TRUE TASTE OF WALES AWARDS
Last night 82 producers celebrated Gold, Silver and Bronze wins in the Wales the True Taste Food & Drink Awards, where they were deemed the best in the Welsh food industry.
The Wales the True Taste Food & Drink Awards were launched in 2002 as part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s commitment to developing the food and drink sector and to building awareness of the Welsh food brand ‘Wales the True Taste’. Year-on-year the True Taste Awards grow in strength and popularity and are regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the Welsh food industry. This year’s winners are:
Gold in Red Meat Large category – Randall Parker Foods, Welsh lamb rump*
This hand-butchered 100% natural Welsh lean lamb is juicy, has excellent texture and melts in the mouth.
A modern, automated processing facility, handling over 15,000 carcases per week, together with excellent butchery skills enables Randall Parker Foods, Andover to ensure quality and choice within meat supply throughout the world. Randall Parker Foods is an impressive group of companies which specialises in cutting British lamb into vacuum packed primals and retail packs. Its specially designed batch labelling system follows every animal from the farm, to the abattoir and through processing, ensuring it brings only the best, traceable lamb to customers.
RRP: Varies according to retailer
Stockists: All UK and European leading supermarket groups, see www.randallparker.com
Gold in Red Meat Small category – Elan Valley Mutton Ltd, leg of Elan Valley mutton*
Elan Valley’s superior mutton comes from 3 – 4 year old Welsh Mountain sheep, which graze naturally on moorland pastures and herb rich hay meadows. The rich texture and fuller flavour of its mutton make it perfect for any roast, casserole, tagine or curry. It is also delicious cooked on the BBQ.
RRP: £39.00 for a hamper containing the following: 1 x roasting leg joint on the bone – approx 1.25 kg; 1 x 800g boned and rolled shoulder; 1 x pack of 2 x leg steaks; 1 x pack 6 x noisettes cutlets; 1 500g pack diced mutton; 1 500g pack minced mutton
Stockists: order online at www.elanvalleymutton.co.uk
Silver winner: Aberystwyth University – Home grown lamb (www.aber.ac.uk)
Bronze winner: Penrhiw Farm Organic Meat – Aberdeen Angus sirloin steak (www.penrhiwfarmorganic.co.uk)
Gold in Game & Poultry category – Oaklands Organics, organic free-range whole Glamorgan chicken**
Oaklands Organics’ chicken contains no additives or preservatives and has been fed a 100% GM-free organic diet.
Oaklands Farm is the home of ethically produced meat and poultry in Glamorganshire. The coming together of the O’Dwyer and Morgan families, who have been farming in the Vale of Glamorgan since the 14th century, brings delicious organic produce from the farm gate to your door. Their commitment to sustainability is reflected in the fact that Oaklands Farm is off-grid, relying on solar and wind power, backed up by a generator and batteries. Its vehicles run on home-produced bio diesel.
RRP: £5.99/kg
Stockists: order online at www.oaklandsorganics.com
Silver winner: Usk Vale Poultry Ltd – free-range oven ready turkey
Bronze winner: Oaklands Organics – Organic free-range chicken breast (www.oaklandsorganics.com)
Gold in Other Meats category – Rob Rattray Butchers, Rob Rattray’s own boiled ham**
Established in 1991 by Rob Rattray, Rob Rattray Butchers prides itself in offering quality locally sourced meat to the retail and catering trade in Ceredigion. Its locally sourced Ceredigion pork is produced to Rob’s specifications, mainly from Penlan, Talsarn and other local pig producers. Much of the catering side of the business is operated from the processing unit, where meat is prepared and orders despatched to both the private and public sector. The business supplies a large number of hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafes in the area.
Silver winner: The Traditional Welsh Sausage Co Ltd/Edwards of Conwy – pork & chilli sausage (www.welshsausages.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Thornhill Farm Shop – premium pork chipolatas (www.thornhillfarm.co.uk)
Gold in Dairy Small category – Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar, Hafod Welsh organic cheddar*
Hafod Organic Cheddar is a traditional handmade hard cheese made from unpasteurised milk from Hafod’s 65 Ayrshire cows. It has a smooth, close-knit texture and a rich golden yellow colour. Its flavours are predominantly buttery, rich and nutty with a slight tang on the finish.
Hafod farm, owned by Sam and Rachel Holden, is Wales’s longest certified organic dairy farm having been farmed organically for 35 years by Sam’s father Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association.
RRP: £15 – £20 per kilo
Stockists: for a full list of national retail outlets see www.hafodcheese.co.uk
Silver winner: Trethowan’s Dairy Ltd – Gorwydd Caerphilly (www.threowansdairy.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Caws Mynydd Du – Dragons Back cheese
Gold in Dairy Large category – Llandyrnog Creamery, Cadog vintage Welsh cheddar*
Die-hard cheese connoisseurs will appreciate the refined taste of Cadog Vintage Welsh cheddar. The cheese is a reserved superior blend of the finest flavours that have been developed over 18 months of controlled maturation, resulting in a premium cheddar with a powerful and distinctive flavouring.
Cadog was launched in February 2004 and is produced by the Welsh farmer members of the UK’s leading dairy farmers’ cooperative, Milk Link.
RRP: £3.58
Stockists: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda. For more information go to www.cadog.co.uk
Silver winner: The First Milk Cheese Co. Ltd – Pembrokeshire Cheese Company extra mature cheddar
Bronze winner: South Caernarfon Creameries – Dragon Welsh butter (www.sccwales.co.uk)
Gold in Baked and Confectionary Small category – Thornhill Farm Shop, lemon drizzle cake**
Three key factors define the Thornhill Farm Shop, based just outside Cardiff: healthy eating, tasty food and sustainability. Its products answer an increasing demand for people to know the source and origin of their food, opting to purchase homemade and locally produced goods in preference to others. In addition to cakes, the shop sells home baked bread, preserves, pickles, desserts, ready-made meals, meat, fruit and vegetables.
For more information visit: www.thornhillfarm.co.uk
Silver winner: Pembrokeshire Fudge – Pembrokeshire honey fudge (www.pembrokeshirefudge.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Parisellas of Conwy – Blackcurrant sorbet (www.parisellasicecream.co.uk)
Gold in Baked and Confectionary Large category – South Caernarfon Creameries, Pot au Citron & Pot au Chocolat dessert*
The Chocolate Pot is made from double cream, gently cooked with sugar and oodles of the finest quality dark Belgian chocolate to create a creamy textured pudding with an intense chocolate flavour.
The new Lemon Possett dessert is made using cream only produced by cows that graze in the pastures of North Wales at South Caernarfon Creameries’ co-operative members’ farms. The dessert has a refreshing, tangy taste thanks to the delicious mix of rich double cream, sugar and sun-ripened Spanish lemon juice.
Established in 1938, South Caernarfon Creameries is Wales’ leading farmer owned dairy co-operative which now has 160 member farmers.
RRP: £2.99 for a twin-pack
Stockists: www.sccwales.co.uk
Silver winner: The Village Bakery (Coedpoeth) Ltd – Welsh oggie pasty (www.villagebakery.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Lewis Pies Ltd – Steak & stilton pie (www.lewispies.co.uk)
Gold in Non Alcoholic Drinks category – Alderwicks Ltd, Elderflower Cordial**
Alderwicks has produced this unique Elderflower cordial by infusing hand selected wild Pembrokeshire elderflowers with its own Higgon’s Well natural Pembrokeshire spring water to create a stunningly refreshing taste. The Elderflower cordial is ideal for cocktails, sparkling wine and as a mixer with spirits. It is also very versatile when used undiluted in food, such as a garnish on desserts, with fruit salad, for elderflower ice cream, sorbet or jellies and in salad dressings.
Alderwicks was established in 1921 and taken over in 1959 by Mr. O’Dare. In 1976 Alderwicks purchased Higgons Well, a well that dates back to medieval times where it was said that weary pilgrims would stop at the holy well to refresh themselves on their journey to St David’s. From 1976 all of Alderwicks’ soft drinks have been produced using Higgons Well natural spring water.
RRP: £2.00 for a 750ml bottle
Stockists: www.alderwicksltd.co.uk
Silver winner: Ty Bryn Cider – Apple juice
Bronze winner: E J Catering Ltd – Lemon & thyme cordial (www.ejcatering.co.uk)
Gold in Alcoholic Drinks category – Evans-Evans Brewery, Evans-Evans Cwrw**
Entrepreneur Simon Buckley founded Evan-Evans Brewery in 2004 and now brews to capacity in a state-of-the-art plant, selling more than 20,000 pints a week while supplying some of the biggest pub retailing groups in the UK. Cwrw is the brand name for just one of Evan-Evans’ selection of bottled cask ales. The name itself, in Welsh, simply means “beer”.
Stockists: www.evan-evans.com
Silver winner: The Hurns Brewing Co Ltd – Tomos Watkin’s cwrw gaeaf (Winter Ale) (www.tomoswatkin.com)
Bronze winner: S A Brain & Co Ltd – Brains Dark (www.sabrain.com)
Gold in Fish category – Derimôn Smokery Ltd, wild Anglesey oak smoked sea bass**
This hand-filleted fresh wild Seabass from the fast waters of the Menai Straight is gently smoked over Welsh oak and vaccum packed.
Hailing from Anglesey, Derimôn Smokery is a family business based on several years of smoking, using its own 400 year old oak shavings and sawdust derived from natural gale damage. This has now developed into a state of the art smokery, still retaining the traditional recipes, some unique to the producer for maximum flavour. No chemicals, dyes or artificial flavour is used in any of Derimôn’s products.
RRP: £3.60/200g
Stockists: www.derimonsmokery.co.uk
Silver winner: Gill’s Plaice – Local fly caught smoked trout (www.gillsplaice.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Sugarloaf Catering – Oak roast salmon fishcakes (www.sugarloafcatering.co.uk)
Gold in Shellfish category – Celtic Crab Products Ltd, dressed crab*
Celtic Crab specialises in the supply of live and cooked crab and lobster, dressed crab and crab meat. The producer supplies to the restaurant and catering industry, to retail through fishmongers and direct to the public and worldwide.
Stockists: 07831 251923
Silver winner: Gill’s Plaice – Local dressed Lobster (www.gillsplaice.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Cardigan Bay Fisherman’s Association Ltd – Cardigan Bay prawns
Gold in Condiments, Sauces & Preserves category – Tropical Forest Products Ltd, Welsh heather honey*
This is a robustly flavoured honey gathered from high altitude bee pastures in Mid Wales where ling heather predominates. Heather Honey is an exceptional honey which is difficult to produce and as much prized for its distinctive jelly-like texture, as its rich, bitter, aromatic flavour.
It takes at least three times as much effort to produce and extract this honey from the wax honeycombs in comparison to standard honey and, combined with the uncertainties of the weather, this makes Welsh Heather Honey a rare and special treat; a real taste of the wild Welsh moor.
RRP: £3.91/340g jar
Stockists: www.tropicalforest.com
Silver winner: Toloja Orchards – Sweet herb mustard (www.welshcider.com)
Bronze winner: Wye Valley Apiaries – Soft set honey
Gold in Convenience Meals/Snacks category – Greta’s Wholefoodies, laverbread, cheese and oatmeal burgers**
Laverbread offers a Welsh twist on these fabulously healthy veggie burgers.
Greta’s Wholefoodies of Cowbridge, in the Vale of Glamorgan, has been producing and supplying high quality vegetarian and health food for over eight years. The company was set up by Greta Watts-Jones when she started selling Glamorgan sausages at the local farmers market; she has now expanded the range to include veggie burgers. Wholesome ingredients are sourced locally wherever possible to create delicious, nutritious and convenient to cook veggie burgers and sausages.
Stockists: www.gretaswholefoodies.com
Silver winner: Selwyn’s Penclawdd Seafoods – Fresh laverbread (www.selwynsseafood.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Greta’s Wholefoodies – Curried chickpea, coriander and coconut burgers (www.gretaswholefoodies.com)
Gold in Fresh Produce Small category – Firstleaf, selection box of micro salad and petite leaves**
Firstleaf is a specialist grower of edible flowers, salad leaves, herbs, microleaves, microgreens, cresses, peashoots and more. The producer provides a local growing and delivery service to fine dining establishments in South West Wales.
Stockists: www.firstleaf.co.uk
Silver winner: Primrose Organic Centre – Mixed leaf salad pack (www.primroseearthcentre.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Primrose Organic Centre – Tayberries (www.primroseearthcentre.co.uk)
Gold in Fresh Produce Large category – Puffin Produce Ltd, Maris Peer Potatoes**
Puffin Produce Ltd grades, packs and markets all-year-round fresh potatoes, cauliflower, spring greens and savoy cabbage available from November to March, from approximately 40 shareholder Pembrokeshire farmers, graded to the highest quality.
Silver winner: Puffin Produce Ltd – Estima Potatoes (www.puffinproduce.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Stubbins Marketing Ltd – ‘Good natured’ baby plum tomatoes (www.stubbins.com)
Gold in Healthy Eating category – Primrose Organic Centre, mixed leaf salad pack**
A thriving organic fruit and vegetable business, Primrose Organic Centre is also a good example of how permaculture can assist nature in providing an abundance of nutritious and luscious food. It hosts a large, mature Forest Garden with almost a hundred varieties of fruit and nut trees. Its organic produce – including mixed salad packs – is sold to the local community through Hay-on-Wye market every Thursday from March to December.
Stockists: www.primroseearthcentre.co.uk
Silver winner: Primrose Organic Centre – Tayberries (www.primroseearthcentre.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Greta’s Wholefoodies – Curried chickpea, coriander and coconut burgers (www.gretaswholefoodies.com)
Gold in Organic category – Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar, Hafod Welsh organic cheddar *
Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar is a traditional handmade hard cheese made from unpasteurised milk from Hafod’s 65 Ayrshire cows. It has a smooth, close-knit texture and a rich golden yellow colour. Its flavours are predominantly buttery, rich and nutty with a slight tang on the finish.
Hafod farm, owned by Sam and Rachel Holden, is Wales’s longest certified organic dairy farm having been farmed organically for 35 years by Sam’s father Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association.
RRP: £15 – £20 per kilo
Stockists: for a full list of national retail outlets see www.hafodcheese.co.uk
Silver winner: Primrose Organic Centre – Mixed leaf salad pack (www.primroseearthcentre.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Penrhiw Farm Organic Meat – Aberdeen Angus sirloin steak (www.penrhiwfarmorganic.co.uk)
Gold in Sustainable Development category – Aberystwyth University Hospitality Department*
On 2,500 acres of beautiful farmland, head of hospitality Kevan Downing and university farms manager Huw McConochie have developed a unique university project in the form of a farm. Also a Wales the True Taste Award winner last year, the Aberystwyth University farm is going from strength to strength and there are now plans to produce organic milk, cream and yoghurts, potatoes and turkeys.
For more information contact: 01970 621961, www.aber.ac.uk
True Taste Judges’ Recognition Certificate: Primrose Organic Centre (www.primroseearthcentre.co.uk)
People and Places Awards
Gold in Retailer of the Year category – Hawarden Estate Farm Shop**
Hawarden Estate Farm Shop has a team of people who grow, source and sell the best food Britain has to offer.
Home to approximately 20 acres of established fruit and seasonal vegetables, including its renowned asparagus, the Farm Shop showcases much of the real food being produced in North Wales and neighbouring Cheshire. The shop includes a Cook Shop Café, offering a seasonal menu including cheeses, sauces, puddings and chutneys.
For more information visit: www.hawardenestate.co.uk
Silver winner: Llwynhelyg Farm Shop (www.llwynhelygfarmshop.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Andrew Rees & Sons Ltd (www.andrewreesbutchers.co.uk)
Gold On-line Retailer of the Year category – Pembrokeshire Produce Direct**
Established earlier this year, Pembrokeshire Produce Direct is a new concept in food shopping that is all about high quality local food produced and delivered to order. The company enables anyone in Pembrokeshire to order locally produced goods on the internet and have them delivered direct to their door.
The not-for-profit cooperative was developed with the assistance of Pembrokeshire County Council and funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The service now encompasses over 55 food producers in West Wales offering over 2,000 products from meat and fish to vegetables, bread, cakes, cheeses and drinks.
For more information visit: www.pembrokeshireproducedirect.co.uk
Silver winner: Gower Cottage Brownies (www.gowercottagebrownies.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Scrumptious (www.scrumptiousproduce.co.uk)
Overall winner & South East Wales regional winner in Eating Out in Wales (pubs/restaurant/hotels) category – The Crown at Whitebrook*
Set in the Wye Valley near Monmouth, The Crown at Whitebrook is a haven from the stresses of modern day life. As one of Wales’s first restaurants with rooms it offers eight luxurious bedrooms. The restaurant forms the heart of the establishment and is the only one in Wales to have been awarded a Michelin Star.
For more information visit: www.crownatwhitebrook.co.uk
Mid Wales regional winner: Ynyshir Hall (www.ynyshirhall.co.uk)
North Wales regional winner: Tyddyn Llan (www.tyddynllan.co.uk)
West Wales regional winner: Cwtch (www.cwtchrestaurant.co.uk)
True Taste Judges’ Recognition Certificate: The Welcome to Town (www.thewelcomtotown.co.uk)
Overall winner and South East regional winner in Eating Out in Wales (cafes/tearooms) category – Gentle Jane Tearoom*
Located in the heart of rural Monmouthshire, Gentle Jane Tearoom with rooms offers quality food, specialty teas and excellent coffee as well as bed and breakfast. All the food is made at the tearoom from seasonal and local produce.
For further information visit: www.gentlejane.co.uk
Mid Wales regional winner: Ultracomida (www.ultracomida.co.uk)
North Wales regional winner: Caffi Florence (www.caffiflorence.co.uk)
West Wales regional winner: Quayside Tearoom (www.quaysidelawrenny.co.uk)
Gold in Farm Enterprise category – Siop Fferm Glasfryn**
Siop Fferm Glasfryn opened in 2001 and provides a seven-day-a-week service selling quality local produce – including the Estate’s Welsh Black Beef, Llyn lamb, game, pork, bacon and other organic and Fair Trade produce sourced from local farmers, producers and suppliers – direct to its local customers.
For more information visit: www.siop-glasfryn.com
Silver winner: Birch Grove Free Range Eggs (www.birchgrove-eggs.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Oinc Oink
Gold in Multiple Retailer category – Tates Spar**
Tates Spar was rewarded for its total commitment to and consistent presentation of local produce and passion within the Spar set-up. Over the last 15 years regional manager Owen Davies has increased the range of Welsh products available in the Tates Spar stores from just over 150 to over 2,000 lines – an impressive achievement in anyone’s book.
Silver winner: CK’s Supermarket Ltd (www.cksupermarkets.co.uk)
Gold in Local Sourcing Initiative category – RCMA Social Enterprise Ltd**
Riverside Community Markets Association was founded by Stephen Garrett to set up street markets throughout Cardiff on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The idea is to bring producer and buyer together, a concept which has become extremely successful. His Riverside Real Food Market involves up to 50 regular stall holders and the extensive range of products on offer attracts more than 1,000 customers every Sunday. The concept has opened doors for many small businesses and has proved to be a sustainable market model with potential for application throughout Wales.
For more information visit: www.marketside.org.uk
Silver winner: Aberystwyth University (www.aber.ac.uk/residential/en/hospitality.ac.uk)
Bronze winner: Pembrokeshire Produce Direct (www.pembrokeshireproducedirect.co.uk)
Gold in Food Tourism Destination category – Pembrokeshire County Council, Pembrokeshire Fish Week*
Pembrokeshire is an all-encompassing tourism destination, as well as being a supreme dining location. With its recognisable ‘Made in Pembrokeshire’ branding and expansion of the ‘kitemark’ logo to both the Welsh and non-Welsh, Pembrokeshire County Council has made key inroads into developing tourism to the region. Local produce is available everywhere, all year round and the region has an immense number of food producers. The county hosts various food events e.g. Fish Week, which are well dispersed throughout the county.
Silver winner: The Blaenafon Cheddar Company Ltd (www.chunkofcheese.co.uk)
Bronze winner: Monmouthshire County Council/adventa (www.mim.adventa.org.uk)
Gold in Export Achievement category – The Anglesey Sea Salt Company Cwmni Halen Mor Mon*
Based on the Isle of Anglesey, The Anglesey Sea Salt Company – run by David and Alison Lea-Wilson – produces Halen Môn pure white sea salt, and a range of spiced and flavoured salts. Chefs in eight out of the top 50 restaurants in the world use their flaked salt, attracted by its flavour and the fact that it doesn’t melt away when it’s used in hot food, but retains a crunchiness which adds another sensation to the dining experience. 60 per cent of the producer’s sales are now to 20 countries. Top of its export list is Italy, with Spain at number two – particularly telling as Spain is one of the world’s biggest exporters of sea salt.
RRP: prices range from £2.95/100g for pure sea salt to £5.35/100g for vanilla sea salt
For more information visit: www.seasalt.co.uk
Silver winner: The Hurns Brewing Co Ltd (www.tomoswatkin.com)
Bronze winner: Randall Parker Foods (www.randallparker.com)
Winner in True Taste Champion category – Deiniol ap Dafydd of Blas ar Fwyd**
Deiniol ap Dafydd has made a valuable contribution towards the Welsh food and drink industry. He recognises the need for greater cooperation right across the whole spectrum of the food and drink industry to fully embrace the retail, tourism and the all-important public sector.
Having spent some time managing a leisure and entertainment centre in London, Deiniol and his wife Chandra returned to Llanrwst in 1988 and established Blas ar Fwyd, now the largest delicatessen in England and Wales outside London. Each day a fleet of chiller vans leave Blas ar Fwyd to gather products from farms and factories, and deliver Welsh produce of every description to hotels, restaurants, visitor attractions, symbol shops and independent retailers across the UK. In addition the company has succeeded in being the first network to source cheese from South Wales for distribution in north Wales. According to Deiniol, “Right from the outset my goal has been to encourage greater use of Welsh produce, and to ensure that food from Wales can be sourced more easily”.
For more information visit: www.blasarfwyd.com
Notes to editors
Following a record 388 entries, the finest quality Welsh food and drink has been judged and accredited by a panel of experts for the 2009/10 Wales the True Taste Food & Drink Awards. According to a recent report from FARMA, 90% of households would like to buy direct from the farm/supplier if they could. Many of the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners – whose produce can be locally sourced online, direct from the producer – answer this demand, demonstrating the variety of produce available and the inroads Welsh producers are making towards an increasingly sustainable food and drink industry.
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