By Robert Lloyd
Cwmcerrig Farmshop has won two prestigious Gold Taste of Wales awards.
The awards are regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the food and drink industry in Wales.
Cwmcerrig took the Gold award in two categories at a glittering awards night at the Royal Welsh showground last night.
The shop won the ‘local sourcing’ section and the firm’s sirloin steak took Gold in the beef section.
The popular Farmshop and Grill in Gorslas, Carmarthenshire, has its own herd of Hereford beef, which are reared at Cwmcerrig to high standards of animal welfare One of the partners in the Watkins family business, Roland Watkins, said:
“We are delighted win two Taste of Wales awards.
“We have built up a great reputation for our meat here at Cwmcerrig and we take pride in producing quality, value-for-money products which are appreciated by our customers.
“We also take great pride in making sure that the accent in our farmshop is on sourcing products locally.
“We take great pride here in Cwmcerrig in putting Carmarthenshire firmly on the food map. Two Gold awards is a magnificent achievement and a great testament to the hard work put in by one and all here at Cwmcerrig.”
The news of the Taste of Wales awards follows hot on the heels of Cwmcerrig being nominated for two prestigious UK Farm Retail Awards run by the National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association (FARMA).
Other recent awards include two National Trust Fine Farm Produce awards.
The business was rewarded for its Dinefwr Venison and Dinefwr Venison Red Wine and Onion Sausages. The Gorslas businesses developed the products in partnership with the National Trust’s Dinefwr Estate near Llandeilo.
The 11th annual True Taste Food and Drink awards were held at The Food Hall, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells.
The annual Welsh Government awards, held in association with Tesco this year, are designed to celebrate and highlight excellence in the food, drink and hospitality sectors. The awards also recognise the quality and range of produce and services in Wales.
This year, there were 830 entries from 250 different companies.
The Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Food, Alun Davies, said: “The quality of the food produced in Wales can rival the best in the world. This list of shortlisted finalists also demonstrates the tremendous variety of what Wales has to offer.
“Not only is Welsh food emblematic of our rich heritage and culture, it is also extremely important to our economy and the Welsh Government are committed to ensuring a sustainable, viable and prosperous food industry for the future.”
Cwmcerrig Farmshop first opened in 2009 with the aim of securing a sustainable future for the family farm and providing quality, value-for-money produce to the local community. There are 21 members of the Watkins family involved in the project. The Watkins family (Roland, Reuben, Stuart, Tom and Davina) have been farming at Cwmcerrig since the 1950s.
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