Why Welsh Food & Drink Producers are the Envy of the World

Why Welsh food and drink producers are the envy of the world and how you can take advantage of food produced on your doorstep.

The Fine Food Cluster is an initiative by the Welsh Government’s  Food & Drink Wales programme  to produce and promote high quality products that make it easy for chefs to take advantage of stunning quality from across Wales.

The aim is to increase productivity, drive innovation and stimulate new business through networking and collaboration.

Amongst the members of the Fine Food Cluster are some of the best examples of what the Welsh food sector has to offer: Hand-reared, free range meat, cheese produced from a farmer-owned cooperative all the way to PDO-status sea-salt from the Menai Straits

A recent dish created by Lucknam Park’s Hywel Jones highlights everything that Wales has to offer.

Hywel said

“Wales is home to some of the UK’s finest food and drink producers. What sets these men and women apart is the passion they have for their craft which is evident in the quality of their produce. As a Welsh chef I feel very fortunate and privileged to be able to showcase such outstanding produce in my cooking.”

Jayne Jones, Fine Food Cluster Manager told The Chefs’ Forum “The delicious dish that Hywel has created highlights the wealth and diversity of ingredients we have on our doorstep in Wales. Through working with The Chefs’ Forum we are able to connect Welsh producers with a network of top chefs ensuring that the food we grow and produce in this country gets showcased in Britain’s best restaurants.”

Take a look at Hywel’s recipe here.

What some of the producers say…

“Lord Newborough, Owner of Rhug Estate, said, “Rhug Estate has been supplying many of the top chefs in restaurants and hotels around the world since 2007 with organic lamb, salt marsh lamb, beef, chicken, and game reared on the estate. Top chefs recognise Rhug as a strong, well-recognised Michelin star brand, which offers unrivalled security of provenance.

“The superior quality of Rhug’s products speak for themselves. Organic farming is all to do with adopting the highest standards of animal welfare and removing stress in the production cycle, this produces the highest quality meat.”

Ruth Davies of Cwm Farm Charcuterie told The Chefs’ Forum

“We’re really pleased that Hywel’s chosen our nduja to be include in his St David’s Day meal. We breed our own pigs on the farm and produce in our unit down the road on the outskirts of the Brecon Beacons. We’ve been fortunate to have worked with charcuterie masters in various countries over the years to hone our skills and we love putting our own Welsh twist on our produce. Last summer our laverbread salami won Gold at the Taste Olymp Awards in Athens putting Welsh charcuterie firmly on the map.”

For more information on the Welsh Fine Food Cluster and it’s producer members click here.