Tourism officers invite holiday critic to county

CARMARTHENSHIRE tourism officers have invited a critical holiday reviewer back to the county to show him it’s really much butter than he claimed.

The tourism team at the county council decided to give reviewer Wilfred De’Ath some food for thought after he wrote a critical spread in the Oldie magazine.

Mr De’Ath was particularly perturbed that Welsh people seemed reluctant to share more than a bare minimum of their butter with visitors.

His review described how many years ago he was refused a second pat of butter at a Carmarthenshire hotel and that the landlady at the guesthouse on his recent visit was aghast at his request for more toast and butter.

“What is it about the Welsh and butter?” he added.

Marketing and tourism officer Sarah Owen jumped in to defend the county’s honour and sent Mr De’Ath some Calon Wen butter and Carmarthenshire cheese as well as to stay in accommodation at Llandeilo, Ty Menyn, a former Butter House.

“We also suggested he travelled on the Heart of Wales Railway and assured him of a fantastic experience if he tried our food trail

“Unspoilt landscape is what draws most visitors to Carmarthenshire but there is so much more here to keep them coming back. There’s history around every corner of Carmarthenshire. The county has some of the oldest, most complete castles in the whole of the UK from the coastal outposts of Laugharne and Kidwelly, to the romantic mountain stronghold of Cerreg Cennen Castle.

“Carmarthenshire was the creative home of Dylan Thomas, one of the most important writers of the last 100 years. He completed the majority of his work, including Under Milk Wood, and much of his poetry in the boathouse at Laugharne.

“His favourite drinking den was Browns Hotel. Browns has just re-opened for the first time since 2004 as a 1940’s styled boutique hotel in the centre of Laugharne. We are sure that you will receive hospitality second to none should you return to Laugharne and stay at Browns Hotel. Laugharne has changed over the last few years, with new restaurants and cafes opening plus in 2011 the Tin Shed Experience opened in Laugharne. It is a quaint and quirky 1940s museum set up to educate the younger generation and to highlight the effects of war on everyday life in wartime Britain,” Sarah said.

The butter and cheese went down well at the Oldie which described the excitement when a package arrived addressed to Mr Wilfred De’Ath Perishable.

“The sub editrix tore the thing open and discovered in a brilliant masterstroke of PR genius, the marketing officer of Carmarthenshire County Council, Sarah Owen, refusing to be bowed or bloodied in any way by this terrible slur on her county, had despatched a huge package of delicious Welsh Cheeses and Butters to Oldie Towers. She also sent Mr De’Ath an offer to stay in the county in a Five Star holiday cottage and B&B.

“Readers, I must confess that we forwarded the holiday offer to our disgraced columnist but that somehow the cheeses didn’t quite manage to leave the Oldie Towers fridge,” the magazine reported.

Mr De’Ath is coming to Carmarthenshire this week and has been invited to attend one of Margaret Rees’ Welsh Artisan Food courses at Aberglasney. The theme is ‘Season of mellow fruitfulness’ and will include a beginners guide to making real bread and the magic of sourdough, cooking with edible flowers and herbs and their use in healing. Lemon Balm Tea will be served as it has a calming effect. The demonstration will include a Puffin potato pumpkin pie will served at the tasting lunch and also meeting contributing local artisan producers and guests.