Dai Chef cooks up his dream job

 

* Dai Chef at Bodnant Welsh Food.

 

A TOP celebrity chef who wowed opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti with his culinary skills has landed his "dream job".

 

Dai Chef, who lived in Chirk for many years, has vowed to champion Welsh produce after being appointed as the resident chef at Bodnant Welsh Food in the Conwy Valley.

 

The centre of excellence at the heart of the 5,000 acre estate has been a big hit since it was officially opened by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in 2012.

 

According to Dai, his role at Bodnant  is the culmination of a 30-year mission to promote the merits of Welsh food.

 

Working with Executive Chef Clare Jones who's been at Bodnant since it opened, he will be running the centre's Hayloft restaurant and tea room as well as teaching in the cookery school, with the ingredients coming from Bodnant's acclaimed farm shop.

 

Dai famously cooked for Pavarotti when he came to perform at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 1995, exactly 40 years after he first came to Llangollen as part of his father's choir from Modena, in Italy.

 

A native of Aberystwyth, Dai gained his initial experience in some of the largest hotels in London's West end and by the age of 21 he was the youngest chef saucier – in charge of the creation of delicious sauces – at the world famous Carlton Club in St James’s.

 

He was the founder of the Welsh Culinary Team and is now seen as the "Daddy of Welsh Chefs", having trained the like of Rhodri Williams, the Senior Sous Chef at Raymond Blanc's legendary Oxfordshire eatery, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.

 

For the past six years Dai has been chef director at the Ship Inn at Red Wharf Bay on Anglesey and in 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at Glyndwr University in Wrexham.

 

Dai, who's moved to live in Colwyn Bay, said: "I started championing Welsh food 30 years ago when it wasn't flavour of the month so my role at Bodnant - as the centre of excellence for Welsh food - is truly a dream job for me. It's a marriage made in culinary heaven.

 

"The menu at the Hayloft restaurant will be full on Welsh rustic food with a modern twist.

 

"All the ingredients are available right here literally on the doorstep. Bodnant has its own butchers shop and delicatessen. The butter is produced here, the bread is baked here. We're not talking food miles - it's more like food yards.

 

"I'm just putting the final touches to the menu for St David's Day and I've gone down the traditional route with lamb, leek and lava bread in a cawl style.  I’m going to slice some lovely potatoes over the top with some the award winning Bodnant cheese."

 

Gwyndaf Pritchard, the General Manager at Bodnant Welsh Food, was equally excited about Dai's arrival.

 

He said: "We are the Welsh Food Centre and Dai is very passionate about Welsh produce, as well as being extremely talented and creative.

 

"Bodnant is now well established as a centre of excellence but we are determined not to rest on our laurels and Dai's appointment will help take us to the next level.

 

"Food is an increasingly important part of the Welsh economy and we are doing our bit by sustaining local growers and local farmers.

 

"Forty per cent of the produce on sale in our shop comes from Bodnant Welsh Food and if we can't produce something ourselves, then the Conwy Valley is our first port of call.

 

"These are exciting times at Bodnant and we have an appetite for even more success."

New health centre plan gets go-ahead

* An artist's impression of the new health centre.

County councillors have approved plans to bulldoze the former River Lodge (pictured below right)and replace it with a new £5.5 million health centre on the same site off the A539.

The application from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was given the go-ahead by the planning committee earlier this week.

However, a number of extra conditions were imposed on the original application.

These are:

8. The car parking areas shall not be brought into use until the written confirmation of the Local Planning Authority has been obtained to the proposed management arrangements for the use of the parking areas outside core operating hours.

Two conditions also need to be added to the suggested list, to cover the requirements of the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust, and questions raised over the potential for contaminated land on the line of the former railway.

Suggested new condition(s):

20. No development shall take place within the application site until the applicant, their agents, or successors in title has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work in accordance with a written scheme of investigation, which has been submitted by the applicant and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The archaeological work shall be undertaken and completed in accordance with the standards laid down by the Institute for Archaeologists and MoRPHE (2006). On completion, appropriate reports and an archive assessment shall be submitted for approval to the Local Planning Authority and the Development Control Archaeologist, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust, 41 Broad Street, Welshpool, Powys, SY21 7RR  Telephone 01938 553670.

Reason: To ensure appropriate archaeological investigation and works are undertaken in conjunction with the development.

22. If, during development, contamination not previously identified is found to be present at the site then no further development (unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority) shall be carried out until the developer has submitted a remediation strategy to the local planning authority detailing how this unsuspected contamination shall be dealt with and obtained written approval from the local planning authority. The remediation strategy shall be implemented as approved.

Reason: To ensure that appropriate steps are taken in the event of contamination being identified in the interests of protecting the adjacent main river from pollution.

Plas Madoc battlers could seek judicial review

* The packed public meeting in Acrefair. Picture courtesy of Mabon ap Gwyfor. 

Campaigners at a public meeting in Acrefair last night (Thursday) said they planned to consult a barrister about the possibility of a judicial review into the proposed closure of Plas Madoc leisure centre.

See a report on the BBC website at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-26269338

Segway centre plan is withdrawn

llanblogger exclusive

A planning application for a segway adventure trail on the edge of Llangollen has been withdrawn.

Details of the scheme - reference number 03/2013/1014 - on land to the north of Cilmedw Farm, were submitted to Denbighshire County Council last August. 

The plan called for the creation of a segway adventure trail, the demolition of an existing building and the erection of a replacement building to provide facilities for a segway centre and, as a white water rafting centre, the formation of vehicular access and creation of car park and associated development.

According to the planning brief, the site of the application was to the west of the A5 and to the north west of the White Water Hotel, and located close to the edge of Llangollen amongst a cluster of development associated with the town and set around the A5. 

However, yesterday (Thursday) an objector to the scheme was sent a letter from Graham Boase, Denbighshire’s Head of Planning and Public Protection, says: “I write to advise you that the above application submitted to the Local Planning Authority has now been withdrawn by the applicants/agent and the Authority will not therefore proceed any further with its consideration.”

The site of the application is currently agricultural land which slopes up from the A5 towards the northern and western sides of the site in line with the land form of the area, which is defined by the wooded slopes that form the western side of the Vale of Llangollen. 

The brief explains: “The proposal is a full application for the creation of a segway adventure trail and a white water rafting centre which involves the following elements:

• Creation of a segway track (with a grass surface);

• Demolition of existing agricultural building on site and erection of a replacement building of a similar size and scale which will provide facilities for the segway centre, and will also be used as the base for the applicant’s white water rafting business;

• Creation of a new access and formation of a parking area (gravel surface);

• Provision of wood chip path between parking area and building;

• Formation of soakaways to serve the building."

The planning brief submitted with the application said: “The proposal would make a positive contribution to the area’s economic character as it would provide employment and would be an additional attraction that would assist in attracting and retaining visitors. 

“A new access will be provided for the site onto the road bordering the northern section of the western edge of the site, this will then allow access onto the A5 via the existing junction.” 

Well-known local campaigner Martin Crumpton, of Berwyn, who led the initial opposition to the Sainsbury’s supermarket on the Dobson & Crowther site off the A5 and also battled plans for the closure of Llangollen Cottage Hospital, opposed the segway scheme.

Writing to a county council planning official last August Mr Crumpton expressed his concern the proposed development would destroy an identified, active badger sett and lead to what he described as “further decimation of AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and World Heritage land”.

On hearing that the application had been withdrawn, Mr Crumpton said: "The badgers who live at an undisclosed location west of Cilmedw are now safe."

Plaid Cymru to stage annual conference in Llan

* Llangollen Pavilion.

Hundreds  of delegates from across the country will be converging on Llangollen next autumn as Plaid Cymru stages its annual party conference at the town’s Pavilion.

Plaid leaders say they see it as a landmark occasion as it will be the last major gathering of supporters before the 2015 General Election.

It is also regarded as significant because it will be held just weeks after the referendum on Scottish independence.

The conference will take place oat the pavilion - home each summer of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod - on Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25.

An official statement from Plaid Cyrmu says:  “The party are looking forward to returning to Llangollen, following many successful conferences there in the past. 

“The venue is an ideal one for our conference,  with great facilities at the pavilion, ample accommodation nearby for our delegates and the backdrop of the beautiful landscape of the Llangollen area.

“Taking place under the shadow of the ancient Welsh stronghold of Dinas Brân, this conference will be held little over a month after the Scottish referendum on independence.

“Whatever the result, it will undoubtedly change the contours of politics in the UK and will therefore provide an enabling context for our debates. This is will also be our last annual party conference  before the Westminster elections of 2015.

“Many policies discussed and adopted at this conference will inform our 2015 manifesto and candidates for that election are sure to have a prominent presence on the conference stage. 

“The highlight of the conference will be on the Friday afternoon, when Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood AM will address delegates.”

David Davies, chair of Llangollen Chamber of Trade & Tourism, said: “We are delighted to hear that Plaid Cymru is to hold its annual conference this year in Llangollen.

“This will provide a great opportunity  to boost the economy of the town during the generally quiet autumn period and showcase the outstanding beauty and attractions of the area.

“Hopefully, it will also demonstrate what a good venue the Pavilion is for other conferences in future.” 

Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru's North Wales AM, said: "Holding our national conference in Llangollen is a great opportunity for delegates from all over Wales to see what exactly this part of the country has to offer. I'm sure Llangollen will be offering its customary welcome to the conference."

Plaid Cymru points out that its conferences are open to all members. Opportunity packs for organisations and charities wishing to book stalls are available now for the conference at Llangollen by contacting Gwenno George – gwennogeorge@plaidcymru.org

Message about recycling from county council

Denbighshire County Council says it is advising householders in Llangollen to recycle their glass bottles and jars using the simple and convenient household recycling service provided by the council (blue bin/blue dumpy bag or clear sacks as appropriate) after reports that a contractor has removed the bottle bank on Market Street.
   

A statement from the council says: "Any businesses that have used the Market Street bottle banks will need to ensure they have the arrangements in place to comply with all waste legislation. Most waste collection contractors, including Denbighshire County Council, can offer collections of recyclable materials as well as non-recyclable rubbish."

 

Llan man launches new poetry collection

Mike Law of Llangollen will launch his new collection of poetry at the latest in a series of Viva Voce open mic nights at the Saith Seren Welsh community centre in Wrexham this evening (Wednesday)  from 8-10pm. Admission is free.