A delicious mix of food and travel await visitors to next week’s Taste of
London festival (June 17-20) as a corner of Regent’s Park is enveloped by
distinctly Welsh flavours.

Wales is the ideal destination for food loving travellers, with
accommodation and menus to suit every pocket and palate, and this
irresistible blend will be highlighted during the four day event – London’s
largest restaurant festival and which features some of the capital’s top
restaurants, celebrity chefs, and food and drink from across Britain.

Many of the food and drink producers featured on the Welsh Assembly
Government’s Wales the True Taste stand have close links with tourism,
combining delectable dishes with visitor attractions, cafés, restaurants,
or accommodation.

Indeed Rhossilli Bay on the Gower Peninsular has just been voted the Best
UK Beach and recently Best Picnic Spot in the UK by the British Guild of
Travel Writers as part of Red Tractor Week, and is home to the highly
popular True Taste Award-winning Gower Cottage Brownies.

Among the Welsh producers taking part which has a tourism link is the
Blaenafon Cheddar Company Ltd, which combines award-winning cheesemaking
with food tours. Last year the company, which is situated in a World
heritage Site and whose Pwll Mawr cheese is matured at the bottom of the
mine shaft at the Big Pit Museum, won a silver Wales the True Taste Food &
Drink Award in the Food Tourism Destination category.

True Taste Award-winning Denbighshire yogurt producer, Llaeth y Llan – the
Village Dairy – which is celebrating 25 years in business will be promoting
its yogurts as well as farmstay holidays.

Also exhibiting its producer and tourism credentials will be award-winning
Monmouthshire vineyard Ancre Hill Estates which produces a range of wines
and conducts vineyard tours; and the Welsh Cider & Perry Society which will
be highlighting producers and festivals.

The Welsh companies featured during the four days are drawn from some of
the most beautiful and historic parts of Wales. The ancient North Wales
coastal town of Abergele is home to another True Taste winner, The Pudding
Compartment; while on Anglesey can be found toffee vodka producer, Toffoc.

Elwy Valley Lamb, another True Taste winner and supplier to a number of top
London restaurants, is located near the historic castle town of Denbigh and
close to the town of St Asaph and its cathedral.

Organic milk co-operative and True Taste winner Calon Wen, draws its
membership from farms across Wales, and multiple True Taste Award-winning
cheese producer Caws Cenarth situated near the famous Cenarth waterfalls
has a visitor centre and café.

Visitors to the Wales the True Taste stand at Taste of London will be
invited to test their foodie credentials and knowledge of Welsh food and
tourism with the interactive True Taste Trivia Quiz.

Held at regular intervals each day, the Quiz includes blind tastings,
pictures and props with each winner receiving a copy of Colin Pressdee’s
‘Food Wales – An Eating Out Guide’.
Also, at the end of the four days the names of each day’s the top scorer
will be placed in a draw, with the chance for one to win a weekend stay at
the Welsh Rarebits hotel of their choice.

I was inspired to create this recipe from a guy inÂ*San Diego, CAÂ*who I ‘met’ on Twitter.Â* He tweeted about a delicious drink he had made, and I loved the sound of it.I will definitely do the drinks recipe sometime, but thought these flavours would work really well for a sorbet, and then I added [...]

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Bryan Webb, chef/patron at the Michelin rated Tyddyn Llan in Denbighshire, will be sharing the secrets of cooking seafood at the Aberaeron Food Festival on July 4.

The festival has become a popular feature in the picturesque seaside resort’s calendar, and is aimed at celebrating the superb fruits of the sea yielded by the clear coastal waters of West Wales.

“I have noticed a big increase in interest in seafood at Tyddyn Llan, since I gained the Michelin star,” says Bryan. “I think people believe that it takes outstanding skill to cook fish and want to see it carried out by an expert.”

“However, I'd like to help demystify the process. There’s no reason why you can’t have a great fish dinner at home. The trick is to make sure that your fish is very fresh, as the quality of the raw ingredients is paramount. Don’t overcook the seafood or you’ll wreck the flavour, and don’t smother it in an overpowering sauce, as that will prevent the delicate flavour of the fish from coming through.”

One of Bryan’s signature dishes is griddled scallops with vegetable relish and rocket.

“I only used hand-dived scallops at Tyddyn Llan, as their flavour is outstanding. The trick with this dish is to sear the scallops over a very high heat so that the flavour is locked in,” he explains.

“This is one of my favourite dishes, not only do I serve it up in the restaurant, I eat it at home, and often cook it when Susan and I have friends around for a meal.”

Bryan Webb will be appearing at the Aberaeron Food Festival on Sunday, July 4.

recipe - here, just top with peanut butter

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Wales is celebrating cheese in style on 25 – 26 September with the Great British Cheese Festival at Cardiff Castle. Why not celebrate Welsh cheese at home with some delicious varieties such as Hafod Cheddar, Caws Cenarth Perl Lâs or Gorwydd Caerphilly? The Wales the True Taste Award-winners have all the cheeses you need to create a first-class cheeseboard!

Winning two gold Wales the True Taste Awards in 2009/2010 (in the small dairy and organic categories), Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar produces a deliciously smooth, traditional hard cheddar. Owned by Sam and Rachel Holden, Hafod farm is Wales’s longest certified organic dairy farm. The cheese is made from unpasteurised milk from Hafod's 65 Ayrshire cows and it has a close-knit texture and a rich golden yellow colour. Its flavours are predominantly buttery, rich and nutty with a slight tang on the finish. Their cheese is available to buy online at hafodcheese.co.uk (RRP: £7.50 for 350g) and various specialist cheese shops including Neal’s
Yard Dairy, London.

Nestled at the foot of the Black Mountains, in the East of the Brecon Beacons National Park, lies Caws Mynydd Du (meaning ‘Black Mountains Cheese’). Awarded a bronze Wales the True Taste Award in 2009 in the small dairy category for its Dragon’s Back Cheese, Caws Mynydd Du produces sheep cheeses made from their Poll Dorset and Poll Dorset X sheep which are fed purely on grass and crops grown and harvested on the farm. The Dragon’s Back Cheese is a handmade, pasteurised, semi-hard cheese. It has complex flavours which are delicate, yet rounded with a slight hint of citrus. Available nationally through cawsmynydddu.com (RRP: £17.50 per kg + P & P) at various independent shops nationwide including Mootown in London.

South Caernarfon Creameries is Wales's leading farmer-owned dairy co-operative which won a gold Wales the True Taste Award in 2006 (in the large manufacturer of the year category) for its Old Shire Special Reserve cheddar. This is a smooth textured cheese with a tangy and balanced, full-bodied flavour. Only the best cheese is selected for their Special Reserve grade and the maturing process takes up to 18 months. Available to buy at sccwales.co.uk (£2.00 for 200g), Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Morrisons.

Trethowan’s Dairy won silver in the small dairy category of the 2009 Wales the True Taste Awards with its Gorwydd Caerphilly. Made using a traditional recipe with unpasteurised milk, the ingredients combined with working the curd by hand, keep the cheese true to the origins of traditional Caerphilly. The cheese is matured on the farm for two months and gives a fresh lemony taste with a creamy texture to the outer and a firmer but moist inner. Available to buy at Trethowan’s Dairy - Tel: 0117 902 0332 (RRP: £20 per kg) and at markets across the UK including St Nicholas Market, Bristol and London Borough Market; see gorwydd.com for a full list.


Winning several Wales the True Taste Awards in 2003 and 2006 for its Perl Lâs, Caws Cenarth is a highly regarded cheese producer. Thelma Adams, owner of Caws Cenarth, was also awarded the Wales the True Taste Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for her dedication to the Welsh dairy industry. The Perl Lâs cheese was created as a result of a happy accident. A selection of mature Caerffili cheeses had become naturally blue and so was born the Caws Cenarth Perl Lâs was born. The taste is a round creaminess with lingering blue overtones. It is unlike any other blue, strong in taste yet delicate enough to satisfy the choosiest of cheese lovers. Available to buy at cawscenarth.co.uk (RRP: £6.95 for 450g).

All the above Welsh producers have won accolades at the Wales The True Taste Food & Drink Awards, which were launched in 2002. They are managed by the Welsh Assembly Government as part of their 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.

Ultima Tapa is Scott, theÂ*owner of the brilliant Kyoto Garden Sushi’s new project. I had heard about it and was very keen to try, being a fan of tapas and multiple course eating.Â*Â*I popped in on Tuesday with a friend to check it out and an interesting evening unraveled itself.Stepping into the small and intimate [...]

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Many years ago, I can’t even remember when, I bought the ‘Pret A Manger’ recipe book.Â* A collection of sandwich and salad recipes.Â* Its published in 1996 ten years after they started, and onÂ*the eve of there 50th store opening, so this was when Pret was in its earlier hay days. The UK retail sandwich [...]

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The Bar Show is the leading event for the modern hospitality industry, gathering top drinks brands and industry leaders for a feature packed two day event taking place at the Business Design Centre, Islington from 15-16 June 2010.

The show is now in its tenth year and is at the cutting edge of the drinks industry. It will incorporate The London Cocktail Summit, a one-stop-shop area to view the latest drink creations and see the best bartenders in the world in action.

Here’s what the show has to offer…

• The Connoisseurs Club Cocktail Theatre – Cocktails through the centuries; hear from the Merchant Hotel, Belfast on how the Cocktail has changed
• Drink Factory – a panel of expert alchemists demonstrate their latest liquid inventions using smoke-guns, centrifuges, vacuum machines and other creative paraphernalia
• The Shark Pool: Bar! Sink or Swim! Competition – a Dragon’s Den style expert panel scrutinise contestants pitching their brain-child business plans
• Tequila Embassy – All things tequila! Compare and sample a great selection of brands; seminars will also take place so visitors can find out more about the history of tequila
• The Bartender “Black Box” Competition – the best mixologists from around the UK fight it out in an elimination battle for the title of “King of the Black Box”
• The Ultimate Cocktail Competitions – the very best bartenders mix it up serving their finest Cocktail creations.


Bar. 10 will also show the latest in contemporary bar design with the Bar Build area, which will showcase hundreds of new products and services whilst uniting style gurus with industry peers from across the UK.

There are a limited number of tickets available on the door, for more information or to pre-register for entry, visit http://www.barshow.co.uk.

Bar. 10 takes place at the Business Design Centre, Islington from 15-16 June 2010.

A trade only event.

Paul A Young Fine Chocolates And The Rare Tea Company Collaborate

Two of the UK’s best-loved artisan food personalities have collaborated to create a range of chocolates made with the finest teas. Henrietta Lovell from The Rare Tea Company and Paul Young of Paul a Young Fine Chocolates have been working together over the past few months to produce an exceptional range of tea chocolates and bars.

Paul and Henrietta will be launching a new chocolate each month for the remainder of 2010, each tea has been selected to reflect when it is being harvested. To launch the collection we’ll see a White Silver Tip tea filled chocolate, for July a Jasmine Silver Tip tea chocolate, followed by Green tea in August. September sees the launch of Henrietta’s exclusive RAF tea, which Paul will be using to create a delicious truffle. Darjeeling in November followed by a Lost Malawi truffle and a Lapsang & Black Cardamom Pave.

Paul A Young is a creative and inspirational chocolatier who is at the forefront of the British chocolate scene. His passion for his craft and his cutting edge creativity have won him numerous awards and have led to him being ranked amongst the World’s best chocolatiers.Paul uses only the very best chocolate blended with seasonal ingredients, hand producing each of his award winning creations. Henrietta is an exceptional tea lady, sampling the finest teas and selecting only the best. Henrietta travels to small mountain tea gardens across China, India and Africa to source her teas. They’re not mass-produced, the whole leaves and tips are skillfully produced by aritsans and tea masters.

Henrietta Lovell says of the collaboration: ‘Paul and I have known each other for a number of years and it’s wonderful to be working together. Tea and chocolate are often put together and we’ve worked on creating the very best from this pairing using only the finest ingredients and our skill and knowledge in each area.’

When it comes to baking and all the science behind it, I tend to not mess too much with the recipe structureÂ*and will just play around with the particulates that you add and keep the flour (gluten), raising agent to liquid ratios quite fixed. Ive been baking since I was 6, so have built up [...]

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