Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/480793
S cotland grabbed headlines last year with its referendum on independence. But another British country is having its own quiet revolution—a culinary one. A rich tradition, abundant natural resources, and fledgling specialty food community makes Wales ripe for the international stage. This small country of food producers hopes to expand its reach by differentiating itself from the rest of Britain and showing the world what Welsh food is all about. REVIVAL WELSH global eats Heritage Foods Just 25 years ago, "we didn't have a food culture in Wales," says Davis Morris, deputy head of the Welsh government's food division. Ideas of Welsh food tended to evoke traditional dishes such as bara brith (a fruit cake made with tea), cawl (a stew with ingredients that vary by region), Welsh rarebit (a toasted cheese sandwich), and Glamorgan sausage (a vegetarian sausage made with Caephilly cheese and leeks coated in breadcrumbs). This simple homespun fare had been around for decades, serving as hearty fuel for laborers. Today, the country is home to food festivals, high-profile chefs, and specialty producers making names for themselves beyond their hometowns. Particularly in England and Europe, Wales is known for its lamb and beef. "We are a livestock nation, mostly grass-fed, and our meat and dairy are known worldwide," Morris says. "But we also have wonderful shellfish production." Welsh wineries, microbreweries, and distilleries, he adds, are beginning to gain a reputation. A Burgeoning Food Culture Direct access to high-quality foods is a big part of the appeal to Will Holland, the head chef of Coast Restaurant in Saundersfoot. He came to Wales after receiving several awards, including a Michelin star, for his work in restaurants around Britain. "Coast is located in Pembrokeshire, which is renowned in Wales for its produce," Holland says. The county's seaside location is ideal, he notes, with access to fresh seafood as well as farms and smokehouses nearby. "Ninety percent of the fish we serve comes from the sea directly in front of the restaurant," he explains. "My lobster sup- plier calls me from the water asking me how many I want for dinner." Welsh black beef, an "incredible" breed of cow, Holland notes, is raised locally and fully traceable. High-quality eggs are readily available to the chef as well. "These things are important to me," he says. It's not just the raw ingredients that boast high quality. Holland 68 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com