Enjoy the Taste of Wales at Tesco
Tesco is set to host ‘Enjoy the Taste of Wales’, a free food and drink extravaganza, at the Carmarthen store on Friday 24th September from 4-6pm and Saturday 25th September 10am-5pm. The event, which is open to the public and free to attend, will be officially opened by the Minister for Rural Affairs Elin Jones, and celebrates the best of Wales’ local food and drink suppliers. Wales’ Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones, said: “Wales is blessed by some outstanding scenery which naturally lends itself to food production, from succulent Welsh Lamb and Beef, to some outstanding cheeses. Here in Wales we see food and drink as a great adventure, something to feed the imagination as well as the appetite, made by people with bags of creativity and a passion for approaching food in original ways. “I launched the Welsh Assembly Government’s Local Sourcing Action Plan in April last year which sets out measures to increase the levels of local food consumed by both consumers and the public sector. “All Supermarkets in Wales have a major role to play in supplying customers with what they need, and increasingly the consumer is asking for more local food to be stocked on the shelves. Effective supermarkets will respond to that customer demand. A recent survey carried out for the Welsh Assembly Government indicated that 40% of consumers who buy Welsh Food buy it at a Tesco store. “The event here in Carmarthen today, facilitated and organised by Tesco, shows what can be done and will help to identifying opportunities for groups of producers to work together to promote their products. “Farmers and growers, food and drink producers, retailers and wholesalers all need to work together as we build a sustainable food future for Wales." Enfys Fox, regional marketing manaager for Tesco in Wales, said: “At Tesco we know that locally produced and grown foods are fresh and taste great which is why we go out of our way to source a wide range of products from Welsh suppliers, which reflect the richness, character and diversity of Wales. “Many of our Welsh suppliers have a wonderful history of manufacturing techniques used to produce great tasting, quality Welsh products. Our Welsh suppliers grow with Tesco, and we are proud to support Welsh agriculture and manufacturing selling more than 500 Welsh products.” Visitors to Enjoy the Taste of Wales will be able to take a culinary tour of the region, browsing stalls, meeting producers and sampling food and drink from all over Wales. There will be two main areas at the event: The Tesco Cookery Theatre - live demonstrations from local producers and well-known chefs including: leading Welsh food consultant Hazel Thomas, Lisa Fearn from Pumpkin Patch kitchen and garden school, Welsh TV chef Gareth Richards along with local farmer and Restaurant 7teen’s Paschal. The Tesco Fair - a collection of producer marquees and stands, activities and entertainment including: Cadog Cheddar, Country Fresh Eggs, Hurns Brewing Company, Mary’s Farmhouse and Peters Foods. Local Tesco suppliers interested in exhibiting should contact David Moule at Denvir Marketing on: 01786 448 160 or dave@denvirmarketing.com Tesco is the largest private sector employer in Wales, working with more than 18,000 people across its 87 food stores, Magor distribution centre and Cardiff head office. Working with more than 60 suppliers in the region and stocking over 500 different Welsh products, sales of local products reached £96 million last year and are on target to exceed £100 million in 2010. Tesco’s dedicated local sourcing office in Wales helps identify and support small, local suppliers and facilitates partnership working on issues such as animal welfare and reducing the environmental impacts of production. Mwynhewch Flas ar Gymru! ENDS Notes to editors Official media invite will follow in due course. Full exhibitor list: Authentic Curry Company Braces Bakery Carmarthenshire Cheese Company Colliers Cheese Company Country Fresh Eggs Daioni Edwards of Conwy Farmhousefreedom Eggs Franks Gelert Gwynt Y Ddraig Hurns Brewing Company Mary’s Farmhouse Milk Link – Cadog Cheddar Music Wales Parsons Peters Foods Prince Gate Flavoured Water Real Crisps Rhymney Valley Brewery SaBrain South Caernarfon Creameries Tan Y Castell Welsh Pantry Welsh Whisky Company
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