Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Another boost for Llan food and drink

Hot on the heels of another successful Food Festival (pictured), Llangollen will be the first town in Wales to host a prestigious training opportunity being funded by the Welsh Government and the European Union.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) business members of the Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club will have the chance to work with celebrated food consultant and chef Nerys Howell through two introductory training sessions.

The first will be a Masterclass in Welsh Menu development and marketing, aimed at local chefs.

The second will be working with local food producers to help them make the most of marketing opportunities at food festivals.

Participants in both introductory courses will then have the option of arranging one-to-one sessions with Nerys back in their kitchens.  

With years of experience in the food, drink and hospitality industry, Nerys works across the UK and overseas promoting food and drink from Wales.

She is the author of Wales On A Plate (2009) - a bilingual book which includes traditional and contemporary recipes for Welsh produce and brings to life the traditions, lifestyles and cooking of Wales.

The book was shortlisted for the Gourmand International World Cookbook Awards in 2010.

As a consultant, Nerys has developed menus, recipes and food opportunities for clients including the Millennium Centre and the National Museum Wales, and has also catered for the True Taste of Wales awards, billed as the Oscars of the Welsh food industry.

With the Llangollen Food Festival celebrating its 20th year this year, and the town’s also hosting the first Food Assembly in Wales (now with nearly 600 registered customers), Llangollen’s reputation as a hub for great local food is growing.

It will soon feature in a BBC Wales programme, looking at how the Food Festival, the Llangollen Food Assembly, and the Llangollen and Dee Valley Good Grub Club are working together to get Llangollen on the food map of Wales and the UK.

The training from Nerys Howell aims to help the area solidify its reputation and lead to even more exciting food and drink offerings for the growing number of tourists visiting the region.

Funding for the training is through “Wales – A Food Destination” a project of LANTRA, an organisation supporting individuals and companies to achieve personal and business growth in the environmental, food and agriculture sectors. 

Membership of the Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club is open to Welsh food, drink and hospitality businesses within 15 miles of Llangollen who want to help increase the use, availability and visibility of locally produced food and drink. 

* For more information and details of current members, see the website www.GoodGrubClub.wales, or contact Robyn Lovelock, Secretary on DeeValley.GoodGrubClub@gmail.com

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