taste. blas magazine: Issue 4, Autumn 2019

Celebrating great food and drink in Wales Autumn 2019

SPIRITS

OF ECSTASY

A guide to Welsh liqueurs and spirits

THE BIG CHEESE Scrumptious Welsh cheeses

TOP OF THE CLASS Foodie courses to swot up on

HISTORIC HOSTELRIES With a fascinating past

AND WYE NOT?

Wye Valley foodie hotspots

PLUS FOOD AND DRINK REVIEWS, CAREERS, RESTAURANT REVIEWS AND RECIPES GALORE

Editor’s Letter Reaping the Harvest Are you sitting comfortably? Then please tuck in to a hearty cawl of ideas and autumn flavours. Whether you’re savouring taste.blas by an open fire, in a bath or a woolly jumper, consider this issue a ‘cwtsh’ for the soul, to nourish and inspire before winter.

Before we bid ‘ffarwel’ to the last rays of sun, let us bask in the glow of a glorious Welsh summer. We look back at a Snowdonian food festival success, that’ll have you planning next year’s road trip on the double. And speaking of Welsh food odysseys, make the most of our awesome autumn by considering our quarterly dining destination. Let our latest ‘Welsh food mecca’ inspire a

Lest we forget, it’s the season to stock-up, and take heart in comforting Welsh produce. Our experts’ top picks of Welsh cheeses and liquor will surely strengthen your spirits! Make time to gorge on our columnists’ odes to the gastro delights of the season; from chutneys and preserves to legendary Welsh feasts, they’ll unleash your inner squirrel. We’ll also take a look at the life of a cook, in our latest eye-opening chef profile. And remember to check-out our Welsh recipes for autumn, to inspire you to let loose in the kitchen.

© Camera Sioned

As the new academic year begins do you long for a new challenge, to expand both mind and palate? Look no further than our jam-packed guide to some of Wales’ best foodie courses. And with half-term on the horizon (as well as Calan Gaeaf / Hallowe’en) consider further Welsh explorations; follow our curious trail around the inns of Wales where myths and legends feed the imagination.

leisurely long weekend savouring the seasonal colours and flavours of the Wye Valley.

In this season of thanksgiving, here’s a heartfelt ‘diolch yn fawr’ for a fabulous year at the helm of taste.blas magazine. It’s my honour to curate a feast of food writing from Wales, to inspire and delight all readers.

Lowri Haf Cooke Editor

taste.blas is brought to you by EDITORIAL

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Editors: Lowri Cooke and Jeremy Head

Publisher: Paul Mulligan Tel: 029 2019 0224, sales@conroymedia.co.uk

Contributors: Lowri Haf Cooke, Jon Gower, Myfanwy Alexander, Adele Nozedar, Nerys Howell, Llinos Rowlands, Dorian Morgan Recipes: Lisa Fearn (Dathlu / Celebrate, Gomer Press), Beca Lyne Pirkis and Cwmni Da (Bwyd Beca My Food, Gomer Press), Hugh and Jill Jones with Mark Jones (No Bones Jones: Festival Cookbook, Y Lolfa), Cerys Matthews (Where the Wild Cooks Go: Recipes, Music, Poems and Cocktails, published by Particular Books) Photography: Camera Sioned (Lowri Haf Cooke profile photo), Emyr Young (Milkwood, Pontcanna photos), Iolo Penri (Caernarfon Food Festival photos), Emma Goldsmith & Beth Roberts (Chef Padrig Jones photo), Aled Llewelyn (Lisa Fearn recipe photos), Rebecca Bedford (No Bones Jones recipe photos), Marian Delyth (Jon Gower profile photo), Nick Pipe (The Mushroom Garden photos)

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Designer: James Meredith, Alan Chaston Sub-editor: Paul Spencer

Printed by: Southern Print

Distributed by Pear Distribution

To receive taste.blas call: 029 2019 0224 taste.blas Magazine is published by Conroy Media Ltd, PO Box 607, Cardiff CF24 1ZR ©Conroy Media 2019. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers can not be held responsible for the accuracy of the information herein, or any consequence arising from it. The views expressed in taste.blas are not necessarily those of the editor or the publishers.

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Contents Features Field to Fork A butcher’s view on Welsh Beef and Lamb

Competition Time!

Win a night in a delightful Anglesey hotel

Gwestae Ghoulish Welsh eateries with history

12 14 18

Cheesy Does It Great Welsh cheeses to drool over

School of Thought Brush up your skills on a cookery course

Wye Don’t You? Foodie havens to explore in the Wye valley

A Chef ’s Tale Legendary Paj Jones reflects on a life in the kitchen

That’s the Spirit The finest Welsh liqueurs and spirits

A Day In The Life Behind the scenes at Caernarfon Food Festival

Regulars Autumn Food Festivals Plenty to choose from, including the Royal Welsh Winter Fair

Fishy Feasts Jon Gower muses on historical feasting gone mad

Autumn Foraging The most bountiful time of the year

Recipes If you want to lose weight, look away now

Apprenticeships Good for your career and great for business

Taste Sensations Let our food and drink reviews tickle your taste buds

Dining Out in Style Chic Welsh restaurants reviewed

On Trend Wines What the good folk of Cardiff are buying right now

Hold the Front Page The latest news hot off the press

Squirrelling Away Myfanwy Alexander is a not so secret hoarder

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CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR 2019 www.holmhousehotel.co.uk | 029 2070 6029 | Marine Parade, Penarth, CF64 3BG

A Feast of Festivals

Louisa Harry-Thomas reviews the highlights of the autumn festivals and is tempted by the season’s festive fairs.

Abergavenny hosts biggest Welsh food festival yet Wales’ largest food festival this year welcomed 37,000 visitors and 220 traders across nine market sites to its most successful festival yet. In unprecedented September sunshine, visitors to the 21st Abergavenny Food Festival heard awe-inspiring stories from some of the most knowledgeable and powerful voices in food. The Monmouthshire market town hosted forages, feasts, talks and masterclasses on everything from butchery to vinegars.

Our favourite was the fantastic cooking over fire demonstration by Samantha Evans and Shauna Guinn of Hang Fire Southern Kitchen in Barry (also seen on BBC’s Sam and Shauna’s Big Cookout) who cooked up a storm with some fabulous free-range Monmouthshire pork. www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com

Plum festival celebrates PDO status The annual Denbigh Plum Fest this year had reason to celebrate. Despite Brexit shenanigans, the Vale of Clwyd Denbigh Plum received Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) from the Union earlier this year, thus boosting the status of Wales’ only native plum. Festival goers across the weekend enjoyed free entrance and parking, and more than 40 quality food and craft stalls.

There were imaginative plum delights ranging from plum chocolate truffles by Aballu of Wrecsam, plum vinegar and cordial by King’s Garden of Denbigh, and plum dessert from Llaeth y Llan, Llanefydd. Look out for more plum fun next year on 3 October 2020. www.facebook.com/The-DenbighPlum-100877286748571

Gwledd Conwy Feast - Conwy, 25-27 October This year’s festival promises to be larger than life, as S4C’s BBQ sensation Chris (‘Bwyd Epic’) Roberts will be heating up the coals. The Welsh Pinc Ffloyd will be raising the temperature in the music marquee and a virtual reality menagerie of mini beasts, plus pedigree sheep, turkeys, cows, pigs and chickens will play a central part in the festivities. Enjoy two days and nights of live music across two stages and where else can you make a bug hotel, meet a giant red squirrel, get creative in a bug life art workshop and then take part in a bug lantern parade? A family ticket is available from £25.20 (online). www.conwyfeast.co.uk

Taste of West Wales Winter Festival - National Botanic Garden of Wales, 9-10 November More than 75 exhibitors are expected with food, drink, gifts and treats. There will be entertainment from cookery and craft demonstrations, while street food vendors will endeavour to keep visitors’ energies up.

Open from 10 till 4. botanicgarden.wales/visit/whats-on/taste-of-westwales-winter-festival

Llandudno Christmas Fayre – Llandudno, 14-17 November Probably one of the largest Christmas fayres in Wales, this four day event will feature more than 150 food and craft stalls and farmer Gareth Wyn Jones as event ambassador! Tickets are £3.75 when booked in advance. www.llandudnochristmasfayre.co.uk

Abergavenny Christmas Fair

Royal Welsh Winter Fair - Builth Wells, 25-26 November As one of the finest prime stock shows in Europe, the Royal Welsh Winter Fair, at the Llanelwedd Showground, always draws the crowds who come to enjoy the heaving Welsh food hall, choirs, bands and competitions – and, of course, gawp at the prizewinning livestock. Great news, too - the fair will again be open for free after 4pm on Monday for late night Christmas shopping, a thrilling fireworks display and maybe a special visit from you know who! Buy your e-tickets now. www.rwas.wales

Plum festival

Gwledd Conwy Feas

Abergavenny Christmas Fair - Abergavenny, 6 December The ‘full’ Abergavenny Food Festival will return next year on 19-20 September, but if you’re missing that special Abergavenny charm meantime, the Christmas Fair in the Abergavenny Market Hall should fill the gap. We are promised carol singers and music, chestnut roasting, culinary gifts and, of course, festive food and drink. Plus, for the first time this year, a street-food and night market, and a short programme of special events. If the summer event is anything to go by, the events should be good. Entry is a snip at £6.50. See you there? www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com

Food and Craft Festival – Portmeirion, 6-8 December If you’ve never visited the fairy tale village of Portmeirion before, this could be your chance. This three-day event is set against the backdrop of an iconic and colourful Italianate village on a private peninsula on the edge of Snowdonia. More than 120 artisan stalls will be exhibiting the best Welsh produce and local crafts, plus there’s a full programme of entertainment from local artists. The village features incredible architecture, scenic gardens and award-winning restaurants and all the shops and cafes are open during throughout the festival. Tickets are just £7, so why not make the trip? portmeirion.wales/visit/whats-on/food-and-craftfair

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Royal Welsh Winter Fair

Food and Craft Festival

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Soon I’ll be banned from my Cardiff kitchen for a week as my darling wife starts to prepare a full-on American Thanksgiving dinner, which has more sides than a tertradecagon. It’s a thoroughgoingly military-style campaign, with all manner of mashing and basting and roasting. And then of course there’s the centrepiece turkey, that usually looks as if it’s been on anabolic steroids and doing weightlifting with its stubby wings.

It’ll usually be big enough to bench press its own weight so, just to be on the safe side, I usually put on the old hernia belt before going to pick up the bird from the butchers.

Which got me thinking about Welsh feasts.

Our finest repository of folk tales The Mabinogion is full of remarkable meals such as Rhiannon’s wedding feast and the one to mark the coronation of Branwen’s son Gwern as the King of Ireland. For this event the Irish hang 100 deerskin bags in the new banqueting hall. The bags, supposedly containing flour, actually hold armed Irish lords. It’s a ruse that doesn’t end well for the hidden soldiers.

Welsh history too has its fine bills of fare, such as that at Owain Glyndwr’s court at Sycharth, which featured, according to his resident praise-poet Iolo Goch, “Spirits and finest bragget/All liquors, white bread and wine/ with meat and fire in the kitchen.” Or George Borrow’s meals when he wrote ‘Wild Wales’ and dined on salmon and mutton and that ‘the leg of mutton of Wales beats the leg of mutton of any other country... rich and delicate, replete with juices derived from the aromatic herbs of the noble Berwyn, cooked to a turn...’ And then there was the unexpected bonanza, chronicled by Wales’s first travel writer, Giraldus Cambrensis, when a wild and very violent storm threw up fish which villagers near Niwgwl in Pembrokeshire literally harvested off the hedges.

But there was one feast in particular that came to mind... an extravagant, overblown affair which must have made the diners wish that Alka-Seltzer had been invented in the eighteenth century not in the 1930s.

By all accounts Sir Watkin Williams Wynn at Wynnstay went entirely O.T.T. when it came to celebrating his son’s coming of age in April 1770. He invited a legion of guests and then kept on inviting. The fish dishes alone must have been something, as he ordered in 242 pounds of salmon, 50 brace of tench, 40 brace of carp, 36 pike, 60 dozen trout – which according to my calculator – is

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©Marian Delyth

Jon Gower Feasts

720 fish, 108 flounders, 109 lobster, 96 crabs, 10 quarts of shrimp, 200 crawfish, 60 barrels of pickled oysters, 1 hogshead of rock oysters and 20 quarts of oysters to make sauce. So that was the pescatarians well and truly satisfied.

The inveterate meat-eater would certainly not have felt left out as the butcher ordered in 30 bullocks – one of which was to be cooked whole – along with 50 calves, 80 sheep, 18 lambs and then an array of guinea fowls, turkeys, capons and turkey poults. Not satisfied with that selection there were also hundreds of chickens, 96 ducklings, 48 rabbits, 15 snipe, 1 leveret and 5 buck deer.

This was catering on a ginormous scale.

To satisfy the estimated 15,000 invitees at Sir Watkin William Wynn’s park in Rhiwabon, Denbighshire, he had to lay in no fewer than 18,000 eggs (if you pardon the weak pun, or yolk) and 166 hams, 100 tongues, and 12 backs of bacon, complemented by 30 bushels of potatoes and 6000 asparagus. And just to make sure of those five-a-day ingredients there were green peas, endless strings of French beans and an amplitude of cucumbers. And there were pies, sweet Lord there were pies, with 7 venison pies and 60 raised pies not to mention puddings including 34 rice puddings, 24 pound cakes, 60 Savoy cakes and a gross of ice creams. That’s a dozen dozen. All this was washed down by a veritable river of ale, comprising 70 hogs’ heads worth and almost 1500 bottles of wine, brandy and rum, with 150 gallons of milk on tap for the abstemious. The happy caterers meanwhile created entire landscapes and shrubby rockworks out of jelly and blancmange.

It might be a good time similarly to conjure up a fine Welsh feast in these chaotic times (but not to the wild scale of Sir William,) thus to celebrate fine local fare and the gift of cherished companions, not least as an antidote to the troubling politics of the world around us. It would also be a secular celebration of the autumn’s bounty, this season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ that plumps the hazel nuts, sees the release of rivulets of cider and fills the hedgerows with luscious blackberries and bitter sloes. Start planning. Make a long list of the good things. Eat with friends.

www.felinfoel.com

BREWED IN WALES ENJOYED EVERYWHERE ALC. 5.0% Vol.

www.wrexhamlager.co.uk ENJOY RESPONSIBLY

Convenience foods with a conscience Whilst offering sustainable, high quality local meats is a cornerstone of artisan butcher Oriel Jones’ business, he is also leading the way with a PGI grade convenience foods product range for the less time rich of us out there. taste.blas magazine got its taste buds all excited finding out more… taste.blas: Most readers may assume you’re solely an artisan butcher, but there’s an interesting history to Oriel Jones – can you explain the background?

Oriel Jones: Oriel is my grandfather’s name.

He started the farming business many years ago. After working in his Uncle Jac’s butchers, he settled in Llanybydder, selling meat reared on his smallholding from his van! What I’m doing is pretty similar to what my grandfather did 70 years ago; we rear our own PGI Welsh Lamb and Beef on our family farm and now sell our produce in our Cardiff shops. I’m a fourth generation farmer and butcher with a real pride in continuing the tradition. We are a genuine ‘Field to Fork’ business and take great care to protect and enhance our farming environment to ensure this continues in a sustainable manner. taste.blas: What was the thinking behind the move from running the farm to also having a high street and online butchers?

OJ: It was always something that I wanted to do. An online shop was my first idea, and it was very much on a small scale initially. It was by chance that an opportunity came to take over an old butcher shop in Cardiff. It was a risk we had to take if I wanted to take my idea of ‘Field to fork’ a step further. We have had to invest in order to modernise the shop and purchase specialist dry ageing chambers. It has been a significant commitment. The farm and shops are a labour of love. To keep our customers happy and growing in number with

Welsh beef

Llygadenwyn Farm

product offerings to the highest of standards it has been a busy two years! taste.blas: PGI Welsh beef and PGI Welsh lamb offer unrivalled levels of quality. As both a farmer and a butcher, from your perspective, what is it that makes them so special?

OJ: PGI Welsh Beef and PGI Welsh Lamb are world renowned and have been for decades.

We are very fortunate in Wales to have a lot of rainfall and plenty of lush pasture. Our clover and herb rich mountains are perfect for rearing livestock. Animals roam freely across acres of naturally fertilised pasture, thus creating a flavour that no other country can match!

The level of husbandry in Wales is second to none. This is evident in the records kept

by Welsh farmers and fed back to governing bodies to ensure not only high standards, but that all farmers maintain their promise of being custodians of the countryside and environment. taste.blas: Why should consumers be eating PGI Welsh meat from a proper butchers such as Oriel Jones?

OJ: Buying PGI Welsh Beef and Lamb that is fully traceable, produced in a sustainable manner and local is more important than ever as cheap imported meat results in lower welfare standards, lower quality and a poorer rural economy.

Consumers are more educated now and have a firm grasp of what is sustainable agriculture.

They know the best way to ensure that the family are fed with traceable, sustainable and ethically reared meat is to buy PGI Welsh Beef from their local shopkeeper or direct from the source.

You can then ask questions, learn more about the produce and often get exactly what you need, when you need it. We will always do what is needed to keep our customers satisfied, whether it’s ageing for extended periods, cutting to certain specifications or delivering to customers.

www.taste-blas.co.uk

Oriel Jones taste.blas: In addition to online and delivery, you’ve also been exploring new ways a modern artisan butcher can meet the needs of time poor, quality conscious customers?

OJ: We have just launched our second shop, which is our ‘modern’ approach to a traditional butcher shop. It is a ‘cookshop’ producing pies, pastries, breakfasts, hot rolls and soups throughout the day. There is a demand for convenient ‘food to go’ options as people lead busy lifestyles, but there are not many purchasing options available that offer this with ethically reared, sustainable Welsh Beef and Lamb. That is what we are trying to achieve, a convenient option, but with a conscience!

We also have our oven ready range. These are meals prepared by our cook, using local, fully traceable ingredients, that are oven ready and can be served within 30-60 minutes. Examples include beef bourguignonne, Italian meatballs, goulash, chicken kiev and stir fry. These have been created for ‘time-poor’ customers that want produce of a high standard, but don’t have time create meals. Our aim is to create convenient products that enrich their lives. www.orieljones.com

CoteDeBeouf

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WIN a romantic stay at Sandy Mount House, Anglesey Between Christmas, St Dwynwen’s and Valentine’s days, winter in Wales is truly the season of love. So what could be more cosy than a cwtsh with your cariad at one of Wales’ best boutique hotels? Sandy Mount House in Rhosneigr, Anglesey, offers a relaxing escape with plush rooms, roaring fires, sumptuous baths and heavenly beds.

This contemporary Welsh beach house also includes a stylish restaurant bar with a knock-out seasonal menu by Chef Hefin Roberts. Best of all, it’s not far from Ynys Llanddwyn, home to Dwynwen, the 5th Century Welsh patron saint of lovers - the perfect setting for a romantic winter walk! So, for a chance to win a one-night stay for two people during

January or February, including a table for dinner (and breakfast!), answer the following Welsh cariad-related question and get set for a romantic trip to remember...

On what date do we celebrate St Dwynwen's Day, Welsh patron saint of lovers?

It’s easy to enter. Simply email your answer to taste-blas@conroymedia.co.uk or direct message us on twitter @tasteblas Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply – email taste-blas@conroymedia.co.uk for details. Closing date: 31st December 2019.

Hit the Trail Trailhead’s Arwyn Morris explains what makes their Beef Jerky so special.

Firstly, clear something up for us - what’s the difference between beef jerky and biltong?

Jerky & Biltong are both dried meat snacks, but their taste & production processes are very different! Biltong is cured and air dried similar to hams, jerky is dehydrated or smoked using a long and slow heat source.

What are the advantages of jerky over other snacks? It's the ultimate alternative to crisps, nuts & sweets, as not only is it lower in fat, but its high protein content means it sustains you for longer and aids recovery while a good supply of iron and zinc boosts your immune system – the perfect gym buddy!

PGI Welsh beef – what was the rationale behind that? Changing to PGI Welsh Beef was definitely a conscious decision made by the team as we all really value our Welsh heritage and buying local to support the Welsh farming community. We only use PGI accredited suppliers who are part of HCC PGI scheme to ensure full traceability and quality.

PGI Beef guarantees quality... from lush fields it's sourced from, to the ability to trace meat right back to the farm, letting you know it was treated to high standards. Ultimately, it really just adds value to what is already a great product.

And what’s so special about Trail Head Beef Jerky in particular? We use responsibly sourced PGI Welsh beef, which is marinated in our own recipes and hand-cut to make sure every piece is premium quality. We have won 4 Great Taste Awards for our range of flavours, including spicy to gourmet, and have recently become gluten free!

Have you noticed an improvement in taste and quality? We immediately noticed a significant difference. The structure of the meat was better, and the flavour of the meat is stronger which is vital as it needs to stand up to the bold marinades that we use. This has meant we have been able to allow the natural flavour of the meat to shine, as well as our striking flavours.

When you took over the business, one of the first things you did was to start using

How is Beef Jerky made and what flavours do you have? Our beef jerky is made up of

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Welsh Silverside, which is trimmed of all fat and sinew, then sliced and marinated for 24 hrs in our own special recipe. It is then dehydrated in our bespoke dehydration ovens over a low heat for up to 6 hours, then left to rest for at least 12 hours to let the flavours develop further before being hand cut into bite size portions and packaged.

Our flavours include the Easy Going Ones, which are Original, BBQ & Black Pepper, the Hot Ones, which are Spicy Chilli & Hot Smoked Chipotle, and the first of our Gourmet Ones, Black Garlic & Ginger.

What are the plans going forward? We will continue to work with HCC & their PGI Welsh Beef, as premium jerky is at the source of what we produce. There are new, tasty flavours already on the horizon, so keep your eyes peeled!

SUMMER READY T R A D I T I O N A L

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Tafarn y Fic Y Meirionnydd

Tasty Tales of the Unexpected

Make the most of the Autumn with a seasonal wander and rediscover some epic Welsh tales.

Lowri Haf Cooke guides us to some curious historical hot-spots Tafarn y Fic, Llithfaen, Llyn Peninsula for dastardly drinks, Is there a more tragic Welsh love story than the legend legendary lunches and of Nant Gwrtheyrn, that ended in heartbreak for Rhys and Meinir on the eve of their wedding spooky suppers! lovers in Penrhyn Llŷn? Visitors flock to the National

Welsh Language Centre, to savour the story and sunset view, before returning uphill to the quarrying village of Llithfaen, and Tafarn y Fic for a pint or two.

Established in 1988, it’s Europe’s oldest community pub, with a wide selection of local craft ales. Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to play hide and seek amongst the trees in an autumn gale! Far better for you to soak the Fic’s atmosphere, supping a pint of Cwrw Ogwen or Cwrw Llŷn.

Tafarn y Fic, Llithfaen, Pwllheli, Gwynedd LL53 6PA www.tafarnyfic.com

Y Meirionnydd, Dolgellau

Nanteos

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On Smithfield Square in Dolgellau you’ll find plush townhouse Y Meirionnydd – one of Wales’ most heavenly boutique hotels. But for centuries, for its residents, it was a living hell as Dolgellau’s county gaol.

The most vivid depictions of life for its 17th Century ‘guests’ are found in Marion Eames’ novel, Y Stafell Ddirgel (The Secret Room). It was thankfully turned into an inn in 1865, and a contemporary Welsh hotel in 2006. The restaurant, in the historical cellar, now offers

www.taste-blas.co.uk

a sumptuous experience, with stylish spotlighting, velvet banquettes, and a stellar seasonal menu. Start with the soup, followed by rump of local lamb, minted potato rosti and rich red wine jus. The fruit crumble is a dream with Penderyn whiskey ice cream, but do mind your head; the cellar gaol had very low beams.

Y Meirionnydd, Smithfield Square, Dolgellau LL40 1ES www.themeirionnydd.com

Nanteos, Llanbadarn-y-Creuddyn, Aberystwyth For luxury afternoon tea to pique your curiosity, make a bee-line for Nanteos. This country house hotel has a historical tale to tell, at the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains. For generations the mansion was home – indeed, a haven - to the famed Nanteos Cup; currently preserved at the nearby National Library of Wales, it was believed to be the Holy Grail. It was said to have been a chalice made from the wood of the Cross and to have come into the possession of the Nanteos family from the monks of local abbey Ystrad Fflur (Strata Florida). Modern incarnations of Indiana Jones will love Nanteos’ Gentlemen’s Afternoon Tea - or go for the ravishing ‘Cardigan Bay’ for the flavours of the sea.

Nanteos, Rhydfelin, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 4LU www.nanteos.com

The Lime Crab

Nanteos

Llancaiach Fawr

The Lime Crab, Cei Newydd, Ceredigion

Llancaiach Fawr, Nelson, Rhymney Valley

Beddgelert in Eryri may draw crowds to Gelert’s grave, but Cei Newydd (New Quay) has the tale of ‘Merched y Môr’ (‘Girls of the Sea’). It’s the legend of three sisters transformed into gulls, after being taken

by Dylan, Welsh monster of the sea. To truly savour this tale, arrange a walk towards the ‘Cei’, then sing ‘Ar Lan y Môr’ a capella on the beach. Having whet your appetite, head for The Lime Crab for fish and chips, and eat them straight out of the paper wrapping on the quay. You’ll soon discover three gulls appear - rest assured, there’s no cause to fear. They’re Llio, Gwenllian and Branwen taking in the afternoon air, before returning to their home under the sea...

For a spirited Sunday lunch – or even a ghost tour with your supper – make your way to Llancaiach Fawr, not far from Caerffili. As well as its fascinating history as Dafydd ap Richard’s semi-fortified manor, this Welsh Tudor house has been voted one of the most haunted buildings in Britain. Strange occurrences have been recorded in almost every room, including odours of violets, lavender, and even roast beef. Follow your nose down to the Conservatory Restaurant, or the Coffee Lounge, or enquire about their 17th Century recipes.

The Lime Crab, South John Street, Cei Newydd, Ceredigion SA45 9NP www.facebook.com/TheLimeCrab

Trewern Arms, Nanhyfer, Pembrokeshire You may be drawn to the Pembrokeshire village of Nanhyfer (Nevern) for its 700 year old yew trees, but stay to enjoy the local ‘spirit’. The blood-red sap of the trees has been ‘bleeding’ for as long as anyone can remember in the 6th Century churchyard of St Brynach. And while you’re visiting Nanhyfer, stay for your supper at the lovely local pub, the Trewern Arms.

It’s a Welsh historical inn with a blackboard menu to draw you in; how about smoked haddock chowder, then a magnificent millefueille for your afters? And talking of ‘afters’, there’s a piano by the bar, sometimes playing with no pianist in sight. A number of locals are familiar with ‘Nesta’, a spectral presence in room no.8.

With regular folk evenings, and Bluestone ales at the bar, you’ll happily toast to your ‘iechyd da’.

The Trewern Arms, Nanhyfer, Pembrokeshire SA42 0NB www.trewernarms.com

Trewern Arms

Llancaiach Fawr Manor, Nelson, Treharris CF46 6ER your.caerphilly.gov.uk/llancaiachfawr/content/ welcome-llancaiach-fawr

The Skirrid Inn, Llanfihangel Crucornau ‘Wales’ Oldest Inn’ harbours legends aplenty, and even the name sends a shiver down the spine! The Skirrid refers to the local mountain, yr Ysgyryd, that – 2000 years ago - was split down the middle with a ‘shudder’ or ‘shiver’, to form yr Ysgyryd Fach (little) and Ysgyryd Fawr (large). The 11th Century inn played various roles over the years, including Judge Jeffreys’ courthouse and execution place (it stills retains its oak hanging beam). It’s certainly got bags of character, which some say inspired William Shakespeare, and Owain Glyndŵr to rally his troops against Henry IV. A favourite with walkers for centuries, for a classic Ploughman’s lunch; wash it down with the Eccentric Gin from Cardiff – just one of a variety of Welsh spirits you’ll find at the bar!

Trewern Trewern Arms Arms

The Skirrid Mountain Inn, Llanfihangel Crucornau, Abergavenny NP7 8DH www.skirridmountaininn.co.uk

Llancaiach Fawr

Trewern Arms

The Skirrid Inn www.taste-blas.co.uk

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Ffair Aeaf Frenhinol Cymru 2019 2019 Royal Welsh Winter Fair 25 a 26 Tachwedd / 25 & 26 November Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Powys LD2 3SY

· This year’s a special one as it’s our 30th Winter Fair · Over 1,000 competitions with more than £25k of prize money available · Homecrafts, poultry, horticulture, floral art and meat competitions · Late night shopping & fireworks on Monday night · FREE car parking and FREE entry after 4pm · Food Hall, Farmers Market, Cookery demos · Christmas Gifts and Auctions · Gates open at 8am · E-tickets available now Mae eleni’n un arbennig, gan mai dyma’n 30ain Ffair Aeaf.

Dewch i ddathlu gyda ni! Gatiau’n agor o 8 y bore.

Tocynnau ar gael ar-lein yn awr.

This year’s a special one, as it’s our 30th Winter Fair.

Come and celebrate with us! Gates open from 8am.

Tickets available online now.

#FfairAeaf #WinterFair cafc.cymru rwas.wales

Say Cheese As we face the autumn larder, it’s time to start stocking up for winter, so what’s more comforting this time of year than a fridge full of cheese? Nerys Howell, of Howel Food Consultancy, shares her Welsh ‘caws’ expertise...

A470, Caws Rhyd y Delyn Award winning cheese-maker Menai Jones of Caws Rhyd y Delyn produces cheese from her pedigree Holstein Friesian cows, who graze on the lush green pasture from spring to autumn. The A470 cheddar is made in the small dairy on the farm in Pentraeth, North Anglesey before being transported down to Cardiff along the A470 where it is smoked and sold in daughter Elin’s deli-café Canna Deli. Smoking adds an additional layer of complexity to this tasty cheese as well as golden hue to the crust.

Black Bomber, Snowdonia Cheese Company The multi-award winning Black Bomber is a contemporary cheddar classic with a delicious rich flavour and a smooth creaminess. Voted the number one cheese brand for the fourth time in five years by the prestigious Guild of Fine Food, Black Bomber’s appeal shows no signs of slowing down. www.snowdoniacheese.co.uk/

www.cawsrhydydelyn.co.uk/

Brefu Bach, Cosyn Cymru Hand-made in small batches, Brefu Bach is produced with raw organic milk from a small flock of almost entirely grass-fed Llŷn ewes. The milk is only available from March to October and the cheese has a delicate flavour with a warm finish to it, reminiscent of fresh cream and butter. Using thistle rennet, Brefu Bach is suitable for vegetarians and has a light, fluffy texture with a silky breakdown at the rind. www.cosyn.cymru/en/home/

Caws Cerwyn, Pant Mawr This family run farm located in the Preseli hills of North Pembrokeshire produces some great cheeses including Caws Cerwyn, named after the highest mountain in the Preseli range. This young cow’s milk cheese is light and creamy, with a mellow, nutty and buttery taste. pantmawrcheeses.co.uk/

Ffetys, Y Cwt Caws

Covered in a smooth coal-black wax, Pwll Mawr Cheddar is named after the Big Pit mining museum in the World Heritage Site town of Blaenafon. It’s matured at the bottom of a mine shaft over 300 feet underground, giving this mature cheddar plenty of flavour and a creamy texture. Pwll Mawr also won a Bronze medal at the British Cheese Awards. www.chunkofcheese.co.uk/

Y Cwt Caws is a family run artisan cheese maker based at Cors yr Odyn farm in Dulas, Anglesey, producing a range of cheeses from their mixed herd of goats.

The cheeses are all hand-made, using traditional local methods and Ffetys is an award winning salad style cheese with a crumbly texture and a clean, lemony flavour. www.facebook.com/YCwtCaws/

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Pwll Mawr Cheddar, Blaenafon Cheddar Company

www.taste-blas.co.uk

Castell Gwyn

Organic Halloumi, Caws Teifi Cheese

If you’re looking for a natural or flavoured cream cheese to serve on crackers, bagels or even stirred into a pasta dish, why not try Castell Gwyn artisan cream cheese which is produced in a dairy in Llandudno.

The young cheese is made with pasteurised local milk and comes in a range of flavours including natural, Welsh honey, chives, cracked black pepper and pesto.

These new flavours have already proven a success as the honey cream cheese won silver at the International Cheese Awards in Nantwich in 2018, while their cracked black pepper won gold this year.

The packaging on this cheese carries a beautiful image of the Teifi Kingfisher, and 10 pence of every cheese bought is donated to the Welsh Wildlife Centre at Cilgerran near Cardigan. Buttery yellow in colour and buttery in flavour, Teifi’s Halloumi looks and tastes superior (in my opinion!) to most other cheeses of this style. Delicious lightly griddled with a squeeze of lemon juice to finish.

www.castellgwyn.com/

www.teificheese.co.uk/

Welsh Slate Cavern Aged Cheddar, South Caernarfon Creameries This mature cheddar cheese is made to a bespoke recipe and matured for a minimum of 11 months before travelling a few miles to the Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog, where it is left to age 500 feet underground. This traditional ageing process takes place in original mining caverns converted into cheese caves. This step adds unique characteristics to the cheese, resulting in a firm but smooth texture and a real depth of flavour with rich, savoury, flinty notes. www.sccwales.co.uk/

Pembrokeshire Goat’s cheese A herd of 200 milking goats occupy the small family farm in Llawhaden in Pembrokeshire and include Toggenburgs, Sannans and a few Nubians. The milk is transported a short journey to a purpose-built dairy where it is pasteurised to make a range of creamy cheeses. The flavours include natural, garlic and herbs, brie and chilli, as well as a blue cheese that’s matured over the course of two months giving it a rich and robust taste. www.pembrokeshiregoats.co.uk/

Celtic Promise, Caws Teifi Cheese Treated with the utmost care, this multi award winning cheese is washed in cider twice a week for 7 weeks to create the distinctive amber-coloured rind. Made with unpasteurised milk, Celtic Promise is a Caerffili type cheese which develops a slightly pungent aroma along with a soft, rich, buttery flavour. It melts well and is a perfect topping for a baked potato and will add another dimension to a bowl of soup! www.teificheese.co.uk/

Colliers Powerful Cheddar, Fayrefield Foods Another great tasting mature cheddar from North Wales - this cheese packs a punch with a distinctive long and powerful taste. It has an open and slightly crumbly texture and is smooth and creamy in the mouth. You may come across a few crunchy bits, due to the calcium lactate grains which develop during the long maturation. www.collierscheese.com/

Traditional Welsh Caerffili, Caws Cenarth Cheese Caerffili cheese is Wales’s only native cheese dating back to the 19th century, and this Traditional Welsh Caerffili was awarded a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in 2018. It has a mild, slightly lemony taste designed to be eaten young from 10 days old, or can be matured for up to 6 months for a fuller flavour. www.cawscenarth.co.uk/

www.taste-blas.co.uk

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Hafod, Holden Farm Dairy

Môn Las, Caws Rhyd y Delyn

From Wales’s first certified organic 130 acre dairy farm, Bwlchwernen Farm in Llangybi near Lampeter - Hafod (meaning pasture ground in the summer) is a traditional hard cheese. It’s made from raw unpasteurised milk from Ayrshire cows, who graze in the ‘Hafod’ next to the river Aeron when they are not being milked. The milk is rich in butterfat and protein and widely regarded as being ideal for cheese making.

The 16 months maturation develops a traditional mould rind and a distinctive, rich, nutty cheddar.

One of my favourite blue cheeses is Môn Las (Anglesey Blue) which is made by Menai Jones of Caws Rhyd y Delyn. Not dissimilar to the Italian Gorgonzola, this richly veined medium-firm blue cheese has a delicious creamy texture with plenty of flavour! www.cawsrhydydelyn.co.uk/

www.hafodcheese.co.uk/

Merlin cheeses You may have come across Merlin cheeses at one of Wales’ food festivals, with their multi-coloured display of waxed cheddar cheeses that are infused with herbs, fruits and spices. Based in Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion, this family-run business makes a range of exciting and unique flavoured cheeses made with cow’s milk. merlincheeses.com/

Peli Pabo, Y Cwt Caws These mini balls of soft, delicate goats’ cheese made

by Y Cwt Caws in Anglesey are ideal served as part of a sharing platter, along with charcuterie, semi-dried tomatoes and olives. Alternatively you can spread them on some fresh crusty bread, and for an additional kick try the chilli flavoured Peli Pabo!

Perl Wen, Caws Cenarth Cheese Another award-winning cheese, Perl Wen (translated to White Pearl) has won 6 Gold medals including the Best Welsh Cheese at the Royal Welsh Show. Perl Wen looks a little like the classic French Brie and also behaves like Brie with a mild taste and creamy texture – delicious! www.cawscenarth.co.uk/

www.facebook.com/YCwtCaws/

Pant -Ys-Gawn, Abergavenny Fine Foods You can appreciate why Pant -Ys-Gawn goat’s cheese has won so many awards over the years when you taste this mild clean-flavoured cheese with a slight lemony back note. The texture is soft and creamy and is perfect spread on toasted crusty bread. You can even use it to make a cheesecake by replacing your usual cream cheese. www.abergavenny.uk.com/

Cracker Jack All good cheese deserves a good cracker and you won’t find a finer cracker than Cradoc’s. From their bakery in the Brecon Beacons they produce a lip-smacking range of golden baked biscuits and vegetable crackers that are a perfect accompaniment to any cheeseboard, comprising novel and refreshing flavours including Beetroot and Garlic, Pear and Earl Grey, Miso and Wasabi alongside more conventional Water Biscuits and cheddar and onion crackers. www.cradocssavourybiscuits.co.uk

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Lamb.

It’s got to be Welsh. eatwelshlamb.com * Rich in niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and zinc and a source of potassium, phosphorus and pantothetic acid.

D I S T I L L E R Y

Wales’ longest established & most highly awarded artisan cheesemakers.

BEST OF ORGANIC MARKET AWARDS

Celtic Promise

WINNER 2017

BEST ORGANIC SPIRIT & BEST ORGANIC ALCOHOL

www.damhile.co.uk

2x supreme champion, British cheese awards

www.teificheese.co.uk

A brand proud to be WELSH! Visit the winery or shop online at www.celticwines.co.uk

Celtic Country Wines, The Winery, Henllan, SA44 5TD

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Back To School Satchel? Blazer? Pencil Case? Leave all these at home! School’s ‘in’ for Autumn, just not quite how you remember, and there’s also a brand new set of cool rules! Wales is awash with fabulous foodie workshops, to teach, encourage and inspire. So whether you’re starting from scratch, or polishing your skills, there’s a food or drink course for you. And with Christmas around the corner, how about purchasing a voucher as a gift-experience to remember? Lowri Haf Cooke guides us through the new season essentials that include bags of enthusiasm and strictly no detention!

OMB: One Mile Bakery, Cardiff Forget The Great British Bake Off; how about a wonderful Welsh workshop, run by a fabulous baker boy? Nick Macleod turned his lifelong hobby into a thriving local business when his career on the rugby field at Newport Gwent Dragons came to an end.

And although you need to reside within a mile of Rhiwbeina to purchase his daily bread, Nick opens his kitchen to bakers of all levels for an experience to remember. Having prepared plenty of cakes, I’d never baked bread, so I signed up for the Beginner’s BreadMaking Course (that lasts from 10am-4pm). What a day of revelations, which included a two-course lunch, as well as tea with home-made preserves and plenty of toast. Nick’s patient expertise put me completely at ease, and the act of the kneading itself was a balm for mind, body and spirit. Thanks to great fellow-students, we aced the team challenge - a surprise element, that added to the charm. I left with my own heaving bagful of bread and a beatific smile on my face. P.S. There’s also an OMB school in Pontardawe! https://www.onemilebakery.com/

Pysgoty, Aberystwyth Do you long to make fish the dish of the day, but are wary of leaping out of your comfort zone? Pysgoty in Aberystwyth – one of the best seafood restaurants in Wales – offers fish preparation workshops, both ‘basic’ and ‘advanced’. Not only does the course provide a great introduction to fish, but you’ll learn knife skills and how to gut, scale, clean, fillet and cook, whether steamed, grilled, baked or pan-fried. Rest assured, you really are in the best of hands; part-owner Craig Edwards runs Jonah’s Fish Market in town, whilst wife Rhiannon leads the day with Chef Pawel between 10am-3pm. On top of all that you’ll get to enjoy a slapup lunch, and take your freshly prepared fish home with a recipe pack.

The Mushroom Garden Snowdonia, Beddgelert Calling all fungi! Don’t let the opportunity pass you by to join a seasonal mushroom walk. The crème de la crème is led by poet and ‘Mushroom Man’ Cynan Jones; the Welsh food hero who processes his products at his family farm at the heart of Eryri. So, get your walking boots on for some foraging fun, kicking off at Beddgelert, where you’ll pass the feted Gelert’s grave.

Make your way up to Nantmor, close to Mushroom Garden Snowdonia HQ, where Cynan will light the fryer! His dried Shiitake mushrooms and Umami Seasoning are world-renowned, and are also available through the National Trust. And as well as ‘official’ mushrooming expeditions held throughout the autumn season, Cynan happily leads private groups. http://snowdoniamushrooms.co.uk/

https://pysgoty.co.uk/workshops/

www.taste-blas.co.uk

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Brecon Beacons Foraging: Gin Botanicals Workshop, Brecon

Bodnant Welsh Food At the heart of the Conwy Valley, between Llandudno and Llanrwst, you’ll find Bodnant Welsh Food centre.

There, at the Hayloft restaurant, ‘Dai Chef ’ Davies runs a host of food classes and workshops. Take your pick over autumn between several Saturday morning sessions; master the art of shellfish cooking, or delve into the flavours of the American Deep South. Or for an adrenalin rush, book a ‘Ready Steady Cook’ session, and treat two guests to enjoy a feast that you’ve prepared from a box of mystery ingredients! https://www.bodnant-welshfood.co.uk/

Inspired by each edition of taste.blas’ foraging column, I leapt at the chance to join a gin botanicals workshop, led by ‘Hedgerow Guru’ Adele Nozedar.

This fun September experience transitioned my brain from summer to autumn in the glorious countryside outside Brecon. The afternoon session was based at Tŷ Mawr farm’s kitchen garden at Llangasty Talyllyn, not far from the shore of Llyn Safaddan (Llangorse lake). I’d never been there before, but I’d love to return to further explore Rae Gervis’ stunning seasonal garden menu. As for the botanicals course? What an enlightening afternoon of fascinating, lifelong lessons. It added to my annual sloe-picking trip to Pembrokeshire, by making me consider native botanics anew. Did you know that between 80-90% of the plants in our garden, including weeds, are edible? Or, quite simply, that vodka + juniper = gin? Neither did I! Following a forage, delicious lunch (including cocktail) and team quiz, we got to hand-pick our own botanics for a bespoke gin . I plumped for juniper, coriander seeds, red peppercorns as well as hibiscus and cornflowers - and as pretty as a picture it was too! As Adele herself puts it, ‘You’ll never consider gardening the same way again; you’ll just sit there savouring your gin!’ http://breconbeaconsforaging.com/

Y Sied, Nantgaredig Not only is Carmarthenshire’s Lisa Fearn a successful cookbook writer, but she’s also the founder of her family farm-cafe Y Sied. The converted barn space is the brand new base for The Pumpkin Patch - her cookery and gardening school. Originally established to appeal to kids and teens, it’s now a draw for adults too. Pop in for tea and cake and enjoy a baking demonstration, or every Thursday check out a different ‘cake for the weekend’. There’s a course for ‘Tiny Pumpkins’ – a cookery and craft experience for preschool aged children and parents - and even a Student SOS Cookery night! https://www.ysied.co.uk/the-cookery-school/

Angela Gray’s Cookery School, Llanerch Vineyard For a lovely autumn experience, head for Hensol in the Vale of Glamorgan; home to Angela Gray’s long-established cookery school. Based at Llanerch Vineyard, this highly regarded food destination often hits the lists for the Top 10 UK cookery schools. The chef and food writer encourages guests to get creative in a series of relaxed cookery courses. Consider a guide to ‘Low ‘n’ Slow’ cooking, or ‘Gourmet Barbecue’ in October. Or get ready for Christmas with a feast of festive courses - like ‘Stir-Up Sunday’ and ‘GiftMaking’ - in November. https://www.angelagray.co.uk/

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The Whitebrook

Green & Jenks

Destination There are places in Wales you simply have to visit to consider yourself a Welsh ‘bolgi’ or gourmand. Keep these foodie travel guides to hand, as these epicurean epicentres are surrounded by local gastro treasures. Book a weekend away and make ‘bwyd a diod’ the highlight of your stay; let Lowri Haf Cooke guide you on the second of our taste.blas Welsh food pilgrimages...

Welsh Food Mecca: The Whitebrook, Monmouthshire One of the loveliest food escapes in all of Wales is definitely best experienced during autumn. As the nights start drawing in, you’ll feel a hankering for comfort, yet also yearn to experience the season in 3D. What you’ll find, to your delight, is that The Whitebrook ticks all boxes – including ones you hadn’t even considered.

Long regarded as one of Wales’ premier dining spots, it secured the nation’s first ever Michelin star in 1976, under Chef Sonia Blech and husband Neville. Since 2012 it’s staged the marvels of food magician Chris Harrod, who conjures up a feast of Wye Valley flavours.

Upon your arrival at the restaurant-with-rooms, settle in with a home-made Welsh cake, still warm from the oven. Then get your walking boots on, hop over the Gwenffrwd (Whitebrook) stepping stones, and kick a rainbow of leaves at Margaret’s Wood before supper.

Following the chef ’s roaring success on last year’s Great British Menu, there are a few ‘signature’ dishes to savour. The Huntsham Farm Suckling Pig, (titled ‘Everything but the Squeal’ on TV), is definitely a Whitebrook no-brainer. Or, make things easy for yourself and go for the stellar tasting menu, where all glorious bases are covered.

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The menu takes great care to highlight award-winning Welsh producers, including Ancre Hill wines and Trealy Farm charcuterie. Place your trust in the chef, as he celebrates hand-picked seasonal ingredients, in collaboration with local forager Henry Ashby. Herbs such as hogweed and mugwort may sound like they’ve escaped from the Mabinogion, but just like wizard Gwydion, Chef Chris Harrod is a master of magic potions! So do yourself a favour; make a date with destiny, and enjoy the multi-sensory wonders of The Whitebrook.

The Whitebrook; Whitebrook, Monmouthshire NP25 4TX; tel: 01600 860254

While you’re in the area...

Ice Cream: Green & Jenks: (14 mins: 5.4 miles, North-West) Following a leisurely stay at the Whitebrook, make your way over to Monmouth, and enjoy the delights of this historical Welsh market town. Enjoy the vibrant selection of independent shops, from Neil Powell’s butchers to Salt and Pepper for kitchen ceramics. Then head up Monnow Street towards Agincourt Square for a treat at Green & Jenks. The sixth-generation family business dates back to 1888, when Frederick

The Stonemill

Dining Green established Cardiff ’s Roath Park Dairy Company. In 2015 his great-great grand-daughter Gilly started producing her own artisan gelato in the basement of her busy Monmouth cafe-shop. Alongside ever-popular flavours, like Chocolate, Mint and Kinder Bueno, try the home-made Chuckleberry; a combination of redcurrant, gooseberry and jostaberry (itself a hybrid of gooseberry and blackberry!). Did you know that gelato is actually healthier for you than ice cream? If so, double up at Green and Jenks!

Green & Jenks: 11 Agincourt Square, Monmouth NP25 3DY; tel: 01600 711657

Light Lunch: The Stonemill (18 mins: 8.2 miles, North-West) Onwards, towards the village of Llanoronwy Carn Cenhedlon (Rockfield), past the legendary rock studio where such musical luminaries as Queen, The Stone Roses and Oasis recorded albums that changed the world. Make your way uphill, where you’ll find charming foodie treasure The Stonemill. Take your pick from the sharing platters, or choose from the lunch ‘market menu’- 2 courses for £21.95 or 3 for £24.95. How about Wye Valley asparagus or shoulder of Raglan lamb? All the meats are provided by F E Richards of Crickhowell, but the fresh bread is baked daily, in-house.

Hill Estates – who produce award-winning Welsh wine – you’ll find Apple County Cider at Whitehouse Farm on the outskirts of Castell-newydd (Newcastle).

Overlooking the Monnow valley, make your way past the orchard towards a stall full of produce, where Pippin the dog awaits! Although the cider production ends towards the end of October, there are plenty of bottles to keep you going, including the Great Taste Golden Fork award-winning lightly sparkling Dabinett Medium Cider. Once the cold sets in for winter, purchase a flagon of Apple County mulled cider - the perfect way to warm the cockles of your heart!

Apple County Cider: Whitehouse Farm, Castellnewydd, Monmouthshire, NP25 5NS; tel: 01600 750835

Gastro Pub: The Bell at Skenfrith (27 mins; 13.4 miles North-West)

Farm Shop: Apple County Cider (26 mins: 12.4 miles, North-West)

At last, retire to the bar of one of the cosiest gastro pubs in Wales; The Bell at Skenfrith - a 17th century former coaching inn in the village of Ynysgynwraidd on the banks of the river Mynwy (Monnow). Or if you’re visiting in the presence of your four-legged friend, make a bee-line next door, to The Dog and Boot Bar. Go for an elderflower Bellini, or a pint of Wye Valley Brewery’s Butty Bach, then take your seat by the open fire. Having wandered the greater area for the ghost of Owain Glyndŵr (rumoured to have spent his final years in the village of Kentchurch, 6 miles away), you’d be starving for your Sunday lunch; start with the Perl Las cheese brûlée, followed by the sirloin of Hereford beef, polished off with a passion fruit parfait.

Then seriously consider the 11 en-suite bedrooms, and do the sanest possible thing; book a room for one final ‘nos da’!

Time to stock-up on some local, seasonal treats, or gifts for your nearest and dearest. Not far from Ancre

The Bell at Skenfrith; Ynysgynwraidd (Skenfrith), Monmouthshire NP7 8UH, tel: 01600 750235

The Stonemill, Rockfield, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, NP25 5SW; tel: 01600 716273

Apple County Cider

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The Bell at Skenfrith

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“Situated at the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains, our farm has long been renowned for quality meat. We pride ourselves on providing the very best Wales has to offer. Our own herd of Welsh Black cattle and sheep, along with free range Welsh pork from West Wales and Christmas turkeys from outstanding free range Welsh farmers.

We have a genuine passion and love for good food and a tradition of delivering exceptional produce. It was a natural progression to take our produce from gate to plate!

Our Christmas range includes free range locally sourced bronze turkeys, 35 day dry aged Welsh Black beef and Welsh mountain lamb. Order forms are available from our Canton butchery.”

The genuine field to fork experience:

PONTCANNA BUTCHERY 221 Cathedral Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9PP

CANTON BUTCHERY 108 Cowbridge Road East, Canton, Cardiff CF11 9DX

02920 230088

FARM Llygadenwyn Farm Office, Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire SA40 9QS

info@orieljones.co.uk www.orieljones.com

Chef profile

A Song For His Supper ©Beth Roberts

Recognizing the city’s limitations, Paj left Cardiff for London at 18, starting off as second commis chef at the Michelin-starred Windows at Hilton Park Lane. He went on to work under Pierre Koffman, and at Le Gavroche, and even had a sideline as a ladies’ escort. ‘You wouldn’t believe the amazing restaurants I got to visit through ‘wining and dining’. I was always a good Welsh boy, but it often crossed my mind; ‘thank god I’m not paying the bill!’.

Some chefs are born legends; some achieve legendary status, while others have the title of ‘Welsh legend’ thrust upon them. Chef Padrig Jones - or ‘Paj’ to the restaurant world – it’s fair to say, ticks all boxes. He’s in a thoughtful mood as he reflects on his rollercoaster career, which has recently come full circle. Indeed, he has a new lease of life - following triumphs, trouble and strife - as he takes the helm of the kitchen at Gwesty Cymru, Aberystwyth.

‘Cooking’ he says simply ‘is in my blood – the kitchen is where I come to life’. Indeed, his career in the kitchen began when he was 8 years old at Llety Cymro - his parents’ B&B in Cardiff. His passion for food grew during holidays to France, where he sailed, and learnt to fish. He left school for catering college at the age of 16, before entering the world of late 80’s cuisine. ‘There wasn’t a lot of fine dining in Cardiff at the time, but that’s where I earned my ‘chef ’s whites’. I learned a lot from Chef Gilbert [Viader] at Le Cassoulet, and was inspired by David Evans’ ‘nouvelle cuisine’ at Spanghero’s on Westgate Street’.

But when simmering tensions between the chef and a partner boiled over, he made the heartbreaking decision to walk away in 2008.

He spent time over the years running the King’s Arms, Pentyrch and leading the kitchen at Yr Hen Lyfrgell and The Bistro, Penarth. He consulted for countless Cardiff restaurants before leaving the kitchen, and becoming a Freelance Developement Chef. Indeed many of his ideas are seen on supermarket shelves, from Aldi to Marks and Spencers. ‘It may appear to others who aren’t in the business that ‘he just can’t settle down’, but I’ve learnt valuable lessons at every step. For a long time, after Le Gallois ended, it felt like I was going through a grieving process, and it’s only recently that I feel that I’ve come out the other side.’

©Emma Goldsmith

www.taste-blas.co.uk

©Emma Goldsmith

Lowri Haf Cooke meets legendary Welsh Chef Padrig Jones.

By the time he’d drawn the ire of personal hero Marco Pierre White, he heard the calling back home to Wales. Then, in 1997, his dream came true as he became Head Chef of Le Gallois - his family’s contemporary Franco-Welsh restaurant. For over a decade the Pontcanna ‘it-restaurant’ personified the affluent ‘Cool Cymru’ zeitgeist. ‘It was the time of my life; we were full all the time, and were named one of the UK’s top 50 restaurants. We had media types phoning up to book the ‘best’ table, and to request that the ‘competition’ be sat in the furthest corner. The pig’s cheek with truffle flew out the kitchen, and the scallops, black pudding and pork belly was another huge favourite, served with Bloody Mary ketchup.’

So, when Huw and Beth Roberts from Gwesty Cymru reached out with an offer, Paj knew that the timing was right. ‘Although I’m a Bluebird through and through, I’ve felt a calling to the West: I think that’s gradually come with age. I’ve always loved Aberystwyth – my grandparents lived in Llanrhystud, and following 15 years in France, my parents have recently moved to Llanarth. I’ve dreamed about living and working by the sea, and you couldn’t ask for more with Gwesty Cymru as the restaurant is right by the shore’.

Already, his set lunch menu has proved a big hit, as renowned ‘Paj’ dishes whet Aberystwyth appetites. These include his pork and rabbit terrine, and a to-die-for parfait, that’s followed him all the way from Spanghero’s, when he was still a lad. But with such high-quality Ceredigion produce to hand, it’s not just about re-visiting his Cardiff classics; ‘I’ve already been experimenting with inspiring local ingredients.

Take the Cardigan Bay sea bass linguine, for example; now, that’s a beautiful fish. I serve it filleted for the evening, leaving plenty of meat for a stunning pasta dish.’

For autumn, be on the look-out for ‘hearty game dishes, warming fish soups, plenty of slow and low cooking’ , as well as long-established Gwesty Cymru favourites. As Paj says himself; ‘The name says it all, it’s the best of Wales on a plate. Land or sea, I make the ingredients sing!’

It’s been a long road from Llety’r Cymro and Le Gallois to Gwesty Cymru, but the name itself has a personal resonance for Paj. ‘Gwesty Cymru (‘Wales Hotel’) is named after one of Wales’ most famous rock anthems. It’s by Geraint Jarman, who’s my partner Lisa’s dad’. He’s lost a stone since he returned to the kitchen, and started fishing again with his dad. ‘I go down to the beach at Llanrhystud, to forage for seaweed for the laver bread. And there’s a secret cove I like in Cei Bach, where I cast my rod with a nice glass of wine. It really is what life’s all about, and it’s great to be back.’

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Keep the Season in a Jar

Put everything else on hold. Adele Nozedar tempts us to get out and discover how autumn is a time to reap the fruits on offer not too far from our doorsteps...

Here in Llanfrynach, in the midst of the Brecon Beacons, I have the most gorgeous view of the hills.

At this time of year they’re covered in bracken, no longer green, but shrivelled up and brown. Although some might see bracken as a nuisance, there’s a time when the slanting sunlight causes the drying fronds to lighten, painting the hills a burnished, tawny gold.

It’s breathtakingly beautiful. Although this colour tells me that autumn is here and that winter will follow quicker than I think, it’s also a reminder that this is the best season for foraging, and that I need to spend as many of my waking hours as I can gathering a harvest.

It’s exactly as my ancestors did for thousands of years: everything else can wait….

This time of year is special. Autumn yields not only delicious fruits, but also nuts AND fungi too. And lurking in many gardens is one of my favourite ingredients, Japanese Quince, aka Chaenomeles japonica. It’s also sometimes called ‘false quince’.

This unprepossessing shrub is common, but largely ignored; I recently saw some in Cardiff ’s Roath Park.

I reckon the word ‘ornamental’ makes us think, quite understandably, that it shouldn’t be eaten, but when cooked, they’re absolutely delicious.

Japanese Quince has dark orange / red flowers, followed by hard, knobbly, pale yellow fruits – (which turn a darker colour) attached directly to sprawling branches. Whereas most of us know all about ‘real’ quince, they’re not easy to come by. Traditionally, people use quince to make Membrillo; a sweet, granular paste that originates in Spain and which - it is said - holds the origins of marmalade. Membrillo pairs beautifully with a good Manchego cheese, but I prefer it (and so will you) spread thickly, on hot toast that’s dripping with too much butter.

The recipe here, using fruits foraged in Wales, makes a Membrillo to rival any from Spain. I’m not going to tell you that it’s not a ffaff to make, but if, like me, you like to spend the occasional afternoon messing about in the kitchen whilst listening to Eleri Siôn on BBC Radio Wales, then this is the recipe for you. Not only that, but your entire house will hold the rich scent of autumn.

Japanese Quince Membrillo • • • •

2kg Japanese quince, ripened to gold 1 whole vanilla pod Juice and zest of an unwaxed lemon White caster sugar (for amount, see method)

Method First, line a 20cm x 20cm baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Chop and de-pip the quinces, put into a large heavybottomed pan, add the vanilla pod and lemon juice/ zest, then just cover with water. Cover, and cook on a low heat for about an hour or until the fruit is soft.

Remove the vanilla pod, drain and weigh the fruit.

Weigh out the same amount of sugar.

Blend the fruit using a stick blender until silky smooth, then add the sugar. Cook again, uncovered, over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Cover the pan and cook over a very low heat for 60-90 minutes – the mixture will turn a rich orangey-brown hue. Pour into the tray, or alternatively straight into clean, warm jars, and leave to set.

Japanese Quince Membrillo recipe from The Garden Forager by Adele Nozedar (Random House), £12.99.

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Wake to the sound of the sea Sandy Mount House is a contemporary beach house restaurant and bar with rooms in the heart of Rhosneigr.

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and thoughtful touches. Comfortable and informal, our restaurant serves a seasonally changing menu that

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Sandy Mount House is a contemporary beach house restaurant and bar

Welsh grown, Welsh pressed and Welsh bottled Rapeseed Oil and Dressings

Cold-pressed to protect and enhance the oil’s goodness, Blodyn Aur’s range of dressings and oils taste delicious, enhancing flavour instead of dominating it.

Whether used in cooking or as a dressing, the flavour, viscosity and cooking characteristics of Blodyn Aur’s range make it the perfect choice every time.

And with high levels of omega-3 and vitamin E and with less than half the saturated fat of olive oil, they’re healthy too.

Cold-pressed Rapeseed Oil - Balsamic Dressing - Beetroot and Thyme Dressing - Honey and Mustard Dressing Blodyn Aur is available online and across Wales in selected supermarkets, farm shops, deli’s and independent retailers

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The Spirit Whilst Gin has been king for several years, the Welsh public’s gaze is turning to new types of tipple. Llinos Rowlands sheds light on some of the latest alternative autumn-friendly Welsh libations...

From our bar in Dolgellau we find customers are keen to sample something different, and provenance is of increasing interest. There’s a huge thirst for change, a variety of options and a desire for local Welsh produce.

There’s also much speculation about what the next ‘in-drink’ will be…

Barti Spiced Rum Sometimes described as liquid Christmas cake, Barti Spiced from Pembroke Dock is packed with warm spices and flavours, and is therefore often drunk neat, as well as with the traditional addition of mixers. A quirky addition to its making is the handpicked laver seaweed from the Pembrokeshire coast, which adds savoury notes to this exceptional liquor. This is a drink for cosy autumn evenings, especially savoured by pirates of Pembrokeshire!

Tasting Notes: Vanilla and cinnamon aromas with cloves, dried fruits and orange on the palate.

Savour with: Ice and a slice of orange or with Llanllyr Source Ginger Ale and a twist of lime.

Celtic Wines Blackberry Liqueur If you’re looking for alternatives to Crème de Cassis then Celtic Country Wines in Henllan, Llandysul has come up trumps. Made with brandy and blackberries, this liqueur is rich and sweet; a delicious addition to an autumn fruit salad. If you like your Kir Royale, it could well be a good celebration drink in the colder months that jazzes up a cheaper fizz nicely.This would be a nice seasonal twist for an autumn wedding – and best of all, it’s Welsh!

Tasting Notes: Sweet dark fruit on the nose and a rich blackberry flavour.

Savour with: Chilled white wine, or sparkling wine for Kir, or Kir Royale.

www.bartirum.wales

Aerona Liqueur

www.celticwines.co.uk

The Jones family started growing Aronia berries on their farm in Chwilog near Pwllheli as part of an experimental project to grow new crops and plants.

This unique drink contains other botanicals grown on the farm, all of which are natural ingredients with no artificial colouring or preservatives. Sometimes called the black chokeberry, it’s rich in antioxidants which may make you feel better about having a snifter!

If you’re a Campari lover, then you may well enjoy Aerona, with the same mixers of soda or fresh orange juice on ice. The warmed cranberry and orange juice version is a nice alternative to mulled wine for Halloween or other autumn/winter festivals.

Tasting Notes: Juicy berry flavours with a sour touch on the palate.

Savour with: Cranberry juice and orange juice gently warmed with added slices of citrus fruit garnish www.aerona.wales

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of Wales Penderyn FIVE Vodka The remote village of Penderyn was once known for sheep sales, now the distillery has shot this tiny hamlet onto the world stage with its spirits being exported all over the globe. Established in the late 1990s the company claims to have revived the ‘lost art’ of distilling in Wales and in all fairness, it is a valid statement with a growing tide of companies producing a growing range of spirits in its wake. It’s often thought that vodka tastes of, well, nothing, but FIVE, in its aloof and beautiful black bottle contradicts this, and was the winner of the 2018 World Vodka Awards - UK Pure Neutral. It is a popular choice in bars as a cool and contemporary spirit. Make this your autumn party drink.

Tasting Notes: Herb aromas and almost creamy in flavour with hints of roasted nuts.

Savour with: Poured over ice and a couple of raspberries.

Aber Falls Coffee and Dark Chocolate Liqueur

www.penderyn.wales

Right up on the north coast you can’t miss the Aber Falls distillery in Abergwyngregyn just off the A55 before Llanfairfechan. The sea mist and icy blasts of the wind from the north must have spurred them on to produce this smooth dark, quite heady drink.

Inspired by the famous Espresso Martini, it’s one of the few drinks that pairs well with chocolate. Winner of a bronze medal at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition it is one of Aber Falls’ many successful creations. Curl up with a good book, a liqueur coffee made with a generous shot of this and a bar of your favourite dark chocolate for a touch of luxury on a stormy night.

Tasting Notes: Aroma of roasting coffee and rich smooth cocoa on the palate.

Savour with: Ice, milk and a shot of coffee for an alternative iced coffee.

DàMhìle Welsh Single Grain Whisky 2018

www.aberfallsdistillery.com

This organic family farm in Ceredigion, West Wales is known for its excellent Teifi farmhouse cheese and produces a range of spirits and liqueurs. In 1992 they commissioned the world’s first organic whisky which was distilled at the Springbank Distillery, Scotland, hence the Gaelic name, meaning 2000, to celebrate the millennium. Aged in a Sherry cask for four years, this whisky is soft and has well rounded flavours without the peatiness that some people prefer not to have in whisky. Pop some in a hip flask for a late afternoon dram on an autumn walk. Also look out for the new Welsh Single Malt whisky that DàMhìle is launching soon.

Tasting Notes: Warming and smooth with flavours of vanilla, toast and liquorice.

Savour with: A splash of water. www.damhile.co.uk

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Celtic Spirit Danzy Jones Whisky Liqueur Based in Anglesey, Celtic Spirit claims to be the oldest spirit company in Wales. A traditional recipe, Danzy Jones’ whisky liqueur is a combination of Malt whisky, herbs and rosehips to make a mellow whisky liqueur. According to the legend, Danzy himself was a journeying stonemason, and his descendants still honour his formula to this day. This is a jolly good toddy for Welsh autumn days. As we say in Wales, ‘iechyd da!’

Tasting Notes: Rich and full flavoured with herb notes on the palate.

Savour with: Ginger ale or lemonade on ice. celticspirit.co.uk

Coles BreweryWhite Rum

Condessa Sloe Gin

Deep in rural Carmarthenshire in the village of Llanddarog, you’ll find a pretty unique and varied business. As well as running the White Hart Inn this family business creates a vast array of drinks in dedicated sheds behind the ancient thatched pub.

Unlike most distillers who buy in the base spirit to re-distill, brothers Cain and Marcus are proud to claim they make their own, so everything is made on site from scratch. Their white rum was the first to be produced in Wales and in 2018 was awarded the Silver Medal in the White Rum category at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC).

Tasting Notes: Subtle notes of vanilla and caramel.

Savour with: Ice, a slice of lime and a dash of coke.

Sloe gin (or ‘jin eirin tagu’) has been a traditional drink in Wales for generations; it’s enjoyable drunk neat, or served with a traditional tonic, and even better after a long country walk. You can easily pick sloes from hedgerows over autumn, where they grow on the blackthorn bush. Add gin for an easy-peasy DIY treat, then wait a few months for the flavour to deepen.

However, if you’d rather not wait then go for Condessa Sloe Gin; it’s made in Llanfaethlu on the Isle of Anglesey. It’s full of seasonal fruit to create a warming drink to savour by a crackling log fire.

Tasting Notes: Dark-red fruit flavours and mellowed sweetness.

Savour with: Add tonic or soda water over ice.

www.coles.wales

condessa.co.uk

‘1581’ White Castle Welsh Fortified Wine Vintage 2014 Robb and Nicola Merchant are expert hands in the wine world and have now realised a dream of producing a Welsh fortified wine at their vineyard in Monmouthshire. The result of four years of planning ‘1581’ is White Castle’s first release limited edition Welsh fortified wine, made with the Regent grape, fortified with spirit and aged in the same way as Port.

It takes its name from the grade II* listed Tudor barn at the foot of the vineyard. A warming drink by the fire or a special treat with your cheese after dinner.

Tasting Notes: Bramble fruit on the nose, smooth with rich and fruity flavours.

Savour with: Perl Las cheese or even alongside berryfruit puddings such as crumble or pie. www.whitecastlevineyard.com

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Welcome to Coco Pzazz, artisan chocolate makers based in the Powys village of Caersws.

Our busy little team scours the globe for inspiration: great chocolate, exciting tastes and lo lovely artwork. We then add in a little Welsh influence.

We blend sustainably grown, high quality chocolate with natural flavours - creating hand finished, exquisitely flavoured bars and buttons They call us “Intrepid Chocolateers” Look out for Coco Pzazz in gift shops, delis, farm shops and visitor accommodation across Wales and beyond. www.cocopzazz.co.uk info@cocopzazz.co.uk 01686 688012

Our cans are 100% recyclable. #KnowYourSOURCE #LoveNature

www.taste-blas.co.uk

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Recipes

Welsh Beef Katsu Ingredients

Method

• • • •

1.

• •

4 thin cut Welsh Beef sirloin steaks 75g seasoned plain flour 1 large egg, beaten 75g panko breadcrumbs (or make your own breadcrumbs) 25g golden breadcrumbs Oil for shallow frying

For the sauce: • 1tsp vegetable oil • 1 onion, finely chopped • 2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, grated • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1tbsp medium curry powder • 2tbsp plain flour • 250ml chicken stock • 1tbsp soy sauce • 1tbsp honey

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2.

Make the sauce by heating the oil in a pan and fry the onion for a few minutes to soften and start to colour, add the garlic and ginger and cook for few minutes.

Add the curry powder and flour and stir for a minute – slowly add the stock stirring all the time to avoid any lumps.

3.

Add the honey and soy sauce – boil and simmer for approx. 10 minutes. You may need to add more water if it’s a bit thick.

4.

If you want a smooth sauce place in a blender.

5.

Take the steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes prior to cooking.

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6.

Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in 3 different shallow bowls or plates.

7.

Dip the Welsh Beef steaks in the flour, then the egg and then in the breadcrumbs ensuring they’re all coated.

8.

To cook, gently heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the Welsh Beef steaks over a low-medium heat until cooked – approx.

4-5 mins each side. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with sticky rice and the delicious katsu curry sauce and a nice crisp salad or slaw.

Recipes

Greedy Baked Potatoes Angela Gray really loves a good baked spud with crisp skin and light, fluffy potato oozing with butter! In this recipe taken from Angela Gray’s Cookery School Autumn Recipes book, she has brought together some of her favourite ingredients to create the ultimate greedily-filled jacket that is almost a complete meal in itself – perhaps a portion of cabbage salad and a dollop of slow-cooked red onions would be welcomed plate fellows.

• • •

•

3 large baking potatoes (the third potato is to create extra mash for the 4 halves) 1 large red onion

• • • • • • •

Filling 70g Castle Dairies salted butter 3 tablespoons crème fraîche 60g blue cheese e.g. Perl Las or Roquefort 1 level teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper 1 small leek, trimmed and shredded 200g spinach

4.

Serves 4

What you do 1.

Ingredients •

To finish 25g walnuts 5 stems flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 1 tablespoon sultanas or dried cranberries

© Huw Jones

2.

3.

Heat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Bake the potatoes and the onion for about an hour or so, until soft all the way through. Cut the potatoes in half lengthways, scoop out the flesh into a ricer and pass into a bowl; keep the skins.

Add 25g of the butter, the crème fraîche, Perl Las, salt and pepper into the potatoes.

Fold in and combine well.

Peel the onion and chop finely, pop into a bowl and set aside.

Put 4 of the potato skins on an oven tray, divide 10g of the remaining butter between them and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 5–10 minutes until they crisp up, then remove from the oven.

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5.

6.

7.

Bring a saucepan half-filled with salted water to a boil, cook the shredded leek for 5 minutes, add the spinach and cook for a further 30 seconds. Drain, refresh under cold water and drain again. Squeeze out as much water as you can, then fold into the mash.

Pile into the empty potato skins, then return them to the oven for 15 minutes more, until the top of the mash is crisp and browned.

Melt the remaining butter in a small frying pan on a high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until it starts to brown, then fry the chopped walnuts for 30 seconds and stir in the chopped onion and sultanas.

Cook for 1 minute then stir in the parsley.

Spoon over the potatoes and serve hot.

Angela Gray’s Cookery School, Autumn Recipes, Written by Angela Gray, Photographed by Huw Jones, £9.99. Published

by Graffeg, available from all good book shops and from www.graffeg.com

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The Perfect Gift Angela Gray’s Autumn Recipes Festive, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter recipe books £9.99.

Order online www.graffeg.com or call 01554 824000 Autumn Recipes Taste Blas Advert_Oct 2019_P1 2.indd 1

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Real Ale. True Quality...

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Recipes Preparation time: 30 MINS | Cooking time: 40 MINS This is a real favourite on the festival circuit, when ankle-deep in mud – to keep you going late into the night! Even people who hate conventional bread and butter pudding love this. Not healthy, but filling and yummy! Serve with Greek yoghurt, ice cream or cream. My granny may be dead and gone, but her pud lives on!

Granny Jones’ Sticky Toffee Bread & Butter Pudding

Ingredients BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING • 1 small loaf of white unsliced bread (doesn’t work so well with brown) • 80g butter + a little extra for greasing baking dish • 50g raisins or dried fruit of your choice • 5 large eggs • 700ml whole milk • 100g soft brown sugar + a little extra to sprinkle on top STICKY TOFFEE SAUCE • 65g caster sugar • 65g butter • 80g soft brown sugar • 125ml golden syrup • 150ml single cream

Method 1.

2.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Butter a deep-sided baking dish (approx.

30cm x 25cm).

3. Cut the bread into chunks, about 5cm x 3cm. Butter pieces randomly to use up all butter.

4. Place in the baking dish and sprinkle with drïed fruit.

5. Crack eggs into a large bowl and whisk with a fork to break up the yolks. Add the milk and most of the sugar and mix together.

6. Pour over the bread, pressing down the chunks to absorb the liquid, and then sprinkle with a little sugar. Leave for 10 mins then bake in the oven for approx. 40 mins, until golden and set in the middle.

7. To make the sticky toffee sauce, place the caster sugar, brown sugar, butter and syrup in a saucepan over a medium/low heat. Melt everything together, stirring until smooth. Bring to the boil for 3 mins.

8. Take off the heat and add the cream. Be careful: it will bubble and spit!

9. When you take the pudding out of the oven, check it is cooked by poking a knife into the centre of the pudding to make sure the egg mixture is not runny. (Put it back in if it is!)

10. Pour some sauce over the cooked pudding and serve some more with it.

By Hugh and Jill Jones with Mark Jones

© Rebecca Bedford www.taste-blas.co.uk

No Bones Jones: Festival Cookbook (Y Lolfa) £12.99

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Great cider is a timeless joy to us at Apple County. We make real cider and perry from 100% freshly pressed juice. Each cider is made from a single variety of bitter-sweet apples all grown in local orchards.

We approach cider-making with all the skills and reverence of a traditional winemaker, allowing the distinctive �avours of each variety to develop through a slow, cool fermentation.

Our ciders have won acclaim from chefs, critics, writers, and foodies alike. Valentine Warner, Oz Clarke and Pete Brown have all expressed their appreciation for Apple County Cider.

www.applecountycider.co.uk

Our cider is made on Whitehouse Farm near Skenfrith in Monmouthshire. This lush county is nestled between the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is peppered with historic castles. From the farm, we enjoy stunning views across the Monnow valley where the river marks the Welsh border.

If you are visiting, enjoy a tasting at our cellar door or soak up the view on our 3 mile orchard walk. If you are staying at one of the Welsh Rarebits Hotels then ask for an Apple County Cider at the bar. come and see Apple county cider at The Royal Welsh show and Try our multi award winning ciders.

Whitehouse Farm, Newcastle, Monmouthshire NP25 5NS 01600 750835

Blaenafon Cheddar company is a family business that produces some of Wales’ most awarded handmade cheddar cheeses. Our unique, signature cheese is a Mature Cheddar aged 300ft below ground in Big Pit mining museum for exceptional flavour.

By using a selection of ingredients within our flavoured cheeses, from all over Wales we can lead you on a taste experience from south Wales to Cardiff, Swansea, mid Wales, up to the North and a quick delicious hop over to Anglesey. Ales, beer, cider, mustards & chillies, Whisky & Brandy are mixed into our cheeses to give a real tongue tingling experience.

Our products are available online from www.chunkofcheese.co.uk. We give talks & cheese presentations to various groups & associations. Coach parties welcomed for a Taste of Wales Event via pre booking only £20pp.

Call in and see us for a Welsh Cheesy Welcome!

The Blaenafon Cheddar Company, 79 -80 Broad Street, Blaenavon NP49NF Tel 01495 793123/ 07886388573. Open Mon to Friday 9-5pm (Sat from Nov) Seasonal Sat 10-2pm

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Recipes

Roast Butternut Squash Soup with toasted Seeds Method

By Chris Price, Training Officer, Cambrian Training Autumn…the best time of year to start making some heart-warming soup for when those cold gloomy nights start to draw in. With Halloween approaching and pumpkin carving high on the agenda, why not try and make some squash soup of your very own.

With this recipe you can swap out the standard Butternut squash and use any type out there, each having their own flavour and colour.

Don’t forget you can keep those seeds aside and roast them for a small snack or to add to your soup for that added extra crunch.

Here is a step-by-step guide to preparing and cooking this autumnal soup dish:

1.

Pre heat the oven to 185c

2.

Using a brown chopping board and chef knife carefully cut the squash length ways in half, using a table spoon scrape out the seeds and place into a bowl for later.

3.

4.

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • •

2 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, finely chopped 1kg squash 200g butter 700ml vegetable stock or chicken stock 150ml double cream Parsley , finely chopped ( optional ) Salt and pepper to season Tin foil for roasting.

Toasted Seeds When scooping out the seeds from the squash/pumpkin, keep them to one side and clean them up for use later on.

5.

6.

Now you will need to score the squash making a cross in its flesh. Once done add a small knob of butter and season.

Place then the seasoned squash into some tin foil and wrap tightly and place onto a roasting tray. Then carefully put the tray into the oven and bake for 30-40min or until the squash feels soft once poked with a wooden spoon.

As the squash is in the oven, you can start on the seeds. Carefully remove the seeds from the pulp and place onto a roasting tray, toss in some olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Then you can roast them in the oven till golden brown. Cool and use later on to garnish your soup.

Once the squash is done, remove from the oven and be careful not to burn yourself.

I find it is best to remove the flesh whilst it’s still hot. So being careful, remove the foil and using a table spoon, scoop out the flesh and place into a bowl.

When you are ready with this, you can carefully dice the onion and fry till translucent.

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Top Tip; “this is the best time to start seasoning your soup as you don’t want to add to much salt last minute and the soup only tasting like salt”.

7.

As the onions soften you can add in your squash flesh and stir till combined. Then add in the stock as required and bring to the boil.

Top Tip; “when adding your stock, be sure to add the right amount, just enough to cover the contents, you can always add more later on if needed.”

8.

Bring the pan to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.

9.

Lastly using either a hand blender or blender. Blitz the contents until smooth.

Then checking the seasoning of the soup to your liking, you can serve up the soup in bowls and sprinkle the toasted seeds on top along with some chopped parsley if desired.

The art of creating delicious seasonal vegetable soups develops skills learnt by apprentices when working towards an Apprenticeship Level 2 in Craft Cuisine & Professional Cookery and covers preparing and cooking of a range of vegetables. For more information about Apprenticeships contact Cambrian Training Company at cambriantraining.com or Tel: 01938 555893.

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Business

You’re Hired

Whether you’re a thriving hospitality business wishing to expand or looking to start a career in catering, an Apprenticeship Programme could be the way forward.

Aberaeron’s Harbourmaster Hotel is a great example, having found a skills solution with home-grown apprentices.

A shortage of hospitality industry workers across Wales has encouraged one of the country’s top hotels to grow its own skilled staff using the Welsh Government’s successful Apprenticeship Programme.

Gwesty’r Harbourmaster Hotel enjoys a quayside setting at Aberaeron on the beautiful Cambrian Coast, has 13 luxury boutique style rooms, a busy bar and is a highly regarded restaurant.

The independently owned business is totally focused on providing a high standard of customer care and visitor experience to maintain its excellent reputation across the UK. Staff are encouraged to embrace the Welsh language and culture and to develop their knowledge of Welsh food and drink provenance to share with guests.

General Manager Dai Morgan outside The Harbourmaster Hotel.

As part of their apprenticeship learning experience, the hotel’s chefs have enjoyed the opportunity to expand their fine dining knowledge and dish presentation skills by working with Michelin-starred chefs Gareth Ward from Ynyshir Restaurant with Rooms, near Machynlleth and Hywel Jones from Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa, near Chippenham, who both cooked at the Harbourmaster.

A strong commitment to Apprenticeships has enabled Gwesty’r Harbourmaster Hotel to maintain a workforce of 40 highly trained and motivated staff.

Over the past five years, the hotel has trained 20 apprentices, currently has 11 on its books and there are plans to recruit more.

The Harbourmaster Hotel’s General Manager Dai Morgan with apprentice Megan Hawkins.

General Manager Dai Morgan (seated left) with Cambrian Training’s Head of Hospitality Chris Bason and Training Officer Hazel Thomas and apprentices Ioan Davies, Zak Pegg, Ynyr Lloyd Jones, Steffan Walker and Megan Hawkins.

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The hotel has worked closely with award-winning, pan-Wales apprenticeship training provider Cambrian Training who deliver a range of qualifications including BIIAB Level 2, Apprenticeships in Professional Cookery Level 2 and Level 3, Hospitality Supervision and Leadership Level 3 and a Higher Apprenticeship in Hospitality Management Level 4.

The Apprenticeships in Professional Cookery include opportunities to progress to the Applied Ability Awards (AAA) Craft Cuisine Level 2 and 3 and Professional Cuisine Level 4 qualifications, which have been designed by chefs.

This commitment to Apprenticeships was recognised in October when the hotel was shortlisted for the Small Employer of the Year Award at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru. The event is an annual celebration of outstanding achievement in training and apprenticeships across Wales.

“Our business is based in rural West Wales and despite being a holiday and visitor destination, we still face

issues of staff availability, particularly Welsh speaking staff, which is an important factor for the business,” explains the hotel’s General Manager Dai Morgan.

“We take pride in the fact that we nurture homegrown staff to reach their potential whilst working within their home county where they contribute to the local economy. It has been our aim from the outset to develop a strong team at the Harbourmaster and this has been possible as a result of the Apprenticeship opportunities.

“On-the-job training is a valuable asset to any business as it enables the learner to develop skills and knowledge whilst working. It has been noticeable that staff members on the Apprenticeship Programme have shown improvement in their work, a better commitment to the job and a mature confidence in their dealings with hotel guests.

“It has been invaluable to us to have had the training costs met by Welsh Government.”

Apprentice Zack Pegg, 23, who is working towards an Apprenticeship in Professional Cookery and a AAA in Craft Cuisine, is a commis chef at the Harbourmaster who has worked there for two years.

“I think Apprenticeships are very good because they allow you to earn while you learn in the workplace, which is a win-win situation,” he said. “I would 100 per cent recommend an Apprenticeship to anyone looking for a job in the hospitality industry.

“The Harbourmaster is a great place to work and I have an excellent training officer in Hazel Thomas who is also a very good chef. If I had my time again, I would go straight from school into a job and an Apprenticeship rather than going to college because I think I am much more focused learning in the workplace.

“I have always wanted to be a chef and love being in the kitchen when it’s at full throttle. I like the variety of the work and cooking with great, locally sourced Welsh ingredients.”

Chris Bason, Cambrian Training’s Head of Hospitality, said: “Gwesty’r Harbourmaster Hotel exemplifies how being committed to an Apprenticeship programme can bring success to an organisation.

“The Harbourmaster is committed to ensuring that visitors from all over the world are shown a real Welsh welcome which will be remembered long after they have left.”

The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with support from the European Social Fund.

For more information, please contact Katy Godsell, Cambrian Training’s marketing manager, on tel: 01938 555 893 or Duncan Foulkes, public relations adviser, on tel: 01686 650818 or 07779 785451 or by email: duncan@duncanfoulkespr.co.uk.

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Food and Drink

Eat, drink and be merry taste.blas delivers the verdict on a fabulous range of products available on the market now 1. The Naked Vegan Doughnuts No eggs, no problem for outlandish creations Out of her kitchen in Cardiff, Sarah Powney’s cakes are in high demand. She’s also founded The Naked Vegan to ensure everyone can enjoy her delicacies. With 12 different flavours to choose from that rival any of the big brands, TNV certainly has a lot of fun making its creations, with the Mermaid and Houston We Have Biscoff varieties raising a smile as well as tempting our sweet tooth. The Maple & Kevin Facon offers a salty, savoury contrast, the Chocolate Orange is suitably decadent and Oreo – yes, Oreos are vegan – is as tasty as you’d expect. Though the different flavours offer a host of merriment, it’s the doughnuts themselves that are most important, offering the soft, chewy inside and slightly crispy crust that you’d expect from an expert baker.

Buy it from: discoverdelicious.wales Price: 6 doughnuts for £24

2. Mountain Mead Snowdonian bees the keys to these meads Our second batch of meads in as many issues, this time from Gwynedd producers Mike Cooke and Jacob Milner. Focussing on traditional flavours, all the Mountain Meads celebrate either Welsh honey or local ingredients, with each oozing silky sweetness and beautiful flavours. The Gylfinir (which uses Spanish and Mexican honeys) and Melyn Yr Eithin medium dry varieties are solid introductions for mead novices, with the former’s inviting golden colour and latter’s crispness ideal for beer and wine fans respectively.

Those looking for more adventure should check out Grugiar Ddu’s clove-infused spice balanced by a hit of lemon, or the sweetness of Telor Y Coed that’s an ideal replacement to a dessert wine on a cosy evening.

Buy it from: discoverdelicious.wales Price: £23.99 for a 750ml

3. Merlin Cheeses Fabled characters help inspire cheese legends in their own right Delving into Arthurian myths of the past for inspiration while looking to new horizons for both flavour and expansion, this family-run Carmarthenshire business have legendary status in mind for their products. All cheese producers need a solid cheddar as their centrepiece, and the Merlin Mature and Vintage varieties, matured for six and

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18 months respectively, certainly deliver a wise and creamy result. Meanwhile, those looking to tantalize their taste buds need look no further than the Black Knight’s combination of cheddar with dark chocolate with its seductive twang, and our personal favourite, the nefarious Lady Morgana that packs a punch with garlic and powerful coriander.

Buy it from: merlincheeses.com/shop Price: £4.50 per 200g truckle

4. Little Grandma’s Kitchen Homemade preserves perfected over generations Though the family recipes of curds, chutneys and preserves are taken from previous generations who called the New Forest home, Little Grandma’s Kitchen has made a name for itself out of St Clears, Carmarthenshire. A delightful origin story of homemade chutneys being praised at a family wedding certainly bears fruit when sampling the likes of their brand new Cherry, Rhubarb & Ginger and Bramble Preserves. The new Apricot Chutney is also a grand addition to a bountiful larder that impresses at every food fest you’re lucky enough to encounter them, while the luxurious new range of marmalades including Kiwi & Orange and basic Orange prove that there’s no beating homemade produce made to perfection.

Buy it from: carmarthenfood.com Price: £4 per 280g

5. Puff Pigs sausages The kings of the Welsh banger Any winner of the red, first-place rosette at the Royal Welsh Show is worthy of our attention, even more so when the victors are part-time. Balancing jobs with rearing rare-breed British Saddleback pigs, the Hayward family of Ynysybwl wowed the Builth Wells judges with their Chilli & Garlic sausages to claim the prize, and it’s easy to see why. Yes, there’s plenty of heat and flavour from the garlic and chilli, but it’s the snap of the skin and the high-quality meat inside that brings home the bacon. Lean, fresh, light and absurdly moreish, the bangers are either champs in their own right or could form the centrepiece of a casserole or pasta dish. www.facebook.com/puffpigsty

THE PERFECT VENUE FOR ANY OCCASION Enjoy a relaxing meal in the COPPERPLATE BAR & GRILL At the 4H Stradey Park Hotel & Spa A contemporary Bar & Grill with stunning panoramic views of the estuary Serving classic dishes and daily specials Extensive Cocktail menu, Gin boards and Local beers

OPEN FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH AFTERNOON TEA & DINNER

Stradey Park Hotel & Spa, Llanelli, SA15 4HA T: 01554 758171 www.stradeyparkhotel.com @Copperplatebarandgrill

The finest cheeses from Wales, direct to your door

www.welshcheesecompany.co.uk www.taste-blas.co.uk

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Food and Drink

6. COPA Blue Cheese

9. Aber Falls liqueurs

The soft blue that’s taken on the world, and won Having bagged various awards throughout 2019, including Best Soft Cheese at the International Cheese and Dairy Awards, Carmarthenshire Dairy Products’ COPA Blue Cheese topped off the year by being crowned with a prestigious 3-star rating from Great Taste. Using milk from the Conwy Valley and packaged in Carmarthenshire, one of 10 Welsh products to gain the gold standard, the North Welsh cheese expertly brings together qualities of blue and soft cheese, balancing deep creaminess and a tangy aftertaste from its delicate three-month aged vein. The rind adds a sharpness and bite while its subtle aroma already delivers a knockout blow before you’ve even taken a bite. However big your Christmas cheese board this year, make sure you save a substantial space for the current world champ.

Buy it from: Wally’s Delicatessen, Cardiff Price: £18 per 1kg

Sweet tipples just in time for Christmas In addition to the coffee and dark chocolate options covered in our feature on page 33. Aber Falls also produce two more lavish liqueurs from their distillery.

Made with Halon Mon sea salt, the Salted Toffee variety is ideal for the upcoming festive season with the aroma hitting you from a distance – all toffee and burnt caramel. The Anglesey salt adds depth rather than an overtly salty tang and is a lovely counterpoint to the sweetness of the toffee, making for a balanced result that’s worryingly moreish. The pink bottled Violet Liqueur meanwhile delivers a heady bouquet of a garden on a summer evening when opened. This is backed up with a floral taste that gives way to a herbal finish that lingers. Delightful.

But it from: amazon.co.uk Price: £18.94 per 70cl

7. Untapped Brewery premium beers

10. Flavour Fusion Parmesan Cheese

As well as their core range, Monmouthshire’s Untapped Brewery also has a trio of premium beers for the more adventurous aficionados. The Saisan, a slow-brewed Belgian farmhouse style beer, comes in at a whopping 7.4%. However, more welcoming is the soothing aroma of fragrant fruit and freshly baked bread, and that’s before you even get to the taste. Yes, it packs a punch but there’s a cleanliness and subtle sweetness that makes it an extremely drinkable Belgian beer.

The Crystal is similarly easy to consume, triple filtered for one of the freshest wheat beers we’ve tasted with a veritable platter of fruits vying for your attention.

Then there’s the IPA. Brewed cold in time-honoured fashion, though triple hopped, its hoppiness doesn’t hit hard, but slowly develops making it well-balanced with a crisp, Brut Champagne dryness and some citrus notes. A very classy American influenced variation on a traditional Burton IPA. Buy it from: untappedbrew.com Price: £45 for 12x500ml bottles

8. Grey Trees beer Putting the Valleys’ ale scene to rights Launched by enthusiast Ray Davies in response to the lack of local tipple in his native Aberdare, Grey Trees have been making a name for themselves far beyond the Valleys. Of particular note are their pale ales, which have been delighting aficionados and should entice newcomers to this on-trend beer. Their Afghan Pale Ale is crisper than a hot summer’s day and as refreshing as a relieving downpour, betraying its 5.4% AB. The Chinookan VPA adds a unique citrus flavour to its light finish, while rugby fans will certainly appreciate the JPR Pale Ale that’s crafted with skill but has the out and out toughness of the great full back himself.

Buy it from: greytreesbrewery.co.uk Price: From £2.80 per 300ml bottle

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Welcome vegan-friendly additions to your favourite pasta dishes Aside from the main thrust of the dish, it’s often the little extras that you have to watch out for if you keep to a free-from diet. Good Carma Foods has the answer to any Italian fan’s prayers with this range of dairyfree Parmesan alternatives. Ideal on a salad or your go-to pasta dish, the Flavour Fusions’ combination of almonds and yeast flakes with well-balanced seasoning hit both flavour and texture on the head across their Original, Garlic and Chilli options. The crumbly, rich Garlic is our personal preference, adding even more of a punch to every dish. They also do a tasty Spread Sensation made out of cashews, which is a hummusy option for those of you who enjoy mature cheese spreads on your muffins.

But it from: discoverdelicious.wales Price: £4.95 per 100g

11. Sarah Bunton Chocolates Cooky treats with quality at their heart Whether you’re looking for sophisticated boxes or slabs of joyful, seductive delight, Sarah Bunton has the cure for your chocoholic itch. It’s hardly surprising that these sinful treats come from the award-winning creator’s workshop in Devil’s Bridge in Ceredigion, but what is, is how smooth and satisfying the products are – enabling greedy people like ourselves to scoff down a vast quantity without feeling sick. Among the most novel of the bars are a deep dark chocolate with large chunks of sugared ginger and a sweet white option studded with creamy fudge. What the bars lack in visual refinement they more than make up for in an unbridled joy of delectation. Those who appreciate the innocent charm can buy huge slabs with bilingual birthday messages too.

Buy it from: discoverdelicious.wales Price: £3.50 per bar

MULTI-AWARD WINNING CHEESES FROM WALES

Thelma's Original Oldest Traditional Caerffili made in Wales

Golden Cenarth Wash rind in cider Supreme Champion British cheese awards

Perl Wen White Pearl. Creamy Brie style cheese

Perl Las Blue Pearl. Flagship creamy blue

Cenarth Brie A traditional Brie which is creamy and buttery in texture

Waxed Minis 5 tasty cheeses, which are rich and creamy

www.cawscenarth.co.uk Caws Cenarth Cheese Fferm Glyneithinog Lancych Boncath CArmarthenshire SA37 0LH

T: 01239 710432

The Craft Butchery Team Wales are heading to California to compete at the World Butchers’ Challenge 2020!

www.taste-blas.co.uk

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Established in 2016 Pembrokeshire Sea Salt hand-harvest premium sea salt flakes from the pristine coastal waters of the Pembrokeshire National Park.

Not only is each flake delicately beautiful, but holds within it the power to enhance the flavour of any dish.

The ethically produced range has won a number of Great Taste Awards.

In 2018 the Natural Sea Salt won a star and their zingy, Sichuan Pepper Sea Salt received two. For 2019, their locally foraged Wild Garlic Sea Salt, and resplendent, Saffron Sea Salt, both won a star, with judges complimenting their wonderfully balanced flavours and remarkable beauty.

To subscribe to taste.blas call 029 2019 0224 www.pembrokeshireseasalt.co.uk tel: 01348 811136 e-mail: info@pembrokeshireseasalt.co.uk

Visit our website: www.taste-blas.co.uk

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Food and Drink

12. Castle Dairies Butter

15. Llanllyr Source water

Caerphilly spreadable butter you can believe in Life is far, far too short for sub-standard butter, and luckily you’re spoilt for choice with a range of excellent Welsh options. Having been making butter out of Caerphilly for 40 years, Castle Dairies are one of the most well-known and celebrated, using milk from West Wales for their sumptuous salted and unsalted varieties – we opt for the salted for everyday use but the latter will be a cornerstone of your cooking. Their more recent spreadable option bucks any reservations you may have. The rapeseed oil allows it to be used on your morning toast easily whilst holding onto the taste of the regular butter but with no additives and lacking the oily aftertaste associated with its rivals. If you’re still sceptical about such spreads we suggest you give it a go.

Buy it from: ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s Price: £2.05 per 250g

Wales’ most abundant resource given the pampered treatment Having already stood proud among the big guns with their fabulous range of mixers – if you haven’t partaken of their Fiery Ginger Beer then you need to correct that – Llanllyr Source are literally going back to the source with both still and sparkling waters. Taken straight from springs nestled among Ceredigion’s organic farmland, its claim of unrivalled purity certainly rings true. Whether out of an aluminium can or glass bottle, Llanllyr is indeed unmistakably clean, refreshing that you feel the need to sip rather than gulp down in order to savour it. Like the mixers, the bubbles of the Sparkling Springwater deliver a subtle fizz, and with no rough edges it’ll go down like a charm. A premium price but one you’ll be happy to pay for such high, natural quality.

Buy it from: abelandcole.co.uk Price: 6x75cl bottles for £6.50

13. Wrexham Lager Delicious Welsh beer bursting with national pride With fire-breathing dragons, lines from Cwm Rhondda and a tag as ‘The Pride of the Celts’, Wrexham Lager isn’t subtle in reminding you where its inspiration comes from. Though made in a new micro-brewery in the town centre, the brand was started by 19th-century German immigrants and the modern-day equivalent continuing to use the same ingredients and recipe as past generations. The results are the traditional 4 % WXM Lager – that was supposedly sold on board Titanic – and the punchy 5% Export. The former’s crisp, fresh taste is certainly reminiscent of the German origins the original was founded on, and is deserving of its success with gallons of the stuff being sold to date. The latter follows suit, proving a lot easier and refreshing on the palette than much of its competition, opting for smoothness over pungent flavours, with both doing their homeland proud.

Buy it from: chesterbeerandwine.co.uk Price: £1.90 per 330ml bottle

16. Purple Moose Stunning beers with a sense of humour As well as possessing a good sense of humour (Dark Side Of The Moose and Chocolate Moose beers anyone?) Porthmadog based brewers Purple Moose have also picked up a trick or two about making ale in their 14-year history. The aforementioned chocolaty stout definitely appealed to our sweet tooth, with vanilla penetrating through its dark colour and bitter malts. The other standouts on their cheeky roster are the smooth Snowdonia Ale and the unusual Ysgawen/ Elderflower Ale. The former is a classic golden beer with a lingering finish of bready malts, earthy bitterness and hints of citrus, while if you can get along with the latter’s subtle but unique ingredient you’ll find a light beer bursting with fruity tones. You can even sample them on a tour of the Purple Moose brewery.

Buy it from: purplemoose.co.uk Price: £25.99 for 12x500ml bottles

14. Coles Distillery whiskies

17. Blodyn Aur dressings

Prolific underdogs expand their repertoire Out of their small distillery and brewery in Llanddarog, Carmarthenshire, Coles manage to create an entire bar’s worth of award-winning beer, cider, moonshine, gin, rum and vodka that they sell out of their White Hart Inn pub. But surely there was no way they could repeat their success with their new whiskies as well? We were delighted to have underestimated them as we tucked into a glass of the neat but mellow Coles Single malt. With aromas of liquorice and vanilla coupled with a charred bourbon taste, it’s a highquality drink that wouldn’t be out of place alongside some of the grandees of malt whisky. Unsurprising their Apple Jack drink has a fruity toffee scent and a similar finish to Calvados, but combining enough floral notes and Southern mellowness to make it a winner in its own right. We love an underdog story.

Buy it from: www.coles.wales

Rapeseed oil becomes a new gold standard More and more of us are seeking out healthier options in the kitchen, with rapeseed oil a popular choice for its benefits, flavour and versatility. Blodyn Aur (Golden flower) from Corwen in north Wales prides itself on being the only Welsh oil producers, and not only brings a variety of silky varieties of its rapeseed oil to the table, but also uses them to make two excellent dressings. Neither the Beetroot & Thyme nor Honey & Mustard have that greasy aftertaste you can get from certain dressings, with Blodyn Aur’s key ingredient coming to the fore with its light taste and floral notes. While both balance sweetness and punch in equal measure, we were particularly enamoured with the Honey & Mustard’s silky zest and had to resist drowning our salad in it.

Buy it from: rhug.co.uk Price: £4.95 per 250ml

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Restaurant Reviews

Sandy Mount House, Rhosneigr Since springtime the buzz around Sandy Mount House has spread all the way from Môn to Monmouth. Rave reviews were re-tweeted, and gossip repeated about a new restaurant-with-rooms in Rhosneigr, Ynys Môn. But what excited me more than anything was the master in the kitchen; Hefin Roberts is one of the finest Welsh chefs of his generation, and his menu is a must this autumn.

As a child he stuffed fleece into bags on his family farm, Gwern Gof Uchaf, on mount Tryfan, Snowdonia.

As an adult, he became a Welsh National Culinary Team member, a three AA rosette-awarded head chef at The Bull, Beaumaris, and is a demon at cooking Welsh lamb. I sped up the A470 and crossed the Menai with high expectations; they were entirely surpassed, and completely outmatched at Sandy Mount House.

The boutique hotel is a stone’s throw from Traeth Crigyll beach, right at the heart of the village of Rhosneigr. At this Anglesey west-coast surf-haven, Sandy Mount House provides a laid back charm mixed with contemporary Welsh luxury touches. The stylish decor is reminiscent of Soho House, with a low-key vibe of Ibiza, by way of the Welsh lovers’ isle of Ynys Llanddwyn. Thanks to the bilingual staff, they had me at ‘prynhawn da’, but won my eternal loyalty the following morning, with a pre-breakfast Welsh greeting card; ‘Bore da bobl hardd’ (Good morning beautiful people’).

The walk-through bar was buzzing with Ynys Môn locals, as I made my way to the light, open-kitchen restaurant. I was struck once more by the decor; a ‘Halen Môn’ blue and white take on the classic Welsh dresser, and the ‘lobster pot’ light fixtures, a nod to the local historical marram grass craft.

I began the meal with a tipple from south-east Anglesey; a Rhubarb and Vanilla ‘Llanfair PG & T’ from Distyllfa Llanfairpwllgwyngyll Distillery. It had a lovely long finish, just like the famous place name – an ever-popular Anglesey draw. I suspect the same fate for Chef Hefin Roberts’ name, which is likely to soar.

His bilingual menu was outstanding, with an emphasis on local ingredients. Though sorely tempted by the evening special of Rhosneigr lobster Chateaubriand, I plumped instead for the butter-poached lobster starter, with shellfish bisque, potato spaghetti and sea herbs.

The rich, intense flavours hit me sideways, like a wave to the head; I made it back to land for the main course of lamb - an epicurean kiss of life. The cumin yoghurt-roasted loin, paired with a spiced lamb breast fritter, was served with a caws Caerffili cheddar mash; polished off with a tomato jus, and chickpea and aubergine ragoût, it was a heart-warming autumn treat.

The evening’s biggest reveal, however, was a complete surprise, and truly a feast for the eyes. The words on the menu -‘SMH Lemon and Felin honey’ - didn’t scream ‘stand-out-dish’, but this reviving ice-cream pudding was an exhilarating masterpiece. I won’t divulge any further details, lest I ruin the reader’s fun – but at the very least, this gorgeous treat should be exhibited at Llangefni’s Oriel Môn!

Next morning’s breakfast further exceeded my expectations; the tastiest overnight oats, then homemade sourdough toast and hand-picked Capel Curig Chanterelle mushrooms. What a foodie adventure to savour, and a menu full of Welsh flair. It was an absolute blast and the memories will last of a muchneeded breath of fresh air.

Lowri Haf Cooke Sandy Mount House, High Street, Rhosneigr, Ynys Môn (Anglesey) LL64 5UX

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Troy Meze Bar, Penylan, Cardiff

Restaurant Reviews

The temptation with a Welsh food magazine is to focus almost exclusively on traditional Welsh produce and cuisine. To do so, misses the great contribution made by other cultures to the culinary experience to be had in 21st century Wales. Few more so than Troy, until recently a staple of Cardiff ’s Middle Eastern hub of City Road, which has recently made the short journey to leafy Wellfield Road.

Owner ErsinYetisir arrived in Cardiff from Turkey nearly twenty years ago and has long since made Wales his home. He brought with him a traditional style of Turkish/Kurdish cooking based on an open Ocakbashi charcoal grill, which has pride of place at the heart of the restaurant. The décor has subtle ornamental touches, mostly Troy iconography, and a classy feel.

The first thing, however, that strikes you, even before you walk through the door, is the wonderful Troy aroma which set the taste buds tingling. The central grill floods the restaurant and its environs with a heady mix of spices, charcoal and cooked meat. Combined with the visual spectacle of cooking on the grill, it offers a truly immersive experience.

Now, a word of warning. Whilst perusing the menu, take care not to ruin your appetite by gorging on the scrumptious complimentary flatbread, olives and dips. It’s too easily done. The menu, all of which is sourced locally wherever possible, is comprehensive but manageable. Traditional hot and cold meat or vegetarian mezze dishes are either cooked on the grill or prepared in the kitchen, and there are also a few unusual outliers, such as quail and frogs legs.

My kalamar (squid) starter had a delightful tempura batter, the perfect balance of tenderness and bite, with a flavour to conjure memories of sun-kissed Mediterranean holidays. My dining partner’s Muska Boregi feta and fresh parsley pastries wowed with their salty zing and herby zest, which she followed with Troy’s home-made vegetarian Moussaka - a moreish dish for veggies that has become something of a signature dish for Ersin.

Though tempted by the substantial meat platter, I settled on the more waistline-friendly option of a mixed shish kebab, comprising generous chunks of seasoned lamb and chicken and a chicken beyti (minced chicken kebab with garlic, parsley and herbs) for good measure. Tender, succulent and bursting with flavours of the Orient thanks to spot-on seasoning, spices and of course the grill.

The key to Troy’s success is the technical mastery of cooking over an Ocakbashi grill. Judging the right amount of heat and picking the right moment to serve to keep the meat moist and tender, yet with the perfect level of charredness is no mean feat. Honourable mentions must also go to our Esme Salata salad of freshly chopped parsley, onion and tomato.

To finish, it just had to be Baclava. One of the few items on the menu not to be sourced locally, they come from a bakery in London, which Ersin says make the best Baclava in the UK and on this evidence he’s likely to be right. It’s no surprise that Troy was once voted one of the Top 5 ‘kebab’ restaurants in the UK by The Times. Troy has clearly moved to another level, in addition to a new home and we Welsh should be proud to call it our own.

Paul Mulligan Troy, 15 Wellfield Rd, Cardiff CF24 3NZ. tel: 029 2049 9339 www.troymezebar.co.uk

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53

Restaurant Reviews

Tides Kitchen & Wine Bar, Trefdraeth (Newport, Pembrokeshire) After the summer holidaymakers leave Trefdraeth in September, a sense of calm returns to the North Pembrokeshire seaside town. Local residents reclaim its myriad attractions for themselves, including a growing Welsh foodie scene. Amongst the cafes, pubs and butchers is a fine dining treasure beloved by those in the know. Since opening in 2017, Tides Kitchen & Wine Bar has developed a loyal following; a mix of local lucky dabbers and destination diners, drawn to a menu filled with the fruits of Cardigan Bay.

The restaurant is a partnership between Emma Louise Downey and Lydia Taylor, who met at the bar of local pub The Golden Lion. Emma had previously managed an earlier incarnation of Tides at her family’s farm shop in Llangloffan, where her parents produced the award-winning Caws Llangloffan cheese. Then in 2016, following a nine year stint running Hamilton’s fish restarant in Antigua, she returned home to Pembrokeshire. And while tuna and red snapper inspired her daily in the West Indies, it’s fresh Welsh lobster, crab and sea bass that flies out here.

Having happily experienced the ‘Fish and Chip Tuesday’ at Tides last winter, I was keen to cast my net wider for autumn. The dining room itself is a cosy, contemporary space, with muted greens and aubergine framing light wood furnishings. Hanging on the walls is a series of local landscapes, from Mathry to Aberteifi.

The evening began with a heartwarming touch – freshly baked thyme and Welsh cheddar sourdough from the oven. I’d selected my starter a few days earlier, whilst drooling over the window menu; believe you me, the Cardigan Bay lobster ‘mac and cheese’ did not disappoint. If I could, I would order an endless portion of this dish to gobble up at home in my pyjamas.

Rich and rewarding and sprinkled with parmesan, it’s comforting autumnal food. My partner’s succulent scallops were both sweet and savoury; topped with fried shallots and crispy pork belly, the perfect marriage of land and sea.

A no-brainer as a main, my partner’s Welsh lobster was divine, prepared in a finger-licking garlicky butter.

Emma’s travels clearly inspired my locally-caught monkfish dish, presented in a richly spiced spinach dahl. The house white wine – a citrussy Chilean Sauvignon Blanc –balanced each and every flavour to a tee. For some, two courses would be quite enough, but who could possibly refuse home-made salted caramel ice cream sandwiched between two freshly griddled Welsh Cakes? Certainly not I, and in the name of national pride, I demolished this decadent treat. My partner’s affogato was presented with a charming reconstruction of a shortbread-style ‘custard cream’.

Over the past few years, I’ve passed this dining draw for tourists in Trefdraeth countless times. I would never have guessed, that such respect for local produce would be on offer all year-round. I envy all who live north of the Landsker, within distance of the Preseli hills. For intrepid Welsh travellers, seeking foodie inspiration, this is a Pembrokeshire ‘trysor’ to be found.

Lowri Haf Cooke Tides Kitchen & Wine Bar, Market Street, Trefdraeth, Pembrokeshire SA42 0PH

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Heaney’s, Cardiff I was aware of Tommy Heaney’s food long before I’d tasted a bite. Inspiring greed on my Insta feed, Tommy was the talk of the town. And what a year it’s been for the Belfast-born chef, who conquered Cardiff via The Great House, Laleston. He launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to kick-off his Pontcanna restaurant, and scored top marks on Great British Menu on BBC 2. To cap it all he opened Uisce wine-bar next door, and Heaney’s restaurant was included in the 2020 Good Food Guide.

with lime and XO butter left my taste-buds tingling; that is, until the unctuous panko breadcrumb-coated oxtail upped the umami levels further. What followed was an autumnal twist on the GBM-acclaimed cod, paired with a cauliflower puree and an apple cider beurre noisette. Sweet versus sharp. Smooth versus crunch. But a harmony of texture and flavour. The final savoury dish was a comforting Heaney’s hit; the blushing barbecued lamb and anchovies drenched in a rich and glossy red wine sauce.

Although a regular visitor to Heaney’s, I’d never given the tasting menu a go until earlier this autumn. I’m always slightly scared of a long-drawn out affair, but you’re in safe hands at Heaney’s and it gives you a real sense of what a chef can do. The 10-course seasonal menu rolls out in the form of a series of small plates and sharing dishes that develop in heft and intensity of flavours.

The first of two desserts took me by surprise; star anise custard wrapped in feather-light filo pastry paired with poached and jellied pear, fig leaf ice cream and a punchy damson sauce. Autumn on a plate, it really emphasized Chef Heaney’s zeal for seasonal ingredients. The final flair; a calamansi custard tart paired the zing of citrus with the decadence of chocolate, a refined take on a Terry’s chocolate orange!

My feast began with the well-seasoned salmon pastrami, followed by the smoked duck ham croquettas that had me rolling my eyes in pleasure. The muchlauded grilled sourdough also made an appearance, slathered with the naughty savouriness of Marmite butter. Not just a thing of beauty, the cured monkfish with elderflower infused ajo blanco, Roscoff onions and Muscat grapes was a standout dish. The delicate translucent fish was enlivened with a whack of almond, along with the mellow sweetness of the grape.

The packed restaurant on a Wednesday night proved that Heaney’s is still the talk of the town. His seasonal cooking is clever without showing off, and his love of the Celtic land and sea shines through the everchanging menu. Time will tell whether Michelin delivers a star, but one thing’s for sure – there’s already a star in Pontcanna.

Then, two perfectly seared plump scallops drenched

Restaurant Reviews

Dorian Morgan Heaney’s Restaurant, 6-10 Romilly Crescent, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9NR

The Kinmel Arms, Abergele Following a raucous but rather soggy National Eisteddfod weekend in Llanrwst, I journeyed north through the rolling hills of the Conwy Valley. Within sight of Abergele along the north Wales coast, I stopped in the hamlet of Llan San Siôr (St George).

What awaited inside was a ravishing Sunday supper and a most welcome rest and recuperation.

Lavished with praise for years as a local foodie fave, the Kinmel Arms has - remarkably - only recently opened its doors on Sundays. Not only was I gobsmacked upon hearing this, but also grateful for my fortuitous timing.

This cosy 19th Century coaching inn is the definition of a Welsh gastropub; the kind of haven where you long to while away the hours of your sacred day of rest.

That inspirational decision was taken by new boss, local businessman Andy Williams. A cousin of Chef Bryn Williams, and owner of Llandudno pier, he knows the Kinmel Arms very well as he lives next door.

A dream scenario for most people has led to a careful re-appraisal; the warm decor remains, but there’s a more relaxed style of dining, using the best local produce to entice visitors from near, and far.

I was led, first of all, to my lovely light-filled room, with the highest ceiling and biggest bed of my aquaintance.

It took heroic amounts of discipline from me not to flop down and sleep forever; but with a grumbling stomach I made my way to the restaurant where I enjoyed the finest Sunday dinner that I can remember.

I was immediately drawn to the leather sofa by the fire, with a local aperitif from Rhuthun. The fruity Pant

y Foel Cherry Bakewell G & T quenched my thirst, and curiosity! The light salad of heritage beetroot, apple and goat’s cheese was delicious, and as pretty as a picture. It was perfectly paired with the delicate elderflower notes of Gwinllan Conwy Vineyard Solaris, from nearby Llangwstenin.

So taken was I with the local Welsh white, that I matched the red Rondo with my meaty main course.

Four slices of Rhos on Sea Sirloin soon arrived, ruby red and brined overnight; they were accompanied with crisp roasties and a Yorkshire pud that was almost as big as my head. Half expecting the beef to outclass the wine, I was charmed again by a marriage of local flavours; much lighter than a Malbec, it still provided some heft, with the seductive scent of strawberries and raspberries.

Last, but not least; a drop-dead gorgeous Peach Melba, the zingy raspberries sweetly enhancing the peach ice cream. Walking on air towards my bed, I slept soundly, dreams filling my head. Next morning, the full Welsh breakfast – meats provided by Humphreys, the local butcher – provided a superlative kick-start to the day.

Body replenished and totally refreshed, I departed with a smile on my face. What can I say? The Kinmel Arms offers the perfect stay, and a wonderful Welsh embrace.

Lowri Haf Cooke The Kinmel Arms, Llan San Siôr (St. George), Abergele LL22 9BP

www.taste-blas.co.uk

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Restaurant Reviews

Milkwood, Caerdydd Bwytai Cymru (Gomer Press, £9.99) is a new Welshlanguage book by Lowri Haf Cooke exploring fifty special eateries in Wales. Milkwood restaurant in Cardiff represents a circle in the careers of chefs Tom Furlong and Gwyn Myring. ‘To begin at the beginning’, they met in the kitchen at Cibo Italian restaurant; the very space where they now create contemporary twists on seasonal Welsh dishes.

Much like Cibo this city kitchen is at the heart of Pontcanna village, and represents the backbone of contemporary Cardiff cuisine.

Cylch bywyd a brofir ym Milkwood, Pontcanna, dros bryd o fwyd gwych yng Nghaerdydd. Daeth dau at ei gilydd yn 2005, gan esgor ar genhedlaeth newydd o fwytai Cymreig. Ac wedi cyflwyno gastronomeg ‘trwyn i gynffon’ i’r Brifddinas, gyda’u llwyddiant mawr cyntaf The Potted Pig, mae menter ddiweddaraf Gwyn Myring a Tom Furlong yn ffurfio asgwrn cefn sin bwytai Caerdydd.

Cwrdd yng nghegin Eidalaidd bwyty Cibo wnaeth y ddau, tra oedden nhw’n fyfyrwyr yn 2005. Roedd y bwyty wrth galon cymuned Pontcanna, gan weini pitsa a phasta o fri. Dros beint yn y Conway, dechreuon nhw drafod yr hyn oedd wir ei angen ar Gaerdydd. Er bod y ddau wrth eu boddau yn coginio rhyfeddodau a dysgu hen sgiliau cigyddiaeth, doedd nunlle’n gweini bwyd tebyg ar y pryd. Ar ben hynny, doedd yr un o’r ddau yn meddu ar hyfforddiant ffurfiol yn y maes – dim ond angerdd a’u cariad at fwyd.

Dair blynedd ar ddeg yn ddiweddarach ac mae’r ddau yn parhau i greu hud yn yr un gegin. Ond peidiwch â drysu! Fe wireddwyd eu breuddwyd fawr, wrth ddatblygu eu bwydlen ddelfrydol yn nhafarn fwyd y North Star, ar Heol y Gogledd, Gabalfa. Yno’n bendant y crëwyd saig debyg i rilletes y Potted Pig. Dyna oedd sail eu bwyty cyntaf ar stryd fawr y brifddinas, gyda bendith y bòs, Jahan Abedi.

Pan agorodd y bwyty yn 2011 – yn naeargell banc hynafol Lloyds – rwy’n eitha siwr bod tân gwyllt wedi ffrwydro uwchlaw! Fe’n croesawyd i fwyty tanddaearol, dinesig, oedd ag adlais cryf o Manhattan, ac i gwtsh jin cyntaf Caerdydd ers dros ganrif! Profodd y fwydlen eu bod yn gig-garwyr o’u corun i’w sawdl – gan wneud defnydd o bob rhan o’r anifail.

© Emyr Young

Gwefr hefyd oedd bwyta cranc Sir Benfro yng Nghaerdydd, a llwyddodd eu saig adnabyddus i afael yn y beirniad bwyd dadleuol Jay Rayner yn ei borc-peis bach. Bedair blynedd wedi hynny, yn 2014, datblygodd y ddau eu partneriaeth lwyddiannus wrth agor bwyty Eidalaidd-Gymreig yn Llandaf. Ystyr ‘Porro’ yw ‘cennin’, a bu’r briodas aml-ddiwylliannol (ag adlais bychan o Polpo yn Soho) yn un lwyddiannus tu hwnt i Gaerdydd. Creodd eu hamrywiad ar gaws pob – tost surdoes, cennin melys a chaws Talegio - gryn gynnwrf yn hen bentref Siasbar Tudur! Ymysg y seigiau sy’n dal i ddenu, yw’r papardelle boch yr ych, sy’n hyfryd gyda glasied o win coch Eidalaidd, i ddilyn Negroni neu Aperol Spritz.

Yn y cyfamser, esblygodd y busnes, wrth i’r ddau gogydd hiraethu am dafarn ‘go-iawn’ â dewis da o

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gwrw crefft. Prynwyd The Landsdowne yn Nhreganna a The Grange yn Nhrelluest, a’u troi yn gyrchfannau bwyd a diod ardderchog. Yna y llynedd, bu cryn ddaeargryn, wrth i’r ddau dorri’n rhydd a gadael The Potted Pig a Porro ar eu holau. A’r ddau bellach yn briod, gyda’u teuluoedd eu hunain, roedd hi’n bryd dychwelyd at wreiddiau eu llwyddiant.

Pan welsant fod perchnogion Cibo, Andrea Bartley a Marco Vitolo, yn gwerthu’r busnes er mwyn ymddeol, camodd y ddau i mewn gyda syniad newydd sbon.

Roedden nhw’n awyddus i gynnal yr ethos cymunedol oedd i’w deimlo yn y bwyty pentrefol, ond eto’n ysu i weld eu harddull goginio yn esblygu. Serch y siom fawr a deimlwyd ymysg cwsmeriaid ffyddlon Cibo, profodd Milkwood yn llwyddiant mawr.

Ar sawl achlysur pan fues i yno, nodais enwau mawrion ym myd bwytai Cymru yn gwledda yno ganol wythnos. Mae hynny wastad – i mi - yn arwydd o barch gan eiconau’r diwydiant, ond yn fwy na dim mae’n deyrnged i’r bwyty gan bobol sy’n perthyn i’r gymuned leol. Rhan fawr, yn bendant, o’r naws gartrefol a geir yno yw’r croeso gan Andrew a Susie ym mlaen y bwyty. Daw Andrew o Lanedern, er iddo fod yn llywio bwyty Browns, Talacharn, tra bo Susie, o Little Haven, Sir Benfro, yn arfer gweithio yn The Grove yn Arberth ac ym mar Curado. Mae profiad helaeth y ddau yn sicrhau noson lwyddiannus.

Ond yn brysur yn eu hen gegin y mae Tom a Gwyn, yn hogi eu harfau cogyddol. Serch eu diffyg hyfforddiant ffurfiol, mae’r hwyl a’u hyder yn amlwg, wrth iddynt amrywio eu bwydlenni’n wythnosol. Ges i facrell bendigedig ar noson lawog ym mis Hydref, a blasau Asiaidd yn ddigon i’w ddeffro o farw’n fyw. Ond naw mis wedi hynny, yn haul tanbaid Gorffennaf, profais fwydlen gyda’r gorau erioed. Wedi blas bach danteithiol yng ngŵyl Bite Cardiff yng Nghwrt Insole, ailbrofais amrywiad newydd ar ein saig cenedlaethol; tafod ac ‘eirin’ oen gyda chennin a bara lawr. Dilynwyd hynny â chegddu gyda brocoli a samffir, a thomatos heulsych a asiodd i’r dim â gwres y diwrnod tesog.

Cyflwywyd brithyll fy hen ffrind – cyd-loddestwraig â mi yn Cibo – â’r mws afocado ysgafnaf, cyn iddi wirioni ar brif saig yr wylys wedi’i fygu. Deilliai elfennau o bob saig o ambell ragflaenydd yn The Potted Pig a Porro, ond roedd y rhain yn fersiynau esblygiedig ac wedi’i mireinio a’u perffeithio.

Yna, gyfeillion, daeth y diweddglo, mewn glasied martini clasurol; sorbet Campari a grawnffrwyth pinc, wedi’i drochi mewn dau fath o jin. Sôn am bolish i’r paled, a danteithyn i ddefro’r daflod! Awn i’n ôl i Milkwood fory nesa, a ‘dechrau yn y dechrau’n deg’ o’r newydd. Teimlais yn aml gyda Cibo, ‘O, na chawn i fyw y freuddwyd ym Mhontcanna!’, a chael ciniawa yno yn llawer mwy aml. Wel, ein braint ni yng Nghaerdydd yw y cawn groesi afon Taf yn gyson, a hawlio dinasyddiaeth lawn yn rhan o freuddwyd fyw Tom Furlong a Gwyn Myring.

Milkwood, 83 Stryd Pontcanna, Caerdydd CF11 9HS; tel: 02920 232226

CAFÉ NOW OPEN!

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A Day in the Life

of a Welsh Food Festival: Gŵyl Fwyd Caernarfon, May 11th, 2019 As we hunker down for autumn, it’s worth reflecting on a successful Welsh summer. The fourth annual Caernarfon Food Festival - one of Wales’ biggest food attractions - returned to Snowdonia in May, powered by an army of local volunteers. Established in 2016, the first ‘Gŵyl Fwyd’ drew 15,000 visitors, while this year’s event drew 60, 857 festival-goers. To put that into perspective, Caernarfon’s population is just under 10,000 residents, which – combined with holidaymakers - swells to an average daily number of 18,000 over summer. Described by festival Chairperson Nici Beech, as ‘bigger than the National Eisteddfod and Christmas combined’, editor Lowri Haf Cooke experienced this year’s ‘Gŵyl Fwyd’ to discover the secrets of this Welsh food fest’s success...

00.00 ’Twas the night before Gŵyl Fwyd Caernarfon, and on every street people were dreaming of sun and all kinds of Welsh treats...’ Festival Chair Nici Beech is sound asleep following a year of meetings and arrangements with an incredible team of volunteers. Secretary Eleri Lovgreen was spotted on the Maes at 19.30 guiding keenbean stall-holders to their spots, including Iwan Davies of Welsh Luing Beef. Around 8pm, festival team-member Marged Rhys, was welcoming concert-goers to the ‘Noson 4 a 6’ (‘Four and Six Night’) Candelas gig in town, noting, ‘There’s definitely excitement in the air – and just a touch of anxiety! We learn more every year, so as far as we’re concerned, everything’s in place for tomorrow’.

A dream Caernarfon sunset is recorded at 21.01 in front of the Anglesey pub, which bodes well for the big day ahead. Gareth Fôn Jones – co-owner of Tŷ Castell restaurant hotel - is enjoying the ‘calm before the storm’...

06.30 Team meeting on the ‘Maes’ – the central square in the shadow of Caernarfon’s 13th Century castle.

Stall-holders, including Red Boat Ice Cream from Anglesey, and Becws Islyn bakery of Pen Llŷn are spotted arriving. Welsh Prifardd (Chief-Poet) Rhys

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Iorwerth is among the volunteers helping to guide stall-holders to their allocated spaces, specifically noted on the committee’s ‘jig-saw’.

07.00 Daniel Owen arrives on the Maes to set up his stall from Let the Day Be Gin – he’ll be selling Anglesey Môn Distillery’s products from Pentraeth, including Raspberry and Elderflower gins. One of his neighbours on the Maes is Hazel Jones, from Chwilog. This is her 4th year at the Gŵyl Fwyd, promoting Aerona black chokeberry products from her farm in Eifionydd.

09.00 BBC presenter and comedian Tudur Owen broadcasts live from Caernarfon’s Sailing Club, not far from the BBC Radio Cymru entertainment stage.

10.00 The festival is officially open! It’s a big day for the ladies of Teioni Kombucha of Gaerwen, Anglesey, as they launch their healthy fermented jasmine green tea today. Nearby on the Maes, Daniel Owen, from Let the Day Be Gin serves the first Raspberry G&T of the day at 10.45!

12.00 Festival treasurers Yasmin Khan and Trystan Iorwerth, buckets in hand, are handing out food festival stickers to visitors, who are streaming into Caernarfon from the Welsh Mountain Railway terminal entrance. ‘It costs £30,000 to host the Gŵyl Fwyd, so if everyone could contribute a pound each, it goes a very long way.’ Towards the castle, visitors make a left at the quayside to visit ‘Lloc yr Anifeiliaid’ (the livestock pen), provided by Coleg Meirion Dwyfor’s Glynllifon Agricultural College – the ponies, the piglets and pigmy goats are a big hit with kids.

12.30 The longest queue on the Maes at the moment is

for the Welsh Luing Beef ‘Byrger Bendigedig’ for £5, just opposite the castle - they sell 500 before 4pm. There’s also a line for Bangor-based The Veggieman Van’s Berlinerburger, and Moqueca Brazillian stew, in the shadow of David Lloyd George. The clouds are parting, and the sun is hotting up!

13.00 Award-winning bee-keeper Carys Wyn Edwards of Ganllwyd, Dolgellau, has a prime spot on the Maes. Her Dyffryn Mawddach pure honey is selling well, as local choir Côr Cofnod belt out their lovely renditions of ‘Calon Lân’ and ‘Fflat Huw Puw’ nearby. Down on the prom, at ‘O Dan y Don’, Lampeter-based Swshi have just sold out of their best-selling Chilli Salmon Roll. Rachel from Newtown and partner Nathan of Haifa, Israel, are loving Dylan’s of Cricieth’s seabass tacos, along with the view towards Ynys Môn.

14.00 As the sun shines on the Maes, volunteer Kenny Khan’s smile is as wide as the river Menai, and the demand is high for Anglesey ices! At Red Boat Ice Cream from Beaumaris the ‘hufen iâ’ of the day is Lemon Drizzle, and the most popular flavour at Môn ar Lwy from Bodorgan is Wild Berry Panacotta. The local shops on Palace Street are doing a roaring trade, including Scoops ice cream shop, who can’t produce their Dragonfruit ice cream fast enough. As Eirian James of neighbouring bookshop Palas Print explains; ‘The Gŵyl Fwyd can only be beneficial to us; we’re all out on the street here wearing our businesses’ ‘best clothes’, enjoying the annual festival madness’. At Palas Caffi at the castle end of the street, they’re enjoying their busiest day of the year - well over a thousand ice cream cones are sold today.

15.00 At the entrance to the castle, a ‘Cofi Dre’ takes in the view of the crowds; ‘It’s like something out of Game of Thrones!’ Local YouTube star Chris ‘Foodgasm’ Roberts is just finishing up his demonstration; his barbecued Welsh Black tomahawk steaks were gone by 2.30pm. Still, he learnt a lot from preparing his lamb necks last year; ‘They were gone in minutes flat, so I did far more prep this time. For the first two years of the festival, I was just here for the ‘sesh’. The crowds here are brilliant, and the fire definitely attracts people.

I always find that great food brings great people together.’

16.00 Volunteer Marged Rhys is performing with her folk band Plu on the small open-air stage outside Bar Bach. In the audience, festival chairperson Nici Beech, is delighted with how the day has gone; ‘We’re always blessed with incredible weather, which definitely helps, but it’s the people that make this festival a success’. Not far from the castle entrance, the Cwrw Ogwen team from Bethesda are almost sold out of Caradog golden ale. Down by the prom near the Anglesey pub festival-goers sit along the sea-wall as local pop star Meinir Gwilym blasts

her anthem ‘Dybl Jin a Tonic’ on the BBC stage.

Elin Tudur, from Cardiff, travelled on the bus from Rhostryfan earlier today. ‘There was an hour’s wait to get on, and the driver waived the fee; the atmosphere was just like an old Sunday School trip, everyone was just buzzing on the way!’. Her friend Rhiain from Rhostryfan agrees that the event is an annual highpoint for Caernarfon; ‘I’m a foodie from the area, and what always amazes me is that there are so many local food and drink producers here that I’ve never heard of.’

17.00 It’s been heaving at the Cwrw Llŷn bar from Nefyn all afternoon – according to manager Iwan Foel, 1,500 pints are sold before 5pm, with 550 pints of refreshing Largo Pilsner especially hitting the spot. The festival, now, is winding down, to give the town a chance to breathe, and to encourage visitors to spend their money in the local pubs and restaurants. As Richard Huws of Pant Du vineyard in Penygroes is packing up on the Maes, two last customers dash over to purchase bottles of his award winning cider and apple juice. He sold out of his new rhubarb cider earlier on in the afternoon; ‘It’s the same here every year, customers go mad for new flavours, there are more connoisseurs in Caernarfon than you’d think!’

18.00 At the historic Black Boy Inn manager John Evans reflects on the festival’s contribution to Caernarfon; ‘The day is definitely a highlight for us, and for our foreign visitors, who are amazed to see so much happening on the streets outside. Just before Christmas in Caernarfon is always crazy, but this is a nicer event in a way; there’s not that same pressure, everyone’s happy in the sun, and it’s a great day out for the family’. Outside the Black Boy, Siôn Owen from Treorchy, is on the hunt for some food.

‘I drove up this morning, arrived around 1pm, full of plans to eat my way around Caernarfon. I didn’t get a chance, as I saw six different butties from south Wales on the prom, so all I’ve done is drink a few pints and catch the sun!’. As the festival is now over, bookseller Eirian James shares some local post-pub tips; ‘You’ll find the best fish and chips at Ainsworth’s, or if you’re after a kebab, then you can’t beat Caernarfon Kebab – the meat’s from ‘Wil Bwtch’, OG Owen and Son butchers, over the road.’.

19.30 She’s not wrong – and as one local remarks, Caernarfon Kebab is ‘boncyrs’ inside, and everyone wants ‘sôs coch’ (tomato ketchup) with their chips, before heading on out for the night. Two policewomen greet local families with a ‘Haia, da chi’n iawn?’ during their evening stroll, as pubgoers spill out on Caernarfon’s ‘piazza’, the Maes.

All is right in the world as the sun continues to shine on happy customers in front of The Anglesey and the Palace Vaults. Needless to say, following a rip-roaring day, the evening in Caernarfon has just begun...

Photos by Iolo Penri. For more information, go to www.gwylfwydcaernarfon.cymru

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Wine

Sign of the Vines

Looking for an Autumn vino to warm your cockles? Fine Wines Direct retail manager, Jonathan Tew, points the way… taste.blas: What’s trending amongst your customers at the moment?

Jonathan Tew: Spain and in particular the wines of Rioja are perennially popular. As a region they have a consistency of quality throughout the designations and year on year, they also offer very good value for money, so it’s little surprise. Their luscious texture and warm vanilla notes make them particularly appealing as the weather turns. t.b: What are the standout wines you currently have in stock?

JT: The Marques de Caceres Excellens range really stands out for value for money, the quality is worthy of an extra few quid per bottle. The wines of Pesquera are another cornerstone of our range, they are iconic and a ‘must try’ for any wine lover. Fuller and bolder in style than Caceres with darker fruit, anyone who loves fullbodied oaky reds will be transported to wine heaven. t.b: What are your favourites that you’ll always have in the ‘cellar’ at home?

JT: Rose is a guilty pleasure of mine. Very refreshing, especially when dry in style. I’m a big fan of the often overlooked Chateau du Seuil Rosé, it has a lovely savoury character to it. the Estate being situated in Bordeaux is, of course, more associated with reds for many. t.b: What are your varietal picks for this time of the year?

JT: As mentioned earlier, Rioja comes into its own this time of year, particularly the richer style of Reserva and Gran Reserva. These wines are great with beef or lamb – in casseroles or served up as a roast.

Malbec is another crowd-pleasing go-to. We have a number of Patagonian Malbecs that hit the spot. The unoaked expressions are particularly good for informal dinner parties or finger food as they aren’t nearly as heavy and the tannins are softer.

If you wanted to make a beef bourguignon with a Welsh twist – the Ancre Hill Pinot Noir would be a worthy dance partner. t.b: Welsh wines seem to be getting better and better.

What Welsh producers have caught your eye?

JT: We champion Ancre Hill Vineyards of Monmouth.

They are particularly note-worthy as they cultivate noble varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they are considered such for a reason as they are capable of producing complex and sophisticated wines. Much more so than varietals such as Rondo; having said this I believe the domestic wine industry is learning to maximise the potential of these cool-

climate varieties. t.b: You’re the only Wine retailer in Wales with your own bonded warehouse. What difference does that make to your customers?

JT: It enables us to keep healthy levels of stock. In an age of the instant, it’s a big positive for people. People don’t plan ahead like they once did! t.b: What are the benefits to customers of getting their wine from a specialist retailer like FWD? JT: We know our wines and it’s our purpose to help you. We also stock wines that simply aren’t available locally elsewhere and we always a focus on quality. t.b: What’s exciting the trade in Wales right now?

JT: Gin continues to grow. Hensol Castle Distillery have just launched their Crawshay range which is very on trend with delicious flavoured gins such as Strawberry. They are shortly opening a visitor centre which is keenly anticipated.

Organic wines are increasingly asked for as under EU law they are lower in sulphites. Although not backed by research, anecdotally many people say they suffer less adverse effects, such as a headache for example.

Vegan is increasingly asked for. Many don’t realise many wines are clarified using agents such as isinglass.

Vegan friendly wines might use an alternative such as bentonite.

Natural wine is a bit of a buzz word too. There isn’t any definition for this category but its best thought of as low intervention. Ancre Hill Vineyard for example does not fine or filter its wine, leaving it slightly hazy; the benefit of this is no character is stripped away from the wine. They also only use yeasts present naturally on the skins of the grape. This helps the wine express its terroir – commercial yeasts shape the aromas and tastes of a wine much more than people realise. t.b: How you do help your restaurants and bars stay ahead of the curve?

JT: Keeping abreast of trade magazines and other literature and regularly attending trade tastings and meeting our suppliers. But also, very importantly listening to our customers; what are they asking for?

For example the demand for Vegan friendly wine is part of a wider trend not specific or generated by the wine trade in itself. t.b: If you had one piece of advice for anyone when buying wine what would it be?

JT: Be brave, there is so much variety out there. Have fun with it.

Allan Scott Wines are available exclusively at Fine Wines Direct, 242 Penarth Road, Cardiff CF11 8TU. Tel: 029 2078 7500. www.finewinesdirectuk.com Fine Wines Direct are a 3 time finalist at the prestigious Harpers Awards for ‘Wine Wholesaler of the Year’.

They stock a huge range of wines, many exclusive, and spirits in their shop. They also have tasting rooms and a unique bonded warehouse.

Join Fine Wines Direct for their Xmas tasting on 28th November – www.finewinesdirectuk.com/xmas2019-tasting for details.

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Recipes and more!

2 new books...

£12.99

£14.99 Greytrees drip mat 234x434.pdf 1 20/05/2014 AUTHENTIC NUT FREE

RECIPES

BAKERY

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Ryseitiau figan a chanllaw sut i fy w ’n iachus.

EGG FREE

Welsh-language vegan recipe book with a helpful guide to help you live healthily.

Greytrees drip mat 234x434.pdf

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20/05/2014

Vegetarian and vegan recipes from the popular festival food concession.

Ar gael nawr!

Available now! .com

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CAMRA & SIBA multi award winning brewers All our products are brewed and packaged on site.

We insist on using traditional methods to create intense flavoured Ales whilst injecting a modern twist to produce balanced flavours and highly drinkable beer appealing to all palates.

Gift packs, Mini Kegs, Bottles, Glasses & Merchandise are available at our onsite shop, Open 9-5 every weekday.

Grey Trees Ind Craft Brewers Unit 5&6 Gasworks Road, Aberaman, Aberdare, RCT, Cf44 6RS Twitter @greytreesbrewer Facebook-Grey Trees Brewery Web Greytreesbrewery.com Tel: 01685 267077

New bar & bottle shop now open Weds to Sun at Old National School, Cardiff Street Aberdare Cf44 7DP, serving our award winning Ales and guest ales in cask, keg and bottles as well as local Ciders and premium Lager. www.taste-blas.co.uk

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News

Autumn news

by Louisa Harry-Thomas

Porth Eirias

Another Michelin win for Wales

Welsh sweep up AA awards

Congratulations to Chef Hywel Griffith of Beach House, Oxwich, for securing a brand new Michelin star for Wales. As described by the judges, ‘this contemporary restaurant sits on the beach on the Gower peninsula. The setting is great but the food is even better.’ The chef from Bethesda was greeted at the London awards ceremony podium with a query about the restaurant’s bilingual menu: ‘I’m originally from North Wales and speak English and Welsh. I think it was important to go back to Wales and to have the menu bilingual. It’s been fantastic and well received.’

The restaurant joins The Walnut Tree (Llanddewi Ysgyryd), Ynyshir (Eglwys Fach), Sosban and the Old Butchers (Porthaethwy), James Sommerin (Penarth) and The Whitebrook (Gwenffrwd) as the six Welsh Michelin star restaurants for 2020. Check out the taste. blas review of Beach House Oxwich from this year’s Spring issue on www.taste-blas.co.uk

Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias, the fabulous beachfront café, restaurant and bar in Colwyn Bay, has been named Restaurant of the Year for Wales at the AA hospitality awards in London. Praised for its ‘informality and quality’ and ‘being of the moment’, this seaside eatery is the third opening for the Denbigh-born chef; and this latest honour follows a Bib Gourmand from Michelin which was awarded in 2018.

Also fêted at this year’s AA awards were the Glynne Arms in Penarlâg (Hawarden), Flintshire, which won Welsh Pub of the Year and was noted for being ‘a real local pub’. The wine award deservingly went to the Penmaenuchaf Hall Hotel in Dolgellau, and The Grove, a 5 star period hotel in Narberth, Pembrokeshire - part of the Seren Collection stable that also includes Beach House and Coast - was voted best hotel.

Double trouble for Tregaron Following a cracking National Eisteddfod in Llanrwst back in August, the moveable feast travels on to Tregaron in Ceredigion in 2020. To toast the festival’s success, the residents of Trefeurig have created a bespoke gin: JinTrafferth Mewn Tafarn (‘Trouble in an Inn Gin’) inspired by 14th century local bard and trouble-maker Dafydd ap Gwilym. The dry gin’s top notes include llus (bilberries) and ysgawen (elderflower) - botanicals that existed in the poet’s time, and still grow in the area today - as well as lemon, coriander and angelica. The legendary lothario is famed for his ‘cywydd’ Trafferth Mewn Tafarn – a farcical poem that recounts a night of endless trouble at his favourite local pub. You’ll find that where Jin Trafferth Mewn Tafarn leads, trouble may follow. So unlike Dafydd ap G, please drink responsibly! www.jintrafferth.cymru

Take a look at Nook Congratulations to Phil and Deb Lewis (Dusty Knuckle) and John and Ceri Cook (Ember, Hoof, and formerly of Arbennig) on the launch of their brand new Nook – the latest small plates and natural wine bar to open in Cardiff. Based in the vibrant foodie hub of Victoria Park, the September launch was the highlight of the season. Nook follows in the footsteps of Uisce and Wright’s Wines and highlights seasonal Welsh ingredients. So far the must-try plate is ‘Pav’s Carrots’, grown by Pawel Wisniewski from Paul’s Organic Veg in Abergavenny - a regular stall-holder at Cardiff farmers’ markets. Walk-ins only, so no need to book to take a look at Nook, a welcome addition to the capital city eating scene.

Slow Food Cymru group

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Nook, 587 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF5 1BE

www.taste-blas.co.uk

www.portheirias.com

Slow Food Cymru Just over a year ago a small group of restaurateurs, small scale food producers and food enthusiasts met at Wright’s Emporium in Carmarthenshire, to discuss their concerns about Brexit. One year on, and this enthusiastic group have continued to meet, and after much cogitation, have decided to rally under the Slow Food banner. They are now the official South West Wales branch of the international campaigning movement and are intent on addressing the challenges faced by small scale producers and on getting involved in food education.

To date, the informal meetings have mostly been hosted by food writer, broadcaster and restaurateur Simon Wright. However, the group is open to individuals and businesses from across Swansea, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion and an inaugural meet-up is planned before Christmas. So if you want to join the slow food conversation, look out for details of the time and place of the meet-up on the group’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/ SlowFoodSouthWestWales

Mead business creates a royal buzz Two brothers from the Wye Valley have created such a stir with their innovative new mead business that they have won the Prince of Wales Entrepreneur Award for Wales. Their mission was to modernise mead so that it could be enjoyed like a beer, cider or sparkling wine. No flowing beards or ancient axes here. This light sparkling mead (just 5%) made in Chepstow from the boys’ honey bees looks totally at home in the trendiest urban venue.

Talking about their award-winning drink, Kit Newell says: ‘We felt the world’s oldest alcohol needed some refreshment, so we created our light sparkling version using modern beer brewing techniques. Matt, who has

News been keeping bees for over 15 years, had a particularly good season, which gave us some honey to experiment with. After years of trials we struck upon a recipe we liked and we’re glad to say that other people like it too!’ www.wyevalleymeadery.co.uk

Battle for the Dragon The Welsh National Culinary Team will lock horns with Scotland and England at the annual Battle for the Dragon contest in North Wales this autumn. The event will be held at Coleg Llandrillo Menai in Rhos-on-Sea, and fine dining fans can sample the dishes served by booking places at the dinners being held from 29-31 October.

Team Wales has been preparing by holding a series of dinners to perfect their dishes. Guests at the High Sherriff of Powys’ Gala Dinner at the beginning of October enjoyed one such dinner at the Royal Oak Hotel in Welshpool, which raised more than £5,000 for Wales Air Ambulance and the Montgomeryshire Family Crisis Centre. The stunning menu featured a myriad of great Welsh produce, including Carmarthenshire ham. Pob lwc Cymru! www.walesculinaryassociation.com

Cradoc’s celebrate next step Powys cracker company Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits is celebrating after receiving SALSA accreditation which will allow it to supply major food suppliers, distributors, specialist cheese vendors, exporters and high-end outlets.

Mother and daughter team Allie and Ellie Thomas, who are based in Cradoc Road, Brecon, say: ‘Our desire to create something that married well with the delicious produce of Wales was the driving force behind Cradoc’s. Growth in our business has led us to acquire new premises this year and this accreditation was a vital part of our relocation.’

Commenting on Cradoc’s success, Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, said: ‘Cradoc’s is a wonderful example of our ambition to further develop the Welsh food and drink industry through working collaboratively within the sector in order to grow businesses’ scale, value and productivity, through targeted investment, support, innovation and co-operative activity.’ www.cradocssavourybiscuits.co.uk

and then air-dried slowly for at least another 12 hours.

To choose your own favourite flavour, visit the website: www.trailheadfinefoods.co.uk

Welsh National Culinary Team

Foodie lunch club at Stradey Park After a hearty review in the Spring edition of taste.blas, we’re delighted to highlight more foodie happenings at Llanelli’s Stradey Park Hotel. Locals are now wise to the fact that on the last Thursday of every month, a local food or drink business is invited to demo their produce, and the gathered company also partake of a delicious three course lunch.

The 31 October event features the Hensol Castle Distillery from the Vale of Glamorgan which will open its new distillery, gin school and visitor centre later this year – could be a boozy one! Reservations essential, price £17.50 per head.

And on 28 November, Stradey Park Hotel opens its doors for its Christmas Fayre, which will feature stalls from more than 20 local producers including Llanelli’s Tinworks Brewing Co, Gareth’s Delicious Delights from Neath, the Gower Brewery and Toloja Orchards from Lampeter. www.stradeyparkhotel.com

Monty’s Brewery is in it to win it Monty’s Brewery, of Montgomery, Powys, has been shortlisted in the rural tourism category of the Rural Business Awards 2019/20. As a regional finalist, Monty’s will now battle it out with other businesses in the rural tourism category from across Wales and Northern Ireland for a place in the finals.

Russ Honeyman, Commercial Director for Monty’s, said: ‘We are used to our beers winning awards, but this is the first time we have entered the Visitor Centre.

I hope it shows that we give visitors, whether beer drinkers or not, an enjoyable relaxed experience and an insight into what the brewery is all about.’

Director and Co-Founder of The Rural Business Awards, Anna Price said: ‘The 2019/20 Awards have seen record numbers of entries and it’s encouraging to see so many rural businesses express a desire to celebrate their successes.’ We look forward to the national finals in February.

Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits

Green and Jenks

www.montysbrewery.co.uk

Jerky boys build on awards tally

Cardiff deli already expanding

Butchers Arwyn Morris and Ramos Vernys of Trailhead Fine Foods are the proud owners of a 2019 Great Taste Award for their Spicy Chilli Beef Jerky.

The Welshpool duo, who loved the jerky so much they bought the business in 2018, can now boast their own 1-star Great Taste Award, which they add to two other Great Taste Awards won in previous years.

Their beef jerky is lovingly made from marinated strips of air-dried beef made from the leanest prime cuts of Welsh PGI beef. It is marinated in a secret blend for at least 24 hours to allow the flavour to penetrate fully

After a hiatus of 60 years, Green and Jenks’s return to Roath, Cardiff has been a huge success. So much so, that they’re already expanding. As well as their award-winning home-made Gelato the deli now stocks a plethora of Welsh food goodies and will soon have an alcohol licence so expect an equally impressive range of Welsh beer, wine and spirits. But the big news is that as we go to press, Green and Jenks will be opening a café where you can sample the delights on sale in the deli. www.greenandjenks.com

www.taste-blas.co.uk

Trailhead Fine Foods

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News

Pembrokeshire Sea Salt scoop again

Anna Loka’s plant-based Christmas

Launched in 2016 by Sherill Evans and Josh Wright, the Pembrokeshire Sea Salt Co. has won recognition at the Great Taste Awards for its Sea Salts with Saffron and Wild Garlic, which bring its total haul of GT awards to four.

Judges described the saffron sea salt as a very beautiful product of excellent quality which would be ‘so wonderful sprinkled over white fish – streaking yellow and red perfectly across it.’ Insta-perfect! And of the wild garlic salt the judges said: ‘There is a well-judged level of garlic aroma and flavour.’

Sherill explains: ‘We are ecstatic. It really does feel like a reward for hard work and dedication, and recognition of the quality of our products. This is so important to us as we create our salts from scratch, harvesting sea water by hand from a small, local cove, and make everything ourselves in-house. It is a labour of love.’ Da iawn Sherill and Josh!

We’re tantalised by the intriguing descriptions on this seasonal menu, which features, among other things, tinseltastic terrine, winter Wellington, and mixed berries and chocolate entremet. Even the meat-eaters among us are sold!

www.pembrokeshireseasalt.co.uk

Beer of the dragon breathes its magic Situtated on the River Lliedi in Felinfoel, Felinfoel Brewery, near Llanelli, has been brewing craft beer since the early 19th century. Possibly the only remaining truly family owned brewery in Wales, in 1935 it became the first European brewery to put beer into cans. Visitors to South Wales will spot the Felinfoel dragon on the walls of more than 80 of its pubs, and the range is also available in bottles and cans from retailers today. Malty and subtly hopped, awardwinning Double Dragon continues to breathe its Welsh magic. With the full range, including recent Craft Ale additions such as an American style IPA, malty Dragon’s Heart and a rich Chocolate Stout, all available in cans you easily buy online or in selected retail across Wales. www.felinfoel.com

If you’re looking to celebrate your Christmas in style, why not consider the intimate elegance of Holm House in Penarth? Built as a private residence in 1926, roaring fireplaces, original stonework and floor to ceiling windows offer views of the dramatically lit garden and the lights across the Channel.

This contemporary coastal hotel celebrates in style with lavish decorations and an elegant menu, where Head Chef Kevin Pike uses the freshest local ingredients. We were lucky enough to sample the festive menu, which is available from 1 December, and included ham hock terrine, followed by an Usk Welsh sirloin topped with garlic, chestnuts and mushrooms, and homemade mulled wine cheesecake served with candied orange to follow. Two courses start at just £24.95. www.holmhousehotel.com

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www.annaloka.com

Collect a Xmas hamper The Hare & Hounds in Aberthin in the Vale of Glamorgan is offering its own brand Christmas hampers filled with glorious Welsh delights, some of which are made in their own pub kitchens. The restaurant is run by chef Tom Watts-Jones, who trained in award-winning London restaurants, but has returned to his home turf to promote the very best of Welsh food. The hampers are just perfect gifts for those difficult relatives who simply have everything.

And what better way to support the local economy than by giving a truly Welsh artisan present? Expect H&H sloe gin, H&H chutney, Black Mountain smoked salmon, Picketston bacon, Welsh Black winter truffle, cheeses, duck eggs, salami and more. Collection is on Monday, 23 December at 4pm, with mulled wine to be drunk on arrival! It’s £100 per hamper, with booking essential. www.hareandhoundsaberthin.com

It’s not just what’s IN the box...

Roaring fires create elegant festive welcome

Hare & Hounds

As many of us aim to become more plant-based for both health and environmental reasons, this two course 100 % vegan menu from £23.95, is sure to be a popular choice in Cardiff this Christmas. And now with a full alcohol licence, that’s even better.

OK, so we can’t grow cocoa in Wales, but we can certainly produce lovely chocolate. Powys based Coco Pzazz select sustainably grown chocolate with the correct flavour profile. They add spices and extracts from across the world, but not forgetting Welsh ingredients and influences - such as sea salt, spirits and Welsh roasted coffee or Bara Brith and Welsh Cakes.

Of course, the final addition of “Welshness” is the choice of packaging.

Coco Pzazz work with a selection of Welsh artists and designers to adorn their chocolate creations and give them a sense of place. Chris Neale - the wellknown landscape artist based in Betws y Coed - is responsible for the image “Lleuad Gaeaf ” that adorns the company’s “Nadolig Llawen / Merry Christmas” chocolate bar. This darker milk chocolate bar is speckled with white chocolate snow flurries as well - a perfect Christmas masterpiece. www.cocopzazz.co.uk

www.taste-blas.co.uk

GWESTY CYMRU H O T E L

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Handmade Welsh Cheddar cheeses, infused with herbs, fruits and spices for exciting and new tastes. We sell to shops, restaurants, Wholesale and in food festivals around the United Kingdom.

Bwydlen Newydd 2 Gwrs £16 / 3 Chwrs £20 Cinio: Llun – Sadwrn (12–2.30pm) Swper Cynnar: Llun – Iau (6–7pm)

G W ENew STY CYMRU Set Menu H O T E L

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2 Courses £16 / 3 Courses £20 Lunch: Monday – Saturday (12–2.30pm) Early Dinner: Monday – Thursday (6–7pm)

www.gwestycymru.com Aberystwyth 01970 612252

Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigion, SY25 6DP www.merlincheeses.com merlincheeses@gmail.com 01974 282808

Salami / Snacking / Chorizo / Biltong / Nduja Cwm Farm Charcuterie Products www.cwmfarm.co.uk / Twitter @cwmfarmsalami / cwmfarm@hotmail.co.uk

07446 555102 Mul� Award Winning Salami with a Welsh Twist www.taste-blas.co.uk

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The Squirrel Nutkin Within Myfanwy Alexander As the long days of a Montgomeryshire summer compress into autumn, I find myself coming to terms with my Inner Squirrel. I know stores in plenty will be available in the shops throughout the winter, yet I feel a seasonal urge to preserve. There are, I think, several reasons for this, the most important being the instinct to not waste a glut of anything, even tiny, rock-hard pears. The green grapes which never ripen on the vine which covers our house make a jewelbright jelly, though I was psychologically scarred for life by watching my mother make jelly when I was a child. It seemed to be a process fraught with technical challenges which only an upturned chair, twine and endless muslin could resolve.

It also becomes a seasonal kindness to relieve your friends of their surplus produce: a rather miserable glut of runner beans with more strings than a symphony orchestra became an exotic treat when slowly cooked in turmeric. I also gather in supplies to lay the bedrock of the edible treats I like to give at Christmas. I derive great satisfaction from the notion that autumn preserves allow me to be somehow ahead of my seasonal game, even though I am still likely to be hastily making last-minute fudge and waiting somewhat desperately for the coloured sugar to set in the stained glass window biscuits. Then there is the whole nature’s bounty thing, gathering the hedgerow fruits, though having grown up with the superstition that all blackberries gathered after St Michael’s Day are cursed by Satan himself has cast a rather Hammer House of Horror vibe over my gleaning.

The real reason, however, for my autumnal preserving spree is that there is no culinary endeavour quite so relaxing or satisfying as making chutney. It is difficult to make bad chutney, though I have managed once or twice, but even then, too much sugar just triggers a rebrand: who could resist a jar of spiced apple jam?

All kinds of pickles are the refuge of the slap-dash cook because proportions are not crucial, but this also leads to creativity: a new flavour or texture can be introduced at will without spoiling the end result.

Experimentation can lead to a new ‘house style’ emerging: I went through a phase of thinking that star anise was almost compulsory, to such an extent that, following a pre-chutney shopping trip, Croesoswallt

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www.taste-blas.co.uk

(Oswestry) featured in an article in The Guardian about people panic buying spices to ward off bird flu.

Er, no, I’m just doing a bit of chutney.

If making jam is a science, requiring perfect quantities and exact temperatures, then chutney making is an art, a glorious Jackson Pollock-esque process full of energy and invention. The smell in the kitchen, sweet, spicy and sharp all at once, feels like a compensation for the drawing in of days. Most robust pickles made in the autumn will have mellowed sufficiently to feature with the Christmas cold meats but come into their own with next summer’s picnics, inside or outside a savoury pie.

Apples are a chutney staple: I love trading a couple of bags of windfalls for a jar or two of pickle, but sharing apples is taken to another level when a community come together to press their apples. It makes economic sense, of course, for the cost of the hire of the press to be shared, and in the hamlet of Trefnannau they have the perfect location for their gathering; the community orchard they established to be a community focus after the village school closed. They chose to make an outdoor hub, planting ancient Welsh apple varieties in a fertile meadow.

We come with our apples in boxes, trailers, dumpy bags or, in my case, a small basket, waiting our turn as the fruit is laid between the heavy plates and crushed, releasing startling quantities of fragrant cloudy juice.

The oldest apple-presser is in her eighties, the youngest not yet in school, local farming families sharing knowledge and skills with enthusiastic newcomers. Last year, I took my rather meagre two bottles home and kept them chilled for a couple of weeks. My under-ripe fruit had yielded rather sour juice, needing time to settle, I was told. When I opened it, having added nothing at all, my juice was passable cider: with a few juniper berries, it made a delicious sauce for pork.

In Dolanog, where many houses retained their cider apple trees, the communal pressing is a rather more functional event: they wait until the summer to gather in a large shed to share and compare the cider, then play Human Skittles, a game whose details I dare not reveal.

With cupboards full of pickles and rather lethal pear whisky maturing in the larder, I’m ready to hibernate.

Exquisite Mediterranean cuisine

An authentic selection of Turkish, Kurdish, Greek and Mediterranean dishes in a warm and friendly, relaxed, environment. ~ the best ingredients, hand-prepared daily ~ Lemon Sole now available ~ traditional Ocakbashi charcoal grill for a genuine taste of the med ~ ~ hot and cold meze, kebabs, fresh fish, vegetarian and special dishes ~ ~ fully licensed bar with a range of beers from Italy, Greece and Turkey, wines from Turkey, Spain, Italy and Portugal and a large selection of spirits ~ Arguably the best eastern Mediterranean restaurant in Cardiff and voted one of the Top Five kebab restaurants in the UK by The Times

15 Wellfield Rd, Cardiff CF24 3NZ. t.029 2049 9339. www.troymezebar.com

Fuel your passion.

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