Delicious raw chocolate, luscious home-made preserves and a new beach cafe are all winners in today’s Pembrokeshire Produce Mark awards.
The annual awards celebrate the best new food and drink products in Pembrokeshire and the best use of local produce.
The Produce Mark scheme is run by Pembrokeshire County Council and its Chairman, Councillor Wynne Evans, will be presenting the awards this morning (Wednesday, 19th August) at the County Show.
The two winners of Best New Product are Farmers Food at Home and Nantwen.
The winner of Best Use of Pembrokeshire Produce in a Hospitality Outlet is Wavecrest Cafe in Angle.
Cllr Evans congratulated the winners, saying: “We are lucky in Pembrokeshire to have many incredibly talented producers and businesspeople whIch help to give the County a great reputation for wonderful local produce.”
Farmers Food at Home at Mathry is run by Anne-Marie Harries who produces more than 25 varieties of jams, marmalades and chutneys, including sloe and crab-apple, rosehip, pumpkin, plum and blueberry, and green tomato.
Anne-Marie’s recipes, which use fresh garden produce and berries from Pembrokeshire’s hedgerows, were an instant hit when she started selling them in the family pub – selling over 500 jars in the first couple of months.
Farmers Food at Home is regularly available at local craft and produce fairs and in some of the county’s supermarkets.
Nantwen near Newport is a raw chocolate-making enterprise run by Jemma Slade and Daniel Davies, who started making it so that their daughter Elsie – who has intolerance to dairy – could enjoy chocolate as much as they did.
It was so delicious that they started offering it to guests, and it was soon for sale in local shops and markets.
The flavours of their chocolate are inspired by the wildlife, wild flowers and the surroundings of Nantwen – from hazelnut bushes in the garden to their fig tree in their orchard and raspberries around the woodland.
Wavecrest Cafe at West Angle Bay is run by Andrew Knowles who set up the Quayside Tearoom at Lawrenny Quay more than ten years ago.
The new cafe showcases a daily variety of produce from Pembrokeshire, including blackboard specials such as leek and cheese tart or Wavecrest Welsh rarebit and specialising in fresh locally caught crab and lobster.
Homemade cakes and desserts are made daily by the kitchen team, and there are local ales and beers – plus comfort Sunday lunches in the winter.
The Pembrokeshire Produce Mark scheme recognises county businesses which excel in providing or sourcing local food and drink. Members display a unique logo which helps customers to identify that the product is local.
The scheme has more than 300 members, which are verified to ensure that the product they sell or use is made in Pembrokeshire.
They include food and drink producers, artists and craftspeople, hospitality establishments which use Pembrokeshire food and drink in their menus; and retail outlets which sell locally-made items.
If you’d like more information on the Pembrokeshire Produce Mark scheme, please contact Joanne Welch, Food Development Officer, on 01437 776169 or email joanne.welch@pembrokeshire.gov.uk
Caption
Council Chairman Wynne Evans is pictured with Produce Mark award winners Daniel Davies and Jemma Slade (and daughter Elsbeth); Anne-Marie Harries and Andrew Knowles
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