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HCC cooks up a treat for Royal Welsh Show visitors
The key attractions at the Royal Welsh Show are top quality livestock, first-rate food and drink and exciting entertainment. This year, a lively line-up of high-calibre chefs can be added to the list.
They can be found undertaking back-to-back cooking demonstrations on Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) – Meat Promotion Wales’ stand during the duration of the four day show.
Three chefs with international influences will take to the stage on Monday 20 July. Luigi Taglienti is a well-known Italian chef and has studied under some of the country’s leading names. He has been crowned ‘Young Chef of the Year’ by the Ristoranti d’Italia de L’Espresso (the Italian equivalent of Michelin) and has obtained two Michelin stars. He is a great supporter of Welsh Lamb.
Luigi will be followed by Luke Thomas, the successful young chef originally from north Wales. After a string of successes in his teens and experience of working with the UK’s top chefs, he became Britain’s youngest chef patron and opened his first restaurant, Luke’s Dining Room at the age of 18. Two years later he started an exciting pop-up social diner in Mayfair, Retro Feast, and recently ventured overseas to open another diner in Dubai. He also has restaurants in Cornwall and Chester, has made numerous television appearances and has published his first cookbook.
Chef Pramod Nairwas crowned 2015 Welsh Curry Chef of the Year during an awards ceremony held in Llandudno in June. He is based in a Cardiff restaurant, Chaiholics, and uses Welsh Lamb to create fine Indian cuisine. He won the regional heats and final cook-off against other curry chefs from across Wales to secure the title.
On Tuesday 21 July, award winning chef and TV presenter Matt Tebbutt will entertain the crowds as he uses Welsh Lamb to create tasty dishes. He trained and worked in London for many years, undertook a traineeship with Marco Pierre White, and transformed a country pub in south Wales into an award-winning restaurant. Matt is currently concentrating on his television career which has already included presenting on Channel 4, the Good Food Channel, and appearances on The Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen for the BBC.
For his second demonstration, Matt will use ingredients from a showcase of Welsh produce that have been awarded Protected Food Name status. These include Anglesey Sea Salt, Pembrokeshire Earlies, without forgetting Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef.
HCC’s Welsh Lamb Club member and Chef Patron of Nanteos Mansion, Nigel Jones will prepare a Welsh Lamb dish that is served at the five-star hotel near Aberystwyth. He uses the natural larder surrounding Nanteos and the local area to source the ingredients on his menu.
Pork from Wales will be the flavour of the day on Wednesday 22 July as a new project for pork producers is launched by HCC in the morning. This will be followed by a cooking demonstration by broadcaster and chef, Angela Gray. The experienced consultant established her own cookery school in the Vale of Glamorgan in 2010, sheis a regular at many food festivals and is a promoter of the quality and versatility of Welsh Lamb. Angela was the presenter and chef of a cookery series on BBC Wales, has appeared on other BBC and UKTV programmes, and has been a guest on Radio 4 and BBC Radio Wales.
Dudley Newberyis a familiar face on S4C and is a well-known Welsh chef. He is the author of several cookbooks, and has presented many cooking programmes. The latest was Dudley: Pryd o Sêr which saw Welsh celebstake-on a series of challenges which tested their cooking skills to the limits.
HCC will focus on skills during the last day of the show with demonstrations by talented individuals, including two young butchers who will undertake a butchery battle to create a visual BBQ display. Peter Rushford from Swans Farm Shop, Mold was crowned winner of the ‘Welsh Young Butcher of the Year’ competition held at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair last year, and Matthew Edwards from SA Vaughan, Penyffordd won the Welsh regional heat of the WorldSkills Butchery competition in May.
Young members of the Welsh Culinary Team and their tutors will also compete against each other to cook a Welsh Lamb or Welsh Beef dish using a selection of surprise ingredients contained in a goodie bag.
A number of butchery demonstrations will take place during the Show, as well as cooking demonstrations by HCC’s Consumer Executive, Elwen Roberts.
“I am looking forward to welcoming all the chefs to the HCC stand and to sampling their culinary creations,” said Elwen Roberts. “They have a range of different influences and styles but have one thing in common – a love for Welsh Lamb, Welsh Beef and pork from Wales.
“I am certain that a visit to the HCC stand during the Royal Welsh Show will be enjoyable, educational and inspirational so we hope to see you there with our tasty samples and free recipe ideas.”
Elwen has been demonstrating at the Royal Welsh Show for over 25 years, and is also a regular on S4C’s Prynhawn Da.