See this article:
www.farmersguardian.com/home/business/business-news/exploiting-the-golden-%E2%80%98oil-fields%E2%80%99-of-north-wales/31882.article
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Pure Gold
I have to mention that I got a little bit excited the other day when I found Welsh, locally produced Rapeseed Oil in our tiny Asda down the road. Bottled in Conwy out of Blodyn Aur (Gold Flower), it has a nutty, buttery taste and is better for you than olive oil (according to a Hairy Bikers episode I saw the other week!)
See this article:
www.farmersguardian.com/home/business/business-news/exploiting-the-golden-%E2%80%98oil-fields%E2%80%99-of-north-wales/31882.article
See this article:
www.farmersguardian.com/home/business/business-news/exploiting-the-golden-%E2%80%98oil-fields%E2%80%99-of-north-wales/31882.article
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
A Very 'Foodie' Day Out
So the past couple of days have been rather food-orientated - so nothing much out of the ordinary really! However, it has been all about local food! Cheese, chutneys, juices, alcohol, fudge, fruit and veg and so much more were just waiting to be discovered by myself at the Anglesey Show. Like a farmers market; only on a much bigger scale, mixed amongst many tractors, livestock, craft fairs and horses. As a child I came to the show every year, but as I grew up I found that the Waltzers lost their charm, the animals were really quite smelly and farming machinery didn't interest me in the slightest. So off I went to University, discovered food and also that I quite missed the magical place which is Anglesey. As a teenager it was just a passing place on the way to Dublin, but after a few years, maturity hit and I realised how lucky I was to grow up in the blissful countryside. So... the show to me is very nostalgic, plus the addition that I am now interested in all the terrific food to be tasted and bought!
I started off by stocking up on a few bits and pieces I bought in Menai Bridge a few weeks ago and needed more of, including those melt-in-your-mouth puddings from The Pudding Compartment and beautiful, velvety apple juice (www.angleseyapplecompany.co.uk/). Now a bit of pricing-talk... the two products cost just under £3.00 and I adore them both (with the puddings just taking first place...do I need to explain why really?!?). The puddings are described as a "generous portion", which easily fill me and ideally should be enjoyed by two after a meal. And the apple juice is a 75cl bottle. Both products you could say are a bit overpriced, especially the juice, because puddings can hide under the label of "extra special" and be sold like gold. But apple juice? Surely this is something you buy to put on the kitchen table in the mornings and would be empty after a family breakfast? However, after talking to the producer and seeing her enthusiasm as she showed me a bottle of early season apple juice with a hint of cinnamon, you understand how these small bottling companies have to charge so much to cover their expenses. They don't have big factories churning out cartons of juice with added preservatives. This is coming almost straight from my back garden. So to conclude, yes I think it is overpriced, but only when comparing to supermarkets. But I also think yes it is worth it! And for now I can only afford it, at a push, once a month; but that just means that it is labelled in the fridge as mine... and I'm not sharing!
...And if I haven't made it clear already the puddings are completely and utterly worth it also - perhaps it's is good for my waistline that I can't buy them every week!
Other treasures I discovered:
CHUTNEY
Made by the The Cherry Tree in Eglwysbach (☎ 01492 650 123) their award winning chutneys and jams had me all in a dither over which flavour to choose. On the first day of the show I bought home a sweet cider chutney, with all good intentions to save it to take down to Cardiff in September. But within minutes the crackers came out and my mouth was filled with sweet, sticky, tangy, deliciousness. I went back the next day to get another jar purely for Cardiff and they had run out! I have a weakness for caramelised onions, so that was my next choice which shall remain unopened until I return south.
CIDER
(http://www.ralphscider.co.uk/) This cider was quite delightful in sweet and medium flavours. My friend, Dan and I couldn't decide between them so the lady recommended a pint which was half and half. The sweet complimented our taste buds, leaving a rich aftertaste, which was the medium cider sliding over the back of our mouths - I soon went back for a pint of their perry all for myself! This is not exactly local, being based in mid-wales, but considering my local is Anglesy OR Cardiff I thought I had to give it a mention.
CHERRIES
Beautiful, succulent, giant cherries at £4.50/kg - who would have thought you could find them around here? You never taste them like that from the supermarket.
WELSH BLACK BEEF
The satay beef kebabs which had 5/6 big chunks of meat on them for £1.25 each, were fantastic. Cooked on the George Foreman for about 4minutes they were just as enjoyable as a fillet steak which would set you back £33.77/kg.
I started off by stocking up on a few bits and pieces I bought in Menai Bridge a few weeks ago and needed more of, including those melt-in-your-mouth puddings from The Pudding Compartment and beautiful, velvety apple juice (www.angleseyapplecompany.co.uk/). Now a bit of pricing-talk... the two products cost just under £3.00 and I adore them both (with the puddings just taking first place...do I need to explain why really?!?). The puddings are described as a "generous portion", which easily fill me and ideally should be enjoyed by two after a meal. And the apple juice is a 75cl bottle. Both products you could say are a bit overpriced, especially the juice, because puddings can hide under the label of "extra special" and be sold like gold. But apple juice? Surely this is something you buy to put on the kitchen table in the mornings and would be empty after a family breakfast? However, after talking to the producer and seeing her enthusiasm as she showed me a bottle of early season apple juice with a hint of cinnamon, you understand how these small bottling companies have to charge so much to cover their expenses. They don't have big factories churning out cartons of juice with added preservatives. This is coming almost straight from my back garden. So to conclude, yes I think it is overpriced, but only when comparing to supermarkets. But I also think yes it is worth it! And for now I can only afford it, at a push, once a month; but that just means that it is labelled in the fridge as mine... and I'm not sharing!
...And if I haven't made it clear already the puddings are completely and utterly worth it also - perhaps it's is good for my waistline that I can't buy them every week!
Other treasures I discovered:
CHUTNEY
Made by the The Cherry Tree in Eglwysbach (☎ 01492 650 123) their award winning chutneys and jams had me all in a dither over which flavour to choose. On the first day of the show I bought home a sweet cider chutney, with all good intentions to save it to take down to Cardiff in September. But within minutes the crackers came out and my mouth was filled with sweet, sticky, tangy, deliciousness. I went back the next day to get another jar purely for Cardiff and they had run out! I have a weakness for caramelised onions, so that was my next choice which shall remain unopened until I return south.
CIDER
(http://www.ralphscider.co.uk/) This cider was quite delightful in sweet and medium flavours. My friend, Dan and I couldn't decide between them so the lady recommended a pint which was half and half. The sweet complimented our taste buds, leaving a rich aftertaste, which was the medium cider sliding over the back of our mouths - I soon went back for a pint of their perry all for myself! This is not exactly local, being based in mid-wales, but considering my local is Anglesy OR Cardiff I thought I had to give it a mention.
CHERRIES
Beautiful, succulent, giant cherries at £4.50/kg - who would have thought you could find them around here? You never taste them like that from the supermarket.
WELSH BLACK BEEF
The satay beef kebabs which had 5/6 big chunks of meat on them for £1.25 each, were fantastic. Cooked on the George Foreman for about 4minutes they were just as enjoyable as a fillet steak which would set you back £33.77/kg.
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