Competition Time

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, o ers a relaxing escape with plush rooms, roaring res, sumptuous baths and heavenly beds.

is contemporary Welsh beach house also includes a stylish restaurant bar with a knock-out seasonal menu by Chef He n 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 di erence between beef jerky and biltong?

Jerky & Biltong are both dried meat snacks, but their taste & production processes are very di erent! 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!

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 avours, including spicy to gourmet, and have recently become gluten free!

When you took over the business, one of the rst things you did was to start using PGI Welsh beef – what was the rationale

behind that? Changing to PGI Welsh Beef was de nitely 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 elds 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.

Have you noticed an improvement in taste and

quality? We immediately noticed a signi cant di erence. e structure of the meat was better, and the avour of the meat is stronger which is vital as it needs to stand up to the bold marinades that we use. is has meant we have been able to allow the natural avour of the meat to shine, as well as our striking avours.

How is Beef Jerky made and what avours

do you have? Our beef jerky is made up of 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 le to rest for at least 12 hours to let the avours develop further before being hand cut into bite size portions and packaged.

Our avours include the Easy Going Ones, which are Original, BBQ & Black Pepper, the Hot Ones, which are Spicy Chilli & Hot Smoked Chipotle, and the rst 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. ere are new, tasty avours already on the horizon, so keep your eyes peeled!