Conwy Kombucha the producer of Blighty Booch Kombucha the delicious fermented organic mountain tea tells Welsh Country of what is happening with Welsh food and drink in Llandudno.
Making the New Normal Extraordinary: Sustainable Food Supply in Llandudno in Builder’s St.
Back in early March, before Coronavirus had halted Llandudno’s brisk Spring tourist trade and all cafes and non-essential retail closed until further notice, food businesses in Builder’s street were preparing for business as usual. Providing fabulous food to the local catering trade and providing locals with peerless quality fresh meat, fish and vegetables at close to wholesale prices.
If Llandudno is the Queen of Welsh resorts, Builder’s street is surely its Royal Pantry. Locals have always flocked to its discrete retail counters that offer fantastic British and Welsh food reminiscent of a bygone gilded age. Llandudno’s shopping bags and picnics baskets were full of Scottish Salmon, Conwy Valley Lamb, English Asparagus amongst a cornucopia of subtle and health-giving life-affirming garnishes.
Upon Entering Builder’s Street, rows of classic Jaguar motorcars awaiting artisanal servicing glisten in the sunlight. XK8’s, XJ’s, Rolls Royce and Maserati jostle for passing space amidst a constant stream of good-natured local cooperation and appreciation of life’s essential matters; hard work and providing food for fit for keeping those we love with us as long as possible.
Wild Horse Brewery is next on your left; fantastic showcasing tap-room pale beers – hop forward, hazy IPAs and pale ales are at the forefront also full-flavoured lagers and crisp blonde ales. All unfiltered and unpasteurised – vegan friendly. Then, pulling up to park outside Mermaids Seafood as myriad refrigerated vans ferry freshest possible catch direct from local fishermen alongside Scottish and Atlantic catch. Large Crabs and astute Lobsters are ferried from boiling pots in adjoining units to be placed upon the sparkling retail ice counter and sold minutes later.
Walking over to Poyntons butchers; sweet Conwy Valley Spring Lamb was just coming into season seemingly cheaper and more plentiful than it had ever been. Beef Sirloin, close to the Platonic ideal; succulent and nutritious begged to be taken home. Finishing off at The Orchard, two large Units filled with heirloom potatoes, ancestral pears and apples, beets, monstrously large carrots, thick English asparagus all boxed up and deposited in the boot of your car. Best of all, friends and connections in each business.
Fast forward two weeks. Trade credit; the lifeblood of the food industry dried up. The food businesses of Builder’s Street were left with a stark conundrum. Panic buying of food by the public at the same time as a collapsed trade market.
Within days it became very obvious what was needed. Working together Covid-19 safe, the businesses of Builder’s Street reoriented their activities from just in time delivery with credit to trade to scheduled planned deliveries direct to the public.
Over the next 4 weeks, they supported each other to provide food to a vulnerable population. As Covid-19 progresses the more home deliveries substitute for visits to the supermarket the more NHS resources can be protected. All this work was done co-cooperatively. The challenge for Llandudno in preserving its attractions through a long period of disruption is now being actively considered by the Llandudno Town Council who are considering how to respond to the crisis at a micro-local level. Positioning Llandudno as a future International food destination begins with supporting local food networks and using developmental economic principles to augment the private vitality of connected, quality first and last oriented food businesses.
“Our customer base has changed massively over the last 6 weeks, who knows what it will be when things return to some sort of normality. We have spent the last 5 years building our catering trade and making the move to builder street. The catering trade has gone but we have a fantastic network of food and drink premises on builder street which I’m so chuffed with. Hopefully, we will see more and more business’s coming to join us!!”
Darren Poynton Poyntons Butchers
With 80% of UK food being imported, 25% is wasted even before sale. 73.4% of UK food is sold by just 4 retailers. Only 5-6% of food value accrues to its producer. This means that out of £100 spent in a major supermarket, only £5-6 relates to the product’s cost. This is not sustainable, nor justifiable. It will be interesting to see what is built on Builder’s street over the next few years.
In the short-term, the food businesses of Builder’s street are building their Covid-19 safe bubble; direct to your door. Every bite is too good to waste.
www.mermaidseafoods.co.uk
poyntonsbutchers.co.uk
www.facebook.com/TheOrchardFruitAndVeg
www.wildhorsebrewing.co.uk
