With the eyes of the world currently on Wales as it prepares to welcome world leaders to the NATO Summit, the nation’s food and drink is also in the limelight. While Welsh produce will be firmly on the menu at the summit many of Wales’s most celebrated food producers will then move on to London to show off their products at the Speciality Fine Food Fair, the UK’s largest trade event for the sector.
The Fair itself attracts buyers from far and wide so is a key platform for Welsh businesses to promote their produce. 25 producers from across Wales will have the opportunity to showcase their mouth-watering products on the Welsh Government stand, a valuable opportunity to put Wales on the food map.
One of the companies who will be showcased at the event will be the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company and they have developed a new product with a timely link according to one of the company’s founders Jonathan Williams,
“Exhibiting in events such as the Speciality Fair gives us the opportunity to talk directly to buyers and expand our market. This year we have been inspired by the Dylan Thomas centenary celebrations and we have developed our own Captain Cat’s Mor seasoning, a new spice blend that we will be launching in London. As with all our other products, it is of course crafted by a team of lovely Welsh mermaids!”
During the event the winners of the UK’s Great Taste Awards will also be announced. Recognised as the Oscars of the food world, an award is the acknowledged benchmark for speciality food and drink.
Having already been awarded three stars by the Great Taste, the Patchwork Traditional Food Company from Denbighshire, is now in the running for the main award, a great honour according to Rufus Carter of the company,
“Out of 10,000 products entered in the Great Taste Awards, only 153 were awarded three stars so for us to be in the running for the main award is wonderful for us as a company. While we are by now well established, our products are still hand made in small batches and I think that is one of the key reasons for our success.
Exhibiting in events such as the Speciality Fair gives us the opportunity to talk directly to buyers and expand our market. We know that Welsh food and drink is of the highest quality and we need to make sure that everyone else knows it too!”
The Speciality Fine Food Fair is held in London on 7-9 September.