From Cardiff to California and Brussels to Boston, preparations are under way to toast St David’s Day around the globe with special events featuring Welsh food and drink.
Wales Week USA (February 20-29) this year stretches from the east coast to the west coast. The Welsh Assembly Government managed week includes food, arts, music, business and academic events planned for New York, Boston and for the first time, Los Angeles.
Welsh food and drink for these events have been sourced from a number of prestigious New York outlets including Chelsea Market Baskets, Zabar’s and Wholefoods.
Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones, will be attending a number of the events throughout the week, including a ‘Wales on Wall Street’ lunch (February 27) for business people working in New York’s famous financial district.
Later that day Mr Jones, who is Minister for the Economy and Transport, will co-host a St David’s Day reception in New York with Sir Howard Stringer, the Cardiff-born chairman and chief executive officer of the Sony Corporation. An array of Welsh refreshments will be served at the reception (February 27) with entertainment from Caryl Parry Jones and the Trinity Chamber Choir.
On February 22 in New York, a lecture on collections - Treasures of Wales - held at the National Library of Wales will be accompanied by Welsh food and drink.
.Later in the week (February 27) academics will learn more about Wales at an evening reception at the British Consul General’s residence in Los Angeles.
The next day (February 28) a Welsh lunch will be held for New York food and drink journalists at Gordon Ramsay at the London. Hosted by Norma Barry of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Food and Market Development Division and Emyr Griffith of the elite Welsh hotel group, Welsh RareBits. The lunch which will be prepared by Welsh consultant Chef, Nerys Howells is also being supported by the Assembly’s tourism arm, Visit Wales.
Also on February 28, Swansea based The Hurns Brewing Company will be launching its Tomos Watkin range of ales in Boston.
Said Hurns co-owner, Connie Parry, “We are delighted to introduce Tomos Watkin award winning Welsh Beers to our American cousins.
We have secured an exclusive contract to supply 50 States in America through St. Killian/L.Knife & Son. This is a terrific opportunity for our Company."
On February 29 business contacts taking part in the Welsh Assembly Government’s showcase workshop in Boston will be invited to sample Welsh products at the Boston Consulate General.
On the eve (February 29) of St David’s Day the St David’s Society New York will be holding its annual banquet at the Yale Club in New York, where guests will dine on a feast of Welsh food and drink. The event will also see the 2008 Hopkins Medal being presented to Welsh singer Iris Williams.
Back across ‘the Pond’ in Brussels First Minister Rhodri Morgan will be taking part in a press launch for the ‘Ryder Cup in Europe’ at the Committee of the Regions, along with President of the CoR Luc Van den Brande (February 25), where the trophy will be showcased.
The press launch will also be an opportunity to taste beers from across Wales, with award-winning brewers including, SA Brains, Breconshire Brewery, Evan-Evans, The Hurns Brewing Company, and Otley.
That evening Brussels’ Bibliotheque Solvay will be the venue for the annual St David’s Day reception, hosted by the First Minister.
Le Bibliotheque Solvay is in the heart of the city’s European quarter, and the reception will showcase some of the best available food and drink from Wales at what will be an opportunity to raise the profile of Wales at EU level.
The menu featuring True Taste 2007/08 award winners has been prepared by food writer and consultant Angela Gray and Michelin star chef Hywel Jones. Hywel, who worked as a chef de partie in two Michelin three-star establishments - Chez Nico and at Marco Pierre White’s - is now heading up a new restaurant - Calon - at Wales’s first food and wine school at Llanerch Vineyard in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Said the First Minister, “Thousands of people the world over celebrate St David's Day because they have a connection of some sort with Wales. These celebrations provide the Welsh food and drink industry with a tremendous opportunity to showcase their products. It is a vibrant and exciting industry with a real dedication to taste, flavour, freshness and diversity.”
The guests - including EU Commissioners, Ambassadors, MEPs and friends of Wales - will enjoy dishes such as crab and sweet corn fritters, rillette of hot smoked salmon and yogurt with beetroot relish on a wholegrain muffins, fillet of Welsh Black beef with organic shitake mushrooms and buttered spinach, Rack of Welsh lamb with a spiced crust and lime pickle. Dessert canapés include Penderyn whisky truffle lollipops, and fudge and plum jam brulees.
Meanwhile for St David’s Day in London, press and media will receive hampers of True Taste award-winning produce. The famous London Welsh Association will be holding its annual celebration at the Guildhall on March 3rd and featuring Welsh dishes including a cheese board from Cheeses From Wales, many of them True Taste winners.
Cheeses From Wales will also be supplying cheese at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on St David’s Day for a gala performance by the Welsh National Opera’s of Verdi's Falstaff featuring Bryn Terfel in the lead role.
Closer to home, March 1st marks the launch of Cardiff’s second farmers’ market, the Roath Real Food Market.
The new market follows on from the Welsh capital’s award-winning Riverside Market, and has been set up in response to demand by Cardiff shoppers for more local food and an increase in the number of producers emerging to meet that need. A wide range of wide choice of delicious fresh, Welsh - and in some cases - organic food in a friendly atmosphere.
Welsh food will be taking to the small screen too, with a special St David’s Day on UK television shopping channel, QVC.
The ‘True Taste of Wales’ show which airs at 12 noon on March 1st features products from Welsh Farm Organics, Harvies Pies, Clam’s Handmade Cakes, and Cheeses From Wales.
Also in the run up to St David’s Day Welsh universities are running a Welcome to Wales’ food festival week (25 February - 1 March).
This ground-breaking example of collaboration is the first time that a single Welsh food promotion event has been launched across an entire public sector.
The member institutions of the Higher Education Purchasing Consortium Wales (HEPCW) have launched the ‘Welcome to Wales’ food festival week, to highlight Welsh food and encourage more students to choose locally produced food in university eateries.
MORE DETAILS: Sheila Coleman 01792 817532 / 07968 357474
Email: sheila@colemanroberts.co.uk
