Notes from around Wales as to what some companies are doing to work through these unprecedented times. These notes are not exhaustive and are a random set of comments and words of producers across Wales.
Starting in Pembrokeshire Anne Marie from Farmers Food at Home says :
“To be honest it’s all a bit strange!! No more cooking for me at the moment. Had built up a bit of stock over last few months ready for the Easter boom. But that isn’t to be. So I have set up a cupboard outside the Jam Shed with an honesty box. Few people have been in. Am also offering 15% off on website. There are 2 facebook posts outlining all this if you want to include the details”
www.facebook.com/farmersfoodathome/
Blas ar Fwyd, well what can be said? Having hardly recovered from devastating flooding in February, Covid 19 just added to the challenge which of course the Blas ar Fwyd team rose to.
So much is being done by this very entrepreneurial company including deliveries to both trade and end users across Wales. Really it can be best summed up them themselves.
Just to prove how resourceful many of the Welsh Food & drink producers are Jin Talog (in Carmarthenshire) is like many distilleries making hand sanitiser to help keep us safe. Our thanks from Welsh Country to all distillers doing this.
David from Jin Talog did comment “To update you, we are still making gin and from now on all orders placed online will not incur any delivery charges – given that most of our stockists are closed, we want to ensure that our customers can still get hold of our gin.
So we are shipping once a week to minimise unnecessary travel, and we are working on our range of Twin Botanical gins for release over the Summer.”
Which is another reason to look forward to the summer.
Thinking of the summer it has come early to north Wales with the help of Daffodil foods with their new Welsh Clotted Cream but also mail order cream teas.
Lynne founder director of Daffodil Foods says:
“We have launched our online shop on our website www.daffodilfoods.co.uk to sell Welsh afternoon tea gift boxes, including free next day delivery across the UK. The gift boxes Include Daffodil Foods new Welsh Clotted Cream along with locally produced Welsh Cakes and Bara Brith and other Welsh goodies. A perfect gift to send to loved ones in these difficult times.”
If you are wanting jam to go with that Welsh Clotted cream no better place to go than Welsh Lady Preserves. Carol from Welsh Lady Preserves told Welsh Country:
“Currently at Welsh Lady we are still producing and working as normal. Last week there was a huge slump in orders, but this week we are seeing a gradual increase, which is obviously due to shop keepers replenishing stocks on shelves. I hope this continues. It may be a good idea to suggest to your (Welsh Country) readers that our products are ambient – have a long shelf life, our chutneys and sauces can elevate a meal, so good store cupboard staples. Add that our on line shop is in full swing; minimum orders are for 3 jars and postage is very reasonable. We have a couple of new products you may like to highlight, a creamy Dill Sauce for fish dishes, and a piquant Cumberland Sauce that’s great with ham, sausages and pork pies.”
It’s not only producers that are still keeping the wheels of business moving, albeit not in a normal fashion. Ceridwen Centre (in north west Carmarthenshire) renown for its ‘Green Weddings’ which also normally have so many events taking place, on a weekly basis, but they have their farm shop operational. Simone usually so busy keeping brides and their families happy, commented:
“We are still operating our little farm shop on a pre-arranged collection only basis (or will post within UK) We also have lots of lovely Spring glass themed medallions made by local craftspeople, Cariad Glass.”
Indeed Carmarthenshire seems to be alive (we would be foolish to say ‘and well’) Aardvark Alternatives based in Carmarthen town Liz one of the owners says:
“We are doing home delivery locally and collections from store. Email foforganics@gmail.com or phone 01267 233445. Preferably email and then we can then get back with any shortages etc.”
Also in Carmarthen town Richard & Jenny Compton better known as Little Grandma’s Kitchen, told Welsh Country:
“We are members of Carmarthen Food which is an online shop of local Artisan producers offering a diverse range of goods from meat, chutneys & preserves, to veg boxes, herbs, curry kits to soap. We now deliver to a large part of the Carmarthen conurbation”.
www.facebook.com/littlegrandmas.kitchen/
For many who now have a little more time on their hands or even for little hands at home from school here is an idea from Siwgr a Sbeis, developed to celebrate their 25 years in business, which has to be an excellent solution. Indeed the Rhians ( the company is owned and run by Rhian Williams and Rhian Owen) says of their Take Me, Bake Me. “These tasty and fun products are great for gifts – there’s no excuse for not making something fantastic when you’ve got one or two of these in the kitchen.
Take Me Bake Me is:
- Convenient
- Box contains dry ingredients (weighed)- butter, eggs , milk, orange juice are some of the ingredients that need to be added.
- 3 out of the 4 in the range, you actually bake in the box provided – no lining of the tin! the fourth which are the biscuits, grease proof paper is provided to be placed on a baking sheet.
Easy to follow step by step method which is bi-lingual – home schooling - Ideal for all ages
- Ideal for children. They can be used to assist children learning English and Welsh, and also numeracy as the steps need to be followed from 1,2,3,etc, Then after following these steps how fantastic- a home baked cake or biscuits to be enjoyed, and a true sense of achievement!! A little help with home tuition.
- Taste delicious.
Of course not all companies, or parts of, are being allowed to continue opening at present. Andrew Powell finds himself in this situation. As organiser of both Brecon Beacons Food Festival & Hay on Wye Winter Festival he is always busy, but that doesn’t include his day job as manager of the restaurant and café at the Old Railway Garden Centre in Three Cocks, Powys. So with Covid 19 about Andrew still works but now as a volunteer with Accessibilty Powys.
Accessibility Powys comments about itself during this crisis:
“During this pandemic Accessibility Powys has teamed up with Oti Kalo, in Brecon, to run a resource and support hub. Working closely with other Powys-based organisations and community sector Emergency Response Teams, we are pooling all our knowledge and experience into one place; from door stop deliveries, online resources and information and activity packs, we are here to help. We will be at the end of a phone, Skype, Facebook, email, snail mail, door stop from a distance, or whatever method you require or have access to. We will have community information boards displayed in the windows of Oti Kalo, 35 High Street Superior (behind Lloyds bank next to Becca Jane Florist) so while out for fresh air – and respecting social distancing – please check out our window boards.“
Our thanks go to all the volunteers across Wales that are helping make life more tolerable for those that are more vulnerable or frail but that also includes the many businesses that are going the extra mile for their customers in so many ways.
