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Penderyn Distillery

It’s Gold for Penderyn Distillery

The modern home of Welsh whisky, Penderyn was the first distillery in Wales for over 100 years when they started distilling in 2000. Indeed, they were pioneers in World Whisky, as only a handful of countries had whisky distilleries. And Penderyn Distillery have just had a remarkable series of results in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Celt from their Dragon range and Rich Oak from their Gold range won Double Golds. And Madeira and Port Wood (from their Gold Range) and Myth (from their Dragon Range) won Golds. Stephen Davies, Penderyn’s CEO said, ‘We’d like to congratulate our US importers, ImpexBev for their hard work representing Penderyn in the US. They have done a wonderful job, and these awards will only reinforce our sales in the US, as well as the rest of the world.’ Sam Filmus, President of Penderyn’s US importer, Impex Bev said, “It is a true testament to the quality and care that goes into each bottle they produce. As the US importer it gives us great pleasure to see the numbers of loyal fans of Penderyn here in the US growing and we are confident these well-deserved awards will continue to grow along with them.” Penderyn are based in Penderyn, near the Brecon Beacons but have also opened a new distillery in a handsome former school in Lloyd St, in the centre of Llandudno last May. They have already picked up a Go North Wales 2021 Tourism Award. On top of this, Trip Advisor has ranked them ‘#1 tour to do in Llandudno’. Both Penderyn Distilleries are open 7 days a week, and you can visit the shop or take an award-winning Tour, which includes the exhibition area, the distilling hall, before finishing in the tasting bar, where you’ll have the chance to sample a drink or two. And for those who want to indulge further, Masterclasses are available. Book via www.penderyn.wales/visit With its large carpark, Penderyn’s Llandudno visitors can park their car for the day to explore the wonderful coastal resort. Penderyn Distillery continues to go from strength to strength and now with their award-winning North Wales distillery, you can see for yourself why Penderyn is the home of Welsh whisky.

www.penderyn.wales

Brecon burger wins best plantbased burger in the UK

The burger towering almost as high as the beacons themselves, Welsh chef Cai Williams from Hill, a restaurant in Brecon renowned for its extravagant beef burgers, wins the vegan burger of the year award at the National Burger Awards held in London. The delicious plant-based burger winning top spot has not even made it to the restaurant’s menu yet. The burger in question was cheffed up by Cai’s current love for East Asian food. The Asian inspired burger combines pickled red slaw, and spring onions mixed with a delicious plant-based patty. It may come as a surprise to learn the restaurant famed for its innovative beef burgers brings home gold for one of its only plant-based inventions. Hills menu is famous for its wide range of imaginative burgers, from Biscoff beef to gravy and chips and a burger encrusted in gold.

The restaurant owners of Hill have congratulated Cai and are looking forward to bringing more plant-based burgers to the menu in the future.

www.hillsbrecon.co.uk

New World Butchers’ Challenge date announced

Post Covid, the 2022 World Butchers’ Challenge resumes in Sacramento, California, USA on 2-3 September 2022. A Welsh team, captained by Peter Rushforth, made up of a talented group of Wales’ finest young butchery talent, is taking part this year. Pete, a butcher from North Wales, who has won Welsh Butcher of the Year, represented GB in the International Young Butcher of the year, is a gold medallist at World Skills UK Butchery Final and was Meat Trade Journals Young Butcher of the Year is joined by Dan Allen-Raftery, Matthew Edwards, Liam Lewis, Tomi Jones, Craig Holly and Benjamin Roberts in their bid to bring the World crown to Wales. The concept of the World Butchers’ Challenge is to encourage butchers to exceed current industry practice in the areas of general workmanship, meat cutting, displaying and the creative usage of beef, lamb, pork and chicken product. The competition fosters a global community and life-long friendships, with business opportunities and overall trade benefiting from an injection of creativity and innovation.

Competing teams are given a side of beef, a side of pork, a whole lamb and five chickens which they must then transform into a themed display of value-added products using their own seasonings, spices, marinades and garnish to finish products that inspire and push boundaries. They must also be easily cookable and sell in a retail setting. Independent judges score each team based on technique, skill, workmanship, product innovation, overall finish and presentation. Arwyn Watkins, President of the Culinary Association of Wales says ‘I firmly believe this is the perfect platform for some of Wales’ top butchers to showcase their skills on the World stage. As you can imagine we are wanting to give our team the best possible chance and we firmly believe we have a team of Butchers who have the skills to go all the way.’

To show your support for the team and get involved as a sponsor for the team please visit www.culinaryassociation.wales to find out more

Another big win and new bar for Welsh gin

The Craft Gin Club, the largest gin subscription service in the UK, with over 100,000 members, has announced that ‘In the Welsh Wind’ was its gin of the month for April 2022.

With its humble beginnings in a refurbished cowshed, the distillery now occupies a site on the idyllic Welsh west coast at Tanygroes. Here it offers immersive visitor experiences as it produces its award-winning spirits. Founded by Ellen Wakelam and Alex Jungmayr, in January 2018, the company has grown steadily ever since, now employing 16 members of staff. Initially, crafting gin for brands, the distillery launched its very own, award-winning, ‘In the Welsh Wind’ Signature Style gin during the pandemic.

In early 2021, the Craft Gin Club approached ‘In The Welsh Wind’ to formulate one of its 12 bespoke craft gins for the 2022 clubbers. The distillery has been brewing up ideas in secret ever since. Welsh Wind had to keep everything hush-hush so that when Craft Gin Clubbers received their box in April, it was a complete surprise.

Ellen commented, “This has been an incredible project to work on, from distilling enough gin to send out to over 100,000 Craft Gin Clubbers, to working on the content for the magazine that is sent out in the monthly box. And of course, keeping such an exciting opportunity secret has been hard too! We’re delighted to be able to share what we’ve been doing.”

Jon Hulme, co-founder and CEO of the Craft Gin Club added, “We’re incredibly excited to share this multi-award-winning gin from west Wales with our members! ‘In The Welsh Wind’, Signature Style Gin manages to be full of flavour yet exceptionally light and fresh.”

Building on recent successes ‘In The Welsh Wind’ have also now opened Bar 45, Cardigan’s first and only craft gin bar. Located at 45 St Mary Street and stocking the full range of Welsh Wind and Eccentric gins, as well as a curated selection of wines and local beers guests can try their hand at gin-making and take home their very own unique bottle, with regular gin blending sessions available to book. Huge congratulations to Welsh Wind, daliwch ati!

inthewelshwind.co.uk

Alex Gooch Kneads His Way to Success

With the recent opening of his bakery and coffee shop, which saw queues forming down Cardiff’s bustling Whitchurch Road, and the ongoing success of his small bakery, in Pontcanna’s King’s Yard, Britain’s Baker of the Year has set his sights on opening yet another bakery in Cardiff’s suburbs, Radyr.

With 14 years of success, with his first bakery rising in the quaint Welsh town of Hay on Wye, Gooch has continued expanding his vision. Providing products for over 120 different wholesalers including Waitrose and Waterloo tea. He sees this new branch as an opportunity to develop his brand even further.

“Wholesale is great, but it ebbs and flows, you never really know what’s happening from one day to the next. Whereas with this, you can plan what you’re doing a bit more, and it’s also a great chance to be really creative every day,” commented Gooch.

Gooch is focused on artisan baking, with all his products just happening to be Vegan and all of his ingredients organically grown. Expect only the finest sourdoughs, focaccia, pastries and many more specialities at the new branch set to open in May on Park Road in Radyr. www.alexgoochbaker.com

Local app providing a helping hand in Swansea

A takeaway delivery app started by a Swansea couple is giving established names like Just Eat and Deliveroo a run for their money, whilst also aiming to help small local businesses to keep costs down. Swansea Eats was founded in 2021 with the intention of providing Swansea restaurants and takeaways with an alternative platform for reaching customers and taking orders online.

Sophie Heneberry and Rory Edwards, who founded Swansea Eats alongside two friends, recognised that many local dining spots were struggling to afford the fees incurred by using third party delivery apps, and decided there was a gap in the market for a local alternative. Whereas the cut taken by larger platforms can be more than 20%, the commission for using Swansea Eats is 7.5%.

In addition to reducing costs and increasing profits for Swansea businesses, the app also ensures that more of the customers’ money remains within the local economy. With more than 12,000 people already using the app, Swansea Eats is making its mark on both the food scene of the city and has even inspired a similar venture in Rhondda Cynon Taf, called RCT Eats.

www.swansea-eats.co.uk

Tipi Top Dining experience

Serving up a gorgeous view, overlooking the Preseli hills, Wild Lakes is the perfect Tipi dining spot for families to eat delicious locally sourced food and enjoy some of the best tourist hotspots Wales offers. Hosting large tables bringing the whole family together under its fairy-lit Tipis.

Adapting their menus seasonally to stay in tune with what’s fresh and available locally, their award-winning chef Ian Willson who previously worked at Slebech Park, as head chef boasts a very impressive menu. Offering mouth-watering Pembrokeshire beef brisket, chargrilled seafood and “mountains of cakes that almost rival the Preseli.” Bringing delicious locally sourced food to the idyllic Welsh countryside, Wild Lakes is making the most of the beautiful landscapes we are so blessed to have here in Wales.

www.wildlakeswales.com

Ellen Wakelam and Alex Jungmayr

Alex Gooch

The Gourmet Butcher’s

Matsudai Ramen fi nally fi nds a permanent residence as it opens its doors to its cult following with its fi rst restaurant on Clare Road in Grangetown claiming the space of the former NatWest Bank. Hosting pop-ups for the last few years across Wales and the UK with great success James Chant, Matsudai Ramen’s founder can fi nally lay down his foundations. Continuously adapting his business in the trialling lockdown period, James created a renowned brand, establishing the business’s success through its popular pop-ups and the selling of its innovative DIY Ramen kits online to diff erent households across the UK, all eager to get their hands on a bowl of Matsudai Ramen.

James spent most of his life working in the music industry and had no previous experience working in kitchens professionally. Feeling a sense of disillusionment within the industry he was in, James was off ered the chance to run a food pop up. He took the shot and put his all into this new venture, and from one pop up, Matsudai Ramen was born. We are anticipating long queues and fully booked tables when the restaurant opens this summer.

matsudai.co.uk

All change at Dragon

It’s been a busy few months at South Caernarfon Creameries home of Dragon cheese. Th eir Slate Aged hand-craft ed cheddar is now aged in Llanfair caverns, an even more amenable environment than previously with better and more stable humidity levels that produce an even better cheese.

Project Dragon is the plan set out to develop South Caernarfon Creameries, the oldest cooperative of farmers in Wales, for decades to come. Th e project is focused on expansion and redevelopment and aims to move the Welsh dairy industry into a more sustainably focused future. Having seen great success with their turnover going up by 100% over the last 5 years. South Caernarfon Creameries are investing £15 million to almost double production from 15,000 tons to 23,000 tons, an increase that will see a huge boost to the local economy and a huge rise for Welsh dairy in general. Proof that Wales can compete on any level.

sccwales.co.uk www.dragonwales.co.uk

Brewing up their Untapped potential

Starting off as two guys who began brewing from someone else’s kit, Untapped brewing has gone from strength to strength seeing its best-ever year of sales. Brewing from its permanent residency in Monmouthshire, Untapped is expanding its line and is continuing to experiment with even more new fl avours, opening its doors to tours and starting a new kegging line.

Aft er deciding to drop the popular but expensive to produce Crystal wheat beer from its range, Untapped is replacing it with a brand new Premium beer set As pub trade recovers aft er the harsh hit of the pandemic, Untapped is stocked up high with bottles and casks. Aft er a great decision to purchase a bottling line last year the brewery has been bottling at double the speed and are now excited to see more pubs streaming kegs of Untapped beer this summer.

Teaming up with some other local producers, the shop will be expanding, opening once again 6 days a week Monday to Saturday, reopening its doors for tasting and tours aft er a long 2 year enforced absence. Setting out tables and chairs Untapped are planning on running a brewery tap for people to come and enjoy their Saturday at the site.

www.untappedbrew.com

Welsh Butchers scoop top UK honours

A strong representation of quality Welsh butchers were on hand at the prestigious UK-wide annual Butcher’s Shop of the Year awards held at the Farm and Deli Show at the NEC Birmingham.

Th e Gourmet Butcher, a family business who have shops in Cardiff , Llantrisant and Porth, won the coveted title of the UK’s New Butcher’s Business of the Year as well as beating off competition from Prendergast of Haverfordwest and N S James of Raglan to be crowned Welsh Butcher Shop of the Year.

But Prendergast’s 20-year-old Mark Wolsey won a highly commended prize in the Young Butcher of the Year category, while another Welsh leading light, Swans Farm Shop, near Mold, was among the fi nalists for Innovation of the Year.

Th e Gourmet Butcher’s commercial maxim is “price, quality and service”. Gerwyn Harries, with wife Angela, runs the shop in Park Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff , alongside two sister outlets, having only entered the industry in October 2019, they have quickly increased their sales and provided meat for some of the best restaurants and hotels in South Wales. Adding a modern touch to the local butcher shop. Off ering cuts curated to customers’ sports and fi tness goals. Off ering ‘Mean and Lean’ or ‘Slim and Trim’ protein packs.

Prendergast Butchers, run by Mark’s mother and father Chris and Rachael Wolsey, is a story of successful farm diversifi cation. “Th e farm supplies the shop and our customers love to know where their meat comes from. Th ey don’t mind paying a bit more for quality,” said Mark. He’s planning a fact-fi nding tour of the top UK butchers to bring in the best possible practices to improve and expand the business.

A fi nal Welsh success came in the UK and Ireland ‘Champion of Champions’ sausage competition, where F.R. Kennedy and Son of Holywell in Flintshire scooped the top prize.