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* Chefs Harri Williams, left, and Graham Tinsley are heading for Llangollen Food Festival next month.
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A former royal chef and another
who worked at the iconic Sydney Opera House are joining forces to champion
local produce at a food festival.
Graham Tinsley MBE, who has tickled
the taste buds of world leaders, the Queen and Prince Charles on numerous
occasions, will be showcasing local talent as well as the best of Welsh
foodstuffs when he returns to Llangollen Food Festival with his young protégé
Harri Williams.
Graham, currently executive head chef
at the prestigious Carden Park in Cheshire, has recently appointed 26-year-old
Harri as his new head chef, cementing a 13-year long mentorship which began
when Harri took on an apprenticeship with the culinary maestro at the age of
15.
History has now gone full circle and
Harri has returned to the hotel in which he learnt his craft with a wealth of
exciting ideas inspired from his travels across Australia.
The former Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy School
pupil who lives in Pandy Tudur, Conwy and formerly worked as a sous chef in the
Sydney Opera House, can’t wait to show off his skills alongside Graham at this
year’s food festival that’s being held on Saturday and Sunday, October 13 and
14.
The event is now recognised as one of
the top 10 food festivals in the UK.
Harry, who has earned gold medals in
world food competitions as part of the Welsh Culinary Team, said: “I absolutely
love these kinds of events. When you’re in the kitchen of a restaurant you
don’t get to see the customer’s reaction to your food, may be just a little
feedback if you’re lucky.”
Graham, 58, from Abergele, will be
leading a trio of culinary geniuses at a series of crowd-pulling cookery
demonstrations at this year’s festival, which will be staged at Llangollen
Pavilion.
Alongside Harri, Graham is hoping to
bring another member of the North Wales Culinary Guild, which he heads up.
Graham has been involved in the
festival for the past 10 years and is looking forward to stir up the excitement
once again with a host of local food treasures.
“This year I’ll be bringing two young
chefs along with me this year who between them have many, many years of
international competitions behind them,” he said.
“It’s all about supporting the local
producers too so If I come across a new oil, cider or gin I’ll make sure I
communicate that back to the audience.”
In his roles as vice-captain, captain
and manager of the Welsh Culinary Team over the years, Graham was invited to 10
Downing Street on many occasions to prepare memorable St David’s Day meals.
Nurturing the talents of young chefs
and encouraging them to excel is very important to him but he says the learning
takes place on both sides.
“We launched the guild about four or
five years ago and it was just about local chefs meeting up and getting
together in a kitchen,” said Graham, who was awarded the MBE by the Queen for
his services to the food industry in 2006 and was once asked to bake popstar
Celion Dion’s birthday cake.
Harri, who grew up on the family
cattle farm in Pandy Tudur which overlooks Snowdonia, was previously head chef
at the Lion & Pheasant Hotel in Shrewsbury where he earned two AA rosettes
before landing his dream job at Carden Park.
“My ambition was to become a head
chef by the time I was 28 and I did it at 24 so I get there faster than I
expected,” he said.
“I’ve travelled a bit and I don’t
really feel like my style can be condensed into one area. I like to cook modern
British, French, Asian, you name it. I’m versatile and a menu needs to be too.
“My mum owns a baking company and so
we’ve always gone to the Llangollen Food Festival. I come along every year but
now I’ll be coming along in a professional capacity and showcasing the best of
Wales produce which is exciting.
“I don’t usually get nervous about
these things any more, I’m just looking forward to being back.”
Llangollen Food Festival committee
member Phil Davies said: "We are so lucky that North
Wales is a hotbed of culinary talent and I am sure that Graham and Harri will
put on a great show at this year's festival.
"In addition to many favourites,
we have lots of new food producers wanting to come this year.
"The location of the Pavilion is
absolutely spectacular - I can't imagine that any other food festival in
the UK has a more beautiful setting.
"It's also brilliant news for
the local economy. If you buy from a local producer, all that money is recycled
through the local economy and that sustains employment in our rural
areas."
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