Visitors to Cardiff Castle can show their love for Welsh food and drink this St David’s Day by sharing snaps of a specially commissioned heart-shaped daffodil installation.
Featuring thousands of daffodils, the installation has been created as part of the Welsh Government Food & Drink Wales Trade Development Programme’s #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste campaign.
The installation, made from 12,000 daffodils, and donated by Welsh fresh produce brand Blas y Tir, is a tribute to Welsh food and drink producers as well encouraging Welsh consumers to share their pride and passion on St. David’s Day.
Visitors to Cardiff Castle are being asked to take their picture alongside the daffodil heart and post it on social media using the hashtags #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste in the run up to and on St. David’s Day, March 1st.
Meanwhile visitors to London’s Southbank this weekend will be able to enjoy a St David’s Day Market, with live cooking demonstrations from some of Wales’ finest chefs, a chance to meet producers and learn more about Wales and its cuisine.
Producers taking part in the London event include include Aber Falls Distillery, Black Mountains Smokery, Coaltown Coffee, Jones Trust Your Gut, Radnor Preserves, SamosaCo, The Rogue Welsh Cake Company, Trailhead Fine Foods and Wickedly Welsh Chocolate.
Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths said:
“St. David’s Day is one of the most colourful days of the year in Wales, and it’s great to see this display at Cardiff Castle highlighting the amazing produce we have here in Wales.
“I’m pleased to see producers taking part in the event in London too, showcasing some excellent Welsh produce on the banks of the Thames.
“St. David’s Day presents us with a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our people, our heritage, our culture and, of course, our high-quality food and drink producers, which is what the #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste campaign reinforces."
The #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste daffodil heart will be on display at Cardiff Castle between Thursday, 23rd February and Friday, 3rd March.
Huw Thomas, CEO of Puffin Produce, the home of Blas y Tir, said:
“Nothing says ‘Welsh and proud’ more than the Welsh daffodil. We’re honoured to see our daffodils, one of Wales’ national emblems, proudly on display at Cardiff Castle for St. David’s Day. We hope that visitors to the Castle enjoy this beautiful display as much as we do.”
The #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste daffodil heart will be on display at Cardiff Castle between Thursday, 23rd February and Friday, 3rd March.
Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke said:
“Cardiff Castle is iconic and one of the most visited heritage attractions in Wales. The chance to see this beautiful daffodil display celebrating Welsh food producers, as the nation celebrates St David’s Day, is yet another reason to visit Cardiff this spring.”
The St David’s Day #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste campaign also includes a series of television adverts celebrating five well-known ‘hero’ Welsh food and drink brands.
Television adverts featuring Blas y Tir, Edwards – The Welsh Butcher, Castle Dairies, Radnor Hills, and Brace’s Bread will hit the small screen for two weeks starting on February 26th.
A bilingual #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste social media toolkit has been launched for food and drink producers to join in the campaign, and there will be targeted outdoor advertising in London, Birmingham, Bristol, and Liverpool as well as major roads into Wales and near locations of Welsh supermarkets and hospitality sites.