herb & Olive bread, as well as Black Mountains and Mynydd Du wholemeal bread – using the Mill’s Two Star Great Taste flour.
Meanwhile Talgarth Mill’s bakery café has struck gold at the World Bread Awards with its bread made using 100% strong flour produced from the Mill’s flour milled from Wye Valley grown wheat.
You can’t have bread without butter, and newly formed company, Melyn Môn will be launching a brand new range of flavoured ‘recipe’ butters made with Welsh ingredients, that can be used for so much more than simply spreading on your slice.
Trearddur Bay based Julie Morgan blends delicious Welsh butter with fresh, tasty ingredients to create butters which when added to meat, poultry, fish or vegetables transform simple ingredients into a gourmet dining experience, and shares her recipes with her customers.
The butter, which is sourced from award-winning South Caernarfon Creameries, is blended with Welsh sourced ingredients such as honey, mustard, chili, sunblush tomatoes, coriander, shiitake mushrooms and Perl Las blue cheese to create Melyn Môn’s seven strong range of flavoured butters.
Radnorshire is the Royal Welsh Show’s feature country for 2014, and representing the area on the Cywain stand is Radnor Preserves.
Joanna Morgan’s preserves have a firm following, and she will be launching some new varieties as well as a hamper packed with preserves and a Christmas recipe booklet.
The aim of the booklet is to promote the wider uses of preserves and show how they can be incorporated into a variety of seasonal dishes.
Among the recipes featured are ‘Camembert Cranberry & Port Jelly baked in Puff Pastry’, ‘Quincemeat Strudel’, ‘Poussin roasted in Welsh Whisky Marmalade, ‘Radnor Chilli Jam & Smoked Salmon Blinis’, and ‘Radnor Three Fruit Marmalade Baked Ham’.
Llanrwst based Scilicorns Bakery, will be showcasing its O’r Maen Digestive Biscuits – which are made from wheat grown in the Conwy Valley – as well as its new ‘O’r Maen’ brand.
Baker Antony Griffiths uses flour made from wheat grown by Emyr Hughes at Cae Melwr Farm to create the biscuits. Mr Hughes initially supplied the bakery with vegetables for its soup, which then lead to wheat being trialed at the farm.
At the Winter Fair the biscuits will be available as part of the bakery’s luxury Festive Hamper, which also features Christmas Cake, Christmas Pudding and Mince Pies.
The Winter Fair will be the first show for producers Caru Cawl & Beri Da who complete Monday’s stand line-up.
The family run business will have warming homemade soups as well as muffins, chutney and a unique vinegar made from Aronia berries.
Lauded for their nutritional properties the Williams family started growing the Aronia berries on their Llandwrog farm as part of a diversification project.
While the vegetables for their warming soups are mainly sourced from local producers within the Nantlle Valley.
The second day of the Winter Fair sees venison, butter and chocolate grace the Cywain stand.
Once the home of the Talbot family, and now owned by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Margam Country Park is famous for its herds of fallow, red and rare Chinese Pere David deer that roam the estate.
At the Winter Fair Margam Park is launching a range of venison cuts, which will be sold direct to the public through its shop.
Working in conjunction with Cywain and Cwm Farm, the Park’s venison is being processed into products including sausages, burgers, salami and koftas, and boxes of venison cuts that are ideal for the Christmas market.
Gwynedd producer Pleser Pur will be bringing a range of preserves, sauces and chocolates to Winter Fair.
Iwan Williams gives traditional recipes a contemporary twist by using local produce. His chutney recipe includes Pant Du Cider while his chocolates are infused with Halen Môn sea salt and coffee ‘which is roasted just down the road’.
CYWAIN STAND – PRODUCERS TIMETABLE
Talgarth Mill – Monday
Radnor Preserves – Monday
O’r Maen – Monday
Caru Cawl – Monday
Margam Park Venison – Tuesday
Pleser Pur – Tuesday
Melyn Môn – Tuesday
Visitors to the Food Hall will also be able to give their opinions on a number of products that are currently under development.
At the Cywain stand eight companies – Beri Da, Arbennig Gluten Free, Pant Du, Lamb Ladies, Little Welsh Deli, Good Carma Cheese, Hafod y Maidd Luing, and Morgans Brew – will be gathering public feedback on their latest projects.
Visitors will be asked to vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on a range of products including beef, lamb and pasties to dairy-free cheese, chutney, and mulled wine.
CYWAIN STAND – CONSUMER SAMPLING TIMETABLE
Beri Da – Monday
Arbennig Gluten Free – Monday
Pant Du – Monday
Lamb Ladies – Monday (11.30am & 3.30pm)
Little Welsh Deli – Tuesday
Good Carma Cheese – Tuesday
Hafod y Maidd Luing – Tuesday (1pm)
Morgans Brew – Tuesday
About Cywain
Cywain was set up by Menter a Busnes to bring added value to primary produce within the agriculture sector. The project has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
For more information about companies exhibiting on the Cywain stand at the Winter Fair please contact:
Myrddin Davies
Cywain Manager
01745 770273 / 07964 354674
myrddin.davies@menterabusnes.co.uk