St David’s Day in Brussels will be celebrated in style with a series of events featuring some of the best food and drink Wales has to offer.
First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, will start off the Welsh patronal festival events on Monday, February 26th with a reception highlighting Wales’s growing profile in the European Union.
Held at Le Bibliotheque Solvay in the Parc Leopold, at the heart of the city’s European quarter, the reception will showcase some of the best available food and drink from Wales, with many of the ingredients supplied by True Taste Wales Food and Drink Award winners.
Said First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, “St David’s Day is celebrated throughout the world, and provides Welsh food and drink producers with a tremendous opportunity to show what a vibrant and exciting industry we have and the quality and diversity of products available.”
Attended by around 300 guests including diplomats, MEPs, the European Commission, regional representatives, opinion formers and friends of Wales; the reception menu - designed by food writer and consultant Angela Gray - includes wild boar, organic shitake mushrooms and smoked delicacies such as duck, haddock and garlic butter, and of course Welsh Lamb and Beef, sponsored by Hybu Cig Cymru.
There will also be a cheese tasting table featuring Caws Cennarth Caerffili and Perl Las, Pont Gar, Smoked Cerwyn, Old Shire Special Reserve, Cadog Mature and Vintage, Gorau Glas and Snowdonia Red Devil and Green Thunder.
While Welsh real ale will be served courtesy of Swansea based, The Hurns Brewing Company. Guests may sample from a range of ales including Old Style Bitter, Cwrw Braf, Cwrw Haf, Cwrw Gaeaf and their latest offering Chware Teg. The company’s Hugh Longhurst will also be presenting the range at a local bar that profiles 2,000 ales from all over Europe.
The Le Bibliotheque Solvay reception is one of a series of events being held in Brussels around St David’s Day where Welsh food and drink will be served.
On Tuesday, February 27th, the Welsh Assembly Government, Welsh Higher Education Brussels and the British Council will hold a conference at Wales House focusing on the place for culture, creativity and innovation in the European Union.
Delegates at the Culture and Creativity for Jobs and Growth Conference will be able to choose from a Welsh menu which features dishes such as Leek and Caws Cenarth tartlets with a herb crumb topping, Seafood pots with laverbread dressing, Welsh cutlets of lamb cooked with honey and rosemary and Shredded Welsh beef fillet with a stroganoff sauce and soured cream and rice.
While later that evening sees the opening of ‘Wales on Canvas’ a six week-long art exhibition organised by the Welsh Assembly Government in association with British Council and the Martin Tinney Gallery to showcase the work of six prominent Welsh painters - Keith Bowen, Harry Holland, Gwilym Pritchard, Shani Rhys James, and the late Peter Prendergast.
Guests will be able to try Welsh with canapés such as Black Mountain smoked haddock croquettes with tartar sauce, organic shitake mushroom soup shots, smoked duck, and cucumber and sesame wontons.
MORE DETAILS: Sheila Coleman 01792 817532 / 07968 357474
Culture and Creativity for Jobs and Growth Conference
The conference is an opportunity to debate the place for culture, creativity and innovation in the European Union. To examine the part that regional and local governments can play to develop their creative and cultural industries and to discuss the role of Higher Education Institutions in providing appropriate skills, for the employability of future workers.
List of Welsh producers featured on the menus
Hybu Cig Cymru - Welsh Lamb and Beef
Caws Cennarth Cheese - Perl Las, Cenarth Caerffili
Trealy Farm Charcuterie - Toulouse Sausages
Gorau Glas- Cheese
Llaeth Bethesda- Butter
Harmony Herd- Wild Boar Gammon
Bacheldre Watermill- Strong Malted 5 seed Flour and Spelt Flour
Crai Organics- Shitake Mushrooms
Derimon Smokery- Dry Cured Bacon
The Fresh Pasta Company
Little Cefn Smoke House- Smoked Garlic Butter
Black Mountain Smokery- Smoked Duck breast and Smoked Haddock
The Fuller Flavour- Game Terrine with Shallot and Raisin Relish, Salmon and Broccoli Pie, Double White Chocolate Cheesecake with Kumquat Sauce, Taffy Apple Crumble Tarts
Gwynt Y Ddraig Cider- Black Dragon, Orchard Gold and Gold Medal
Carmarthenshire Cheese Company- Pont Gar white and Blue
The Patchwork Traditional Food Company - Chicken liver parfait
The Hurns Brewing Company - Old Style Bitter, Cwrw Haf, Cwrw Braf, Cwrw Gaeaf
Clams Hand Made Cakes- Bara Brith
Pant Mawr Cheeses- Smoked Cerwyn and Caws Y Graig
Snowdonia Cheese Company - Red Devil, Green Thunder
South Caernarfon Creameries - Old Shire Special Reserve Cheese
Dairy Farmers of Britain - Cadog Vintage and Medium Cheddar
Ty Nant Mineral Water
Gellirhyd Apple Juice - ‘Cat’s Head’ and Annie Elizabeth’
Parsons Pickles - Laverbread
Chocolate Connection- Penderyn Whisky Truffles
The Welsh Whisky Company - Penderyn Whisky
