Welsh foodie experiences to savour

The market town of Abergavenny, in Monmouthshire, is transformed by the Abergavenny Food Festival in September, a delicious opportunity where you can discover more about the world of Welsh food. Having grown considerably since its creation in 1999, the festival now includes more than 220 traders and four stages of free chef demonstrations, spread over nine sites in the town. With food tasting workshops, demonstrations, masterclasses and a whole host of other events, the festival seeks to introduce you to the people who live for making, cooking and writing about food via an array of delicious foodie experiences. The festival doesn’t shy away from tackling the key issues facing the industry either. Visit the Welsh chef demonstration stage to see local and emerging chefs in action, discover the abundance of food in nature during a Wild and Foraged event or get up-close and personal with farm animals in the expanded rare-breed animal area and petting zone.

Get a taste of the finest food from Pembrokeshire and Welsh producers at the Narberth Food Festival in late September, one of the longest-established festivals in the country. Celebrating its 21st year in 2019 in the picturesque surroundings of Narberth Town Moor, the festival includes an abundance of entertainment, welcomes guest chefs aplenty and has activities that you and the kids can enjoy. With the chance to visit more than 50 stalls, you can also take part in an exciting set of workshops and masterclasses where the finest local produce is top of the menu.

Tuck into high quality Welsh produce at the Neath Food and Drink Festival, spread across three days in early October. Hosted in the historic town’s Victorian Market and in the surrounding streets, it’s an opportunity for shops and cafes in the region to showcase their products and for you to try a range of mouth-watering dishes. Around 60 exhibitors, including some from the town’s renowned Indoor Victorian Market, attend each year, and there’s also an array of fun street entertainment for you to enjoy.

An annual celebration of food, music and art, Gwledd Conwy Feast takes place in the world heritage town of Conwy every October. With the stunning stonework of the formidable Conwy Castle providing the backdrop, an array of street food and arts and crafts stalls fill the streets, offering delicious local produce and an abundance of unique jewellery, paintings, textiles and other crafts. A number of food halls and market stalls pack into the Quayside, where you can sample new dishes, watch chefs in action and try a collection of fine wines. Lancaster Square and the High Street of the medieval walled town are home to further stalls and entertainment options.

The stunning Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno hosts the World Bara Brith Championship as part of its traditional Christmas Fayre in mid-November. Bakers from around the globe are invited to submit their own take on the famous Welsh bake, meaning ‘speckled bread’, at the competition, hosted in the town’s Holy Trinity Church. A new Junior class takes its place at the 2019 fayre, as people young and old are invited to show off their culinary skills. With more than 150 food, drink and craft stalls, as well as plenty of festive entertainment on offer, the fayre provides plenty of opportunity to get your teeth into an extraordinary array of seasonal and local produce.

Set in the grounds of the beautiful Italianate village, the Portmeirion Christmas Food and Craft Fair promises a delightful mix of local flavours and festive cheer in early December. Get your hands on an abundance of local produce and fine crafts at more than 120 artisan stalls, alongside a mix of entertainment including live bands and cooking demonstrations, before treating the kids to a visit to Santa’s Grotto.

Located near to picturesque Rhaeadr Fawr, the famous Aber Falls waterfall, the Aber Falls Distillery was the first to open in North Wales for a century. Its whisky is not yet available – the first batch is due in 2020 – but you can tour the distillery and discover more about the processes involved, while sampling some of the site’s award-winning spirits. The distillery also produces small batches of handcrafted gins and liqueurs, developed using specially selected Welsh ingredients from the surrounding area.

Found in the foothills of the spectacular Brecon Beacons, the Penderyn Distillery produces award-winning single malt whiskies and spirits. Tour the site to discover what makes the produce unique, including the innovative single copper-pot Penderyn stills, before finishing with a sampling session at the Tasting Bar. Occasional Whisky and Chocolate Tours also run, with the distillery’s single malt whiskies being paired with hand-made chocolates from Chocolate House of Pontypridd.

For a true taste of Wales, discover the capital city and try its culinary delights as part of a tour from Loving Welsh Food. You can sample traditional and modern Welsh dishes in locations across Cardiff as part of a food tour, while meeting local suppliers and discovering more about Welsh culture. Cardiff Tasting Tours run on Fridays and Saturdays and take in some of the city’s key sights, including the castle and the home of Welsh rugby, the Principality Stadium, while offering a chance to taste laverbread, cockles, cheeses and to sample Welsh beverages. Private tasting tours are also available, giving you access to a range of farms, producers, vineyards, distilleries, pubs and restaurants in the Vale of Glamorgan.

On the banks of the Menai Strait in an Area of Outstanding National Beauty is the award-winning Halen Mon Saltcote and Visitor Centre. Embark on a one-of-a-kind tour where you can discover salt’s place in Wales’ history, culture and food, before enjoying a tutored salt tasting to find out what sets Halen Mon Sea Salt apart from the rest. Chat to staff to find out more about the family-run company and to get unique insights into the world of salt.

Whether foraging along the seashore for ‘mermaid confetti’, samphire and oysters or hunting for lemon sorrel in Abergavenny’s lush undergrowth, there are a whole range of foodie foraging adventures for you to enjoy throughout Wales. Taking place throughout the year, these tours give you the chance to discover the culinary delights hidden in the hedgerows on a short course at Llys Meddyg, learn about edible plants and where to find them in North Wales, or track down the freshest seafood in West Wales, on a coastal foraging experience to remember.