Dion has starring role in Llan food festival

 

* Graham and Dion.

 

One of world's most talented young chefs will have a starring role at a top food festival, it's been revealed.

 

Rising star Dion Jones, 25, will be hitting the culinary high notes at  Hamper Llangollen that's being held in the town on Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20.

 

Last year Dion, from Valley, Anglesey, and now living in Wrexham, became the first Briton beat rivals from around the globe to win the world’s oldest culinary competition, the International Escoffier Challenge in the South of France.

 

At Hamper Llangollen, now recognised as one of the UK's top 10 food festivals, Dion will be cooking up a Welsh feast with TV chef Graham Tinsley and Harri Williams.

 

 

* Harri.

 

The three chefs, who all compete for Wales in the Welsh National Culinary Team, will take over the main Pavilion kitchen throughout the Sunday for six demonstrations.

 

Dion hit the headlines again after he emerged in second place in one of the UK’s toughest-ever cooking competitions – the Roux Scholarship - judged by a host of celebrity chefs.

The competition reduced to 18 semi-finalists and just six finalists in 10 one hour-long episodes screened on the Watch TV channel.

 

Young chefs had to compete under pressure for the Godfathers of modern cuisine, the Roux family – brothers Michel and Albert and their equally legendary sons Alain and Michel Jnr.

 

As if that was not testing enough, the judging panel contained a stellar list of celebrity chef names, including Rick Stein, Angela Hartnett, James Martin, Raymond Blanc and Andrew Fairlie – the first ever winner of the Roux Scholarship.

 

“I came second overall in the competition which ran for 10 episodes,” said Dion. “I won various cash prizes and knives but it was the taking part which was the important thing.

“I was told it was ‘very close’ between myself and the guy who won, Paul O’Neal. Taking part in this has to rank alongside the International Escoffier win.

 

“The series was filmed in the Roux’ famous Le Gavroche and Waterside Inn restaurants and in Switzerland.”

 

After working at Grosvenor Pulford Hotel and Spa and De Vere Carden Park, Dion now works for Simon Rimmer at his Earle restaurant in Hale, commuting from his home in Tanyfron near Wrexham.

 

Dion says his mother Ann “pushed” him towards cookery and persuaded him to go to Coleg Menai. After that he never looked back. He too was a captain for the Welsh Junior National Culinary team and now competes in the senior team under team manager – and former boss Graham Tinsley.

 

This year's festival is being supported by the rural development agency, Cadwyn Clwyd.

Cadwyn Clwyd’s contribution came via the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government

 

Welsh speaker Harri Williams, from Conwy, a chef at the award-winning Ellenborough Park Country House Hotel in Cheltenham, has just returned from Hong Kong.

 

“I was there for a week promoting Welsh produce for the Welsh Government,” said Harri, 21.

 

“We were taking part in a big show the idea of which was to find distributors for Welsh products and I was cooking Welsh produce for people to taste. It was a brilliant trip.”

 

Harri is captain of the Welsh Junior National Culinary, and led them to a silver medal at the Culinary Olympics last October in Germany.

 

He’s also been to No 10 Downing Street with his former boss Graham to cook for Prime Minster David Cameron at a star-studded get together on St David’s Day for a host of Welsh celebrities and sports stars.

 

His interest in cooking comes from his mum, Rhian Williams, co-founder and owner of the hugely successful Llanrwst-based bakery Siwgwr a Sbeis – a regular at the Llangollen Festival.

 

“I started working for Graham Tinsley when I was 15, first at the Castle Hotel in Conwy and then I moved with him to De Vere Carden Park Hotel and Spa in Cheshire,” said Harri, a De Vere Junior Chef of the Year. He started working at Cheltenham at the beginning of March but travels home to North Wales regularly.

 

Graham, executive chef at De Vere Carden Park and director of the Castle Hotel at Conwy, has taken the Welsh culinary team as high as seventh in the world rankings.

 

He said: “I must have been to Llangollen now about eight or nine times. It’s still a really good festival, and one of the friendly ones. I go to a lot of festivals which are ‘man-made’where tents and marquees are brought in. But at Llangollen you have the Pavilion and the great surroundings; it’s such an eye-catching place.”

 

Adopted Welshman Graham has enjoyed a distinguished career which has taken him to some of top hotels in the UK and Europe including working for Anton Mosimann at the prestigious Dorchester Hotel in London.

 

In 1991, Graham was head hunted to help develop and open the first four star hotel in North Wales - St David's Park Hotel in Ewloe. The hotel was such an overwhelming success that, in 1997, he was appointed to the team that developed and opened the renowned Carden Park Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort in Cheshire.

 

He was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations in 2006 for his services to the food industry.

 

He has cooked for the Queen and members of the Royal family on numerous occasions, as well as the Emperor of Japan and European Heads of State at Cardiff Castle. Prince Charles, as patron of the Welsh National Culinary Team, has requested that they cook for him and his guests at every formal occasion in Wales and Graham was invited to attend his wedding celebration at Windsor Castle.

 

Robert Price, Cadwyn Clwyd's agri-food project officer, said: "We are so lucky that North Wales is a hotbed of culinary talent and I am sure that Graham, Dion 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."

 

For more information about Hamper Llangollen 2013 go to: www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

Best GCSE results ever for Ysgol Dinas Bran

Year 11 students at Ysgol Dinas Bran have worked hard with staff to achieve the best overall GCSE  results ever, says the school.

Every student achieved at least 5 GCSE grades A* to C, and 100% of them notched up higher grades.

Notable individual achievements are: Steven Hughes, 5A*, 4As and 1B; Ffion Mitchell, 5A*s, 4As and 1B, Joanna Stallard, 5A*s, 4As and 1B; Bethan Phillips, 4A*s, 4As, 2Bs and 1C, Amar Azad, 3A*s, 6As and 1B; Morgan Hanley 3A*s, 4As, 2Bs and 1C; Maddy Brown, 2A*s, 6As and 1B; Owen Roberts, 2A*s, 5As, 4Bs and 1C; Anirudh Menon, 1A*, 6As, 1B and 3Cs; Alex Sergiou, 1A*, 6As, 1B and 2Cs;  Michael Jones, 1A*, 5As and 6Bs.

A school spokesperson said: "Congratulations to all ou students. We look forward to welcoming all students back to our flourishing Sixth Form. 

"Sign up day is on Friday 23rd, see you then!"

Hairy Bikers roar in to film at railway

* The Hairy Bikers, pictured left in green overalls, film at Llangollen Railway.

The forthcoming third episode of the popular Hairy Bikers series exploring heritage restoration projects is due to feature the duo's visit to Llangollen Railway.

Si King and Dave Myers came to Llangollen in the spring to help with a new locomotive project which aims to rebuild an example of an extinct Great Western express freight engine known as the ‘Night Owl’.

The project is being promoted by the Great Western Society at Didcot Railway Centre, Oxfordshire and the assembly work is being undertaken by Llangollen Railway’s engineering department. 

The project benefits from the fact that Great Western engines had many features in common and, by dismantling three derelict, ex-scrapyard locomotives which are surplus to requirements many of the parts needed for the rebuild have become available for incorporation into new framework.

The dismantling of the engines took place at Llangollen and during their visit the bikers assisted with the acquisition of parts from Great Western No.2861, a former heavy freight locomotive.

However, the major items missing from the list of components were two main driving wheels.

At 5ft 8 inches in diameter these had to be specially cast and the programme will feature the two presenters visiting the foundry where the wheels were specially made for delivery and, later, their assembly at Llangollen.

Project Engineering Manager, Paul Carpenter, said. “The programme will show what tremendous skills and abilities are available within the engineering team at Llangollen Railway. 

"The two presenters fully involved themselves with the work process during their visit which made a big impression on everyone involved. Their down to earth commentary on the tasks undertaken will make the processes comprehensible to viewers, as well as providing some light hearted entertainment.

“The successful completion of this project will produce a Great Western type of express freight locomotive which had otherwise been lost to preservation and it has been given No.4709 as the follow-on number in the Great Western series.”

George Jones, for Llangollen Railway, said: “The Night Owls, as they were nicknamed, were a batch of just nine large locomotives which mainly operated fast freights to London during the night.

"Locally the type is well remembered by rail fans for their appearance through Wrexham in the late
evening on the freight trains from Birkenhead conveying livestock to the markets at Smithfield in London, until that traffic ceased during the early 1960s.

“The trailer for next week’s episode showed the two presenters riding on the footplate of locomotive No.3802 at Llangollen and enjoying a hearty breakfast cooked in the traditional way - on the shovel heated in the engine’s firebox.”

The programme goes out on Sunday, 25 August 2013 at 9.00pm on BBC2.

Further details about the forthcoming episode will be found on the BBC2 website.

New stage group casts its first production

A new local amateur stage group has chosen the cast for its first production.

Llangollen Musical Theatre Group has been formed to complement existing organisations by staging contemporary musical theatre productions at the Llangollen Pavilion.

A Meet and Greet event, held on Tuesday, August 6, was extremely well attended.

Almost 40 people registered their interest in getting involved with the November 2013 production of the jukebox musical Return to the Forbidden Planet.

Auditions for the show, which is set on a spaceship and combines the story of Shakespeare's The Tempest with a soundtrack of 60s and 70s hits, were held the following week.

The show's director, Paul Brown, said: "The auditions highlighted what a wealth of talent there is in Llangollen and the surrounding area.

“Myself and our musical director, Nigel James, faced some agonising decisions. We're delighted with the cast we've assembled for what looks set to be a fantastic production.

"This is a truly rock and roll show, so it seems fitting that several of our cast are singers and musicians in bands that gig locally.

“Captain Tempest will be played by Geth Foulkes, who has performed at the Eisteddfod with his band The Sublimes.

“Bill Hughes, of rock covers band Rain, has previously starred in shows for Llangollen Operatic Society and Tip Top Productions and will be playing Doctor Prospero.

“Jo Potts will be a familiar face to Llangollen audiences, having starred in the Pantomime Group's productions for the past few years as well as playing bass with popular band The Truth. She'll be playing Doctor Prospero's daughter Miranda.

"We're also delighted to have some young up and coming talent on the stage. Lucas Howson has just sat his GCSE exams at Ysgol Rhiwabon, where he starred as Seymour in the school's production of Little Shop Of Horrors. He's studying theatre at Yale College from September, and I know he's going to be fantastic in the role of Bosun.

"Stuart Dillon, known to many as a member of local band The Docktors, will actually be reprising a role he last played 12 years ago. Stuart wowed audiences with his performance as Cookie when Ysgol Dinas Bran staged this show, and he can't wait to don his chef's whites once again! You can expect an incredible guitar solo during the song She's Not There."

The other members of the cast are Justine Bradey (Science Officer), NIco Decourt (Ariel the Robot), Tracey Rawlinson (Navigation Officer) and Jillian Handley and Leonie Anne Kirby (Damage Control Crew).

Return to the Forbidden Planet will be staged at the Llangollen Pavilion on Thursday 28th - Saturday 30th November.

Llangollen Musical Theatre Group will be staging a number of fundraising events throughout September and October, with the first being a walking treasure hunt around Llangollen.

+ More information is available on the group's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/llangollenmusicaltheatregroup, or by emailing llangollenmusicaltheatregroup@gmail.com.

Llangollen visited by locomotive film star

 

* The replica of the locomotive Planet is

visiting Llangollen Railway for a filming session. 

 

Llangollen railway has been turning back the clock to the early days of steam.

 

The  locomotive Planet and two vintage passenger coaches has arrived at Llangollen for a filming session.

 

The replica Planet normally resides at the Manchester Museum of Science & Industry.

 

It is a modern version of a locomotive design used on the original Liverpool & Manchester Railway, opened 1830, and was built in 1992. 

 

Quite apart from other details of its small design and appearance the tall chimney gives it away as a very early steam locomotive.

 

The engine, tender and two vintage coaches are at Llangollen for a brief filming session on the railway which will be used in a feature about the English artist Turner.

 

George Jones, press officer at Llangollen Railway, said: "It is wonderful to be able to host a visit by Planet which is a remarkable recreation of an early locomotive.

 

"It follows earlier appearances, in 2002, of the other L&MR replicas - Rocket, San Pareil and Novelty - which came to take part in a recreation of the Rainhill Trials of 1829 based around the station area at Carrog."

 

 

See picture below of loco as delivered to Llangollen Railway yard.

Speeding campaign starts today

Motorists who risk live by speeding will be targeted by North Wales Police as part of a week-long campaign.

 

The crackdown on speeding motorists is set to take place throughout Europe this week as part of the European-wide initiative to crack down on speeding motorists - starting today, Monday, August 19^th until Sunday August 25^th.

 

The TISPOL (European Traffic Police Network) campaign will see all police forces across Europe tackling speeding by conducting random speed checks.

 

North Wales Police Roads Policing Officers along with Go Safe will be combining their efforts to deter and detect motorists who choose to ignore the speed limits. Drivers who are caught speeding will be issued with anything from a Fixed Penalty Ticket to a summons to attend court.

 

The warning is issued on the day the announcement has been made that the cost of a fixed penalty notice for speeding has increased from £60 to £100.

Roads Policing Temporary Sergeant Mark Jones said: “Speeding is an issue that concerns many residents and one that we take extremely seriously.

 

“North Wales Police has a robust strategy around enforcing the ‘Fatal 5’ offences which are speeding, failing to wear a seat belt, drink and drug driving, dangerous and careless driving including unnecessary risk taking and using a mobile phone while driving.

“We are committed to assisting in reducing casualties on the road through the use of targeted enforcement operations around high risk groups of people and locations while enforcing the ‘Fatal 5’ offences.

“The risk of being seriously injured or killed rises dramatically if a decision is taken to commit a ‘Fatal 5’ offence and I want people to be aware of the devastating affect it can have and make a conscious decision not to take any chances.”

 

He added: “There is no doubt that this campaign will have a positive impact on road safety in North Wales and those who choose to ignore the speed limits can expect to be prosecuted for their actions.”

 

Further information regarding the increase in fines is available via the Department for Transport website

.

Couple to le-launch historic biscuit at Llan festival

* James and Natasha Shepherd have revived the Aberffraw Biscuit.

A sweet-toothed couple have revived the oldest biscuit in Britain that dates back to the 13th century.

James Shepherd and his wife, Natasha, have set up a company to make the historic Aberffraw Biscuit which was first baked in the Anglesey village of the same name 800 years ago.

The tasty scallop-shaped biscuit will be launched at the new products section of Hamper Llangollen, the 16^th Llangollen food and drink festival on October 19-20, which is now officially one of the UK’s top 10 food festivals.

The couple have taken the basic ancient shortbread recipe and use only premium Welsh ingredients to produce a very moreish biscuit in a variety of flavours.

James, originally from Llandudno, and Natasha, a Welsh-speaker from Trefriw, met at Leicester University, married 10 years ago and have two children Rowan, seven, and Jasmine, five, both pupils at Ysgol Bro Aled in Llansannan.

While Natasha continues to work part-time for a governmental agency, James – whose background is in journalism – is developing Aberffraw Biscuit Company and is co-founder of Yoller, a web design and digital marketing agency.

“We were watching the Great British Bake Off last October and they had a feature about the Aberffraw biscuit.

“We started chatting about it and realised that despite the fact we were both from North Wales and lived here all our lives, we had never even heard of it, never mind the fact it was supposed to be Britain’s oldest biscuit,” said James.

“The first thing I did was to buy the domain names for the website and then did some research to build an informational website and start developing a business plan.”

An enthusiastic home cook and amateur baker, James makes the biscuits and even designs the packaging.

Along the way he has received plenty of expert help. “I was introduced to the founder of Patchwork Pate, Margaret Carter from Ruthin, who does brilliant work mentoring young entrepreneurs.

“Then I was introduced to Roberet Price at the rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd and he put me in touch Coleg Menai’s food technology centre at Llangefni and now I’m looking at rural business support grants.”

“From the start we wanted everything to be as authentic as possible, from the unique stamp for the scallop shape of the biscuit to the ingredients which include Calon Wen organic butter and Bacheldre Mill stoneground organic unbleached flour.

“The biscuit has a great marketing story. When you think about it all the gift shops and tourist shops in North Wales all seem to sell Scottish shortbread and I would just like to get them out and the Aberffraw in.

The Aberffraw biscuit (or sometimes Aberffraw cake) and is said to originate from 13th Century Anglesey.

Legend has it that a Welsh king was holding court in Aberffraw and his wife was walking on the beach there and, spotting a pretty scallop shell, asked for a cake to be baked in the same form.

A far more realistic source for the biscuit was the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

This pilgrimage to the church of St James in Galicia, north western Spain, began in about the 8^th Century with pilgrims wearing badges on their hat in the shape of a scallop shell.

It’s for this reason Aberffraw biscuits are sometimes also called James cakes. Under the patronage of King Gruffudd ap Cynan (1075-1137) or his son and successor Owain Gwynedd (1137-70), a stone church was built at Aberffraw with Romanesque features similar to 12^th Century churches on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.

This building is the final link to the scallop shell of St James pilgrims and the small Welsh village of Aberffraw.

The Aberffraw biscuit also appeared in the famous Cassell’s Dictionary of Cookery in 1892.

“Aberffraw Biscuit Co is all about resurrecting a piece of great history… the oldest biscuit recipe in Britain. We want to rekindle this gem of Welsh heritage and bring it to wider attention for people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities to enjoy,” said James.

The flavours produced are chocolate, lemon, orange, traditional and vanilla.

James worked for the Rhyl and Prestatyn Visitor, North Wales Weekly News, and the Flintshire Chronicle where he was news editor and finally at the group’s Chester headquarters as its digital editor.

He left journalism in 2011 to work for kitchenware group Meyer at Bromborough where he headed up their e.commerce division. He is still retained by the group in that capacity on a freelance contract.

Cadwyn Clwyd’s contribution to Hamper Llangollen comes via the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

Robert Price said: “One of the main aims of the festival is to provide a show window for our wonderful array of food producers.

“This year we have decided to have a special section devoted to new products like the Aberffraw Biscuit so that we can showcase what they have to offer.

“We were thrilled to be named as one of the top 10 festivals in the UK and this year’s event is looking as if it is going to be one of the best ever.

“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.”

Check out Aberffraw biscuits at www.aberffrawbiscuits.com and Hamper Llangollen at www.llangollenfoodfestival.com