Smokehaus Hits Cardiff

And, like the proverbial London bus, you wait ages for one and then three come along at once...

So, another rib/grill/BBQ/low and slow/US themed/big portion restaurant hits the capital - this time it's the turn of The Smokehaus - following in the footsteps of Feather and Bone, Hangfire Smokehouse and others, this style of food and dining is firmly taking a hold in the foodie scene in Cardiff.

I should point out at the onset also that I was invited to the evening to try the food, so didn't pay for the food on this occasion.

So, then, housed in the former Hooters venue, it is clear from the onset that this new venue is no sappy themed venue, but a nice cosy, welcoming place to take a few hours and enjoy some food and drink.

The interior has been really nicely done, and I could see myself stopping here for a few drinks, as well as the occasional evening out for a meal.

The evening was one of the final run through evenings for the staff to get up to speed before the official opening earlier this week - and let me say they did an excellent job. Every member of staff we interacted with was knowledgeable, polite, and did the job well - my only criticism was that in some cases, this meant you were left waiting a while whilst they chatted to other customers - but it's a small negative.

And so to the food - who can't resist a whole load of meat when you dine at this type of restaurant so I went with the The Smokehaus Threesome, a splendidly sized portion of pulled pork, beef brisket and pastrami. Served with fries and coleslaw it was a good sized portion and the meat, especially the brisket was melt in the mouth moist and beautifully cooked. The pastrami was delicious and I must admit, my least favourite, and somewhat disappointingly, I wasn't overly impressed withe the texture or the taste (or the temperature) of the pulled pork. Personal taste I guess but it wasn't for me.

Another small gripe - and this may be explained by the fact that the venue was full and we all arrived at roughly the same time - the food was swift in arriving - great - however, along with the pork, for me the fries were particularly tepid in temperature, and failed to hold any heat by the time I was only halfway through my meal. 

As for the coleslaw - well it looked and tasted fine, but not freshly made, not fresh looking, not zingy, it looked, to be honest, straight out of Tesco express next door ! Sorry guys but at £1.95 as an extra side it needs to be a lot more exciting than that !

My partner went with the The Donut Burger - a cheeseburger topped with grilled smoked streaky bacon, sweet sauce then placed between two sweet glazed donuts - and this was really good! It shouldn't work should it - but it does - definitely worth you trying it ! 

Drinks wise - great to see Penderyn Welsh Whisky on the menu, and there's the usual range of beers, wines and cocktails that you would expect, including one of my non-Welsh favourites, the American wheat beer, Blue Moon.

So did we do desert ? Hell yes... 

I'm still buzzing from the sugar rush! I had the Mississippi Mud Pie which was ace, and my partner had the Marshmallow Topped Waffle - which was even sweeter and stickier!

Overall, the whole experience was professional, welcoming and definitely worth a return trip or two. Staff were excellent, the food was mostly damn good and the few gripes I had were personal taste as opposed to any major problems, so judge them for yourselves.

Go on, you know you want to.... Go get that bus.... 

Get Your Mojo On

It's always pleasing when new venues open up in these tough times for the trade, and so here at Drinks from Wales we were pleased to be invited along to look at North Cardiff's latest offering - the Mojo Lounge in Birchgrove.

Styling itself as a Tapas and Cocktail venue, and taking up residence in the former Blockbuster video store, it is great news to see dedicated owners making an investment in the High Street and bringing a different hospitality experience to the area.

I popped along on an evening where the owners had invited local traders for a little peek before tonight's main opening - a great idea by the way.

The style of the bar was pretty good and they have done a nice job on the interior.

The emphasis is on casual but refined eating and drinking, with a Tapas menu and a range of cocktails and wines including the Espresso Martini

and the Tropical Heath...

and with a few premium lagers and ciders on tap the only thing missing is some quality craft ales - but wait, that's in the pipeline too - so watch this space for some good Drinks from Wales appearing soon !

The owners are friendly, and this is definitely a venue worth a visit in the coming months when it's up and running - and I'll go try out the full experience and report back...

Oh, and the olives were pretty good....

All in all this is a venue you should try, and I certainly will be back to sample the squid and prawns at some point in the near future ! Go on, get your Mojo on sometime soon...

Meet The Brewer - Seren Brewing Co

Also taking place this week, this time on Thursday evening, (14th August) is the ever popular Meet The Brewer session at one of Cardiff's latest craft beer hangouts, The Gravity Station.

Facing the public to explain all about their brews this time is Ali Kocho-Williams of the Seren Brewing Company, a West Wales microbrewery.

As they say on their website:

"Seren Brewing Company is an award-winning nanobrewery on the edge of the Preseli Mountains in North Pembrokeshire. Beers are crafted by an international award-winning brewer on a small scale. This is craft beer made in West Wales – good beer on a small scale with no fancy bells and whistles, just pure ingredients, hard work and distinctive flavours."

So, for an entertaining evening, and who knows a taste or three of some splendid Welsh beers, and top it off with a takeout from The Gravity Station's wide range of bottled craft beers .. get yourself along !

Pop-Up Wine Bar.. what's not to like ?

Just a quick heads up that the latest of Wine Store 4's Pop-Up Wine Bar events will be taking place in Rhiwbina this Friday from 5pm.

The store, in Beulah Road (Number 4 unsurprisingly) regularly holds these events, alongside a number of other innovative ways to get you involved with wine!

As they state on their website:

'Throughout the year we hold a number of tastings in our dedicated tasting room at the rear of our store. Generally the tastings are themed around a specific region or country, or maybe we will look at the different styles a grape variety can produce due to its location and climate, or the touch of the winemakers hand.
'Cost per person naturally depends on the wines on show and will include a platter of cheese, charcuterie and bread, supplied by our friends Snails Bistro Delicatessen, next door.
'You can also hire our dedicated tasting room for you own private tasting event.
'We also host World of Wine Dinners on the 1st Saturday of every month at Snails Delicatessen. Each dinner consists of a 4 course set menu from the culinary region of choice served with carefully selected wines of the area.'

For this Friday (15th August) the Wine List is: (available by the glass or bottle)

So if you're around the area and fancy an evening of wine, do drop in ! You never know, they might even do a Welsh Wine Pop-Up night one day soon....

Feather and Bone.. Not quite a 3D experience UPDATED

EDIT: We revisited here on Saturday, and a few changes to note

1. The place was freezing! Turn the heating up guys it's not conducive to a good night...

2. Still no US Craft Beer

3. Still no wine list

4. Decor still the same

5. Damp smell improving

6. And this is the biggie I guess, portion sizes have dramatically reduced

My partner went for the half rack of beef ribs, now either this was the world's smallest cow or we were done up like a kipper. It was merely a third of the size of my half rack a few days earlier. Poor poor show. Also overheard discussions about the size of the half racks of pork not being good enough so people got full racks - if they did, these too are smaller.

Both Were Half Racks of Beef Ribs - You be the judge !

The fries were also downsized, which wasn't a problem as the portion size was probably too big before.. But why the changes? 

Only positive, the coleslaw had dressing.

So, I'm not sure this visit was all that special, the air of the place didn't seem to me like somewhere in this for the long haul... Just my opinion but it doesn't shout longevity to me in any sense. I hope I'm wrong.

So.. A mixed bag but we are probably down to a Double D at least.. And I don't mean cup size! 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

So I’d seen a few tweets and there was a bit of a buzz about a new venue in Cardiff… I was in Cardiff… having a few beers at the brand new Brewdog Cardiff. Of which more later…

Thus came my introduction to the Feather & Bone Bar and Grill – self-styled home of slow and low ribs and buttermilk fried chicken. I needed to eat, I was on Westgate Street, let’s give it a go.

I must say it’s a good thing I don’t do first impressions – as it wasn’t good. An empty venue, a slight damp smell, quite clearly the refurb hadn’t been completed and the staff almost outnumbered the customers – and there weren’t that many of either!

So the extremely pleasant waitress showed us to a table – not sure if the style is meant to be semi weathered but that’s what it was and left us with the menus – which offered good southern style fare.

Now this is a drinks blog first and foremost so let’s get the bad points out of the way first.

I ordered a draught beer. A Boston Red as the menu suggested. They didn’t have any. No, they didn’t have ANY draught beer whatsoever. OK. So I asked for a wine list, they didn’t have one. The barman started reciting grapes to me – I wasn’t impressed. He eventually brought me across every bottle of red they had to choose from – a nice gesture, but get a list guys (oh and some draught beer might be nice).

My partner had a Metropolitan cocktail – or two to be precise as it was 2-for-1 at the time – and this certainly was a cocktail with a kick!

So the drinks offerings can only get better – and a reason to return I guess.

We ordered the food – my partner went for the buttermilk chicken – and I went for the half rack of beef ribs – which are apparently dry rubbed and cooked for five hours and smothered in secret recipe sauce.

The food arrived and I wondered if we had ordered for four people! The portions are certainly fat boy friendly which pleased me no end – and if I’m truly honest, the amount of fries was a bit much even for my tremendous appetite. The ribs were plentiful, meaty, slow cooked, smoky, tasty and wonderful. They weren’t smothered in anything, which I was actually thankful for, as I hate that. The slaw was more of a sliced veg as there was literally no dressing or mayo on it, but it was pleasant enough. And the ribs were superb. Well cooked, beautifully spiced and seasoned, and all in all left me thinking I needed to come back here again and again. The fries were abundant, crisp and golden and pretty damn good. All in all a winner.

My partner’s chicken was equally gargantuan and impressive. Four pieces, two breast and two leg, of moist, tasty, spicy, crispy fried chicken (I know, I shared them!)  and the same perfect fries and dry slaw…. This was some of the best fried chicken I’ve had in a while so it was pretty damn good.

And the best part of the deal - well the prices. This place has picked a price point that is both competitive and great value when combined with the portion sizes.

The food weighed in at almost fast food prices and certainly was excellent value for money at £20 for both meals. Added to the drinks at special offer prices before 7.30 and this place is a competitive addition to the Cardiff foodie scene – even if it’s yet to make an impression with it’s drinks offerings!

I for one will be back and I know that, the service will be excellent, the prices good, the portions generous and the food hitting the spot – now sort out the décor, the damp, and the drinks and the 3D experience will be complete.

Coming back...

So I've been a little quiet lately... and busy with lots of other things.

Lots has happened... new things... and I'm coming back....

Watch this space.

A little oasis in a Brains desert.....

EDIT: Pub is under new management and the beer range has changed. 


Just wanted to pull together a little post to trumpet the latest developments at my local, The Three Elms on Merthyr Road in Whitchurch.

Now Whitchurch has several pubs, most of which are Brains houses, and this is great if you only ever want to drink Dark, SA, Black or the like - all of which I enjoy, but none of which I want to drink in isolation.

So it has been with increasing pleasure that in recent months, the far sighted landlord of The Three Elms, which is after all a Greene King food led operation (a hungry horse themed outlet) has persuaded the guys at GK to allow him to stock a few different real ales, and what a choice he has made.

Huw, for tis he who manages the pub, has built up a relationship with two local based brewers, the ever wonderful Otley brewery and the superb Celt brewery.

This now means that at all times you now have a choice of at least two, and more generally three offerings from these breweries - which is great news for real ale lovers in North Cardiff.

Tonight, as I visit, there's a choice of O3 Boss and O-Ho-Ho from Otley Brewery, and Native Storm from the Celt Brewery.

Having sampled both the latter, the are in excellent condition, kept well, and are a delight to drink. I shall have a drop of the O3 later, but I was keen to put pen to paper (so to speak) to tell you all about this little drop on non Brains beer in a vast Brains wonderland... It's a great move from Huw so all power to his elbow, and visit here soon if you want to seek out some award winning and superb drinks from Wales.

Christmas at ffresh

Diners at ffresh Restaurant at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay will be served carols alongside their Christmas pudding at a festive Christmas Music Night.

The evening on Monday, December 3, is the latest in a series of live music nights where members of the Welsh National Opera Chorus entertain customers as they enjoy a three-course menu using the best award-winning Welsh produce.

The menu for the Christmas Music Night menu includes a three course dinner with a choice of cream of parsnip and honey soup; smoked salmon mousse, brown toast and horseradish crème fraiche; ham hock and parsley terrine with piccalilli relish or Shaun Hill’s twice baked soufflé with spinach puree to start. The main course selection includes slow cooked shoulder of Welsh lamb, cassoulet of white beans with sage and rosemary; fillet of black bream, herb risotto and tomato salsa; loin of pork and braised belly, mustard mash, curly kale and café au lait jus and Jerusalem artichoke pudding and deep fried flat bread. All accompanied with a generous serving of vegetables. And to finish there’s a choice of traditional Christmas pudding with Penderyn whiskey sauce; dark chocolate and Merlyn tart with Sub Zero ice-cream; iced mango parfait with passion fruit milkshake or a selection of Welsh cheeses with Daffodil Cottage oat cakes.

At intervals during the courses live music will be performed at by PEDW4R. Its members Meriel Andrew (soprano); Sian Meinir (mezzosoprano); Michael Clifton Thompson (tenor)  and Martin Lloyd (bass) are all in the Chorus of the Welsh National Opera and their programme includes popular Christmas classics such as Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, When a Child Is Born and Mary's Boy Child; traditional carols Oh Holy Night; Away in a Manger, In the Bleak Mid Winter, Hark the Herald Angels and Oh Come all ye Faithful plus Welsh seasonal favourites Si Lwli and Seren Nadolig.

Tickets for the Christmas Music Night are £39 per person and include a welcome drink, three courses, coffee, half a bottle of wine and entertainment. To book tickets visit:
https://www.wmc.org.uk/Productions/2012-2013/43853/ChristmasMusicNight/ or call 029 2063 6464

The music night is part of the Centre’s Taste Christmas programme of events which includes a Christmas Craft and Food Market on Saturday December 8, Sunday December 9, Saturday December 15 and Sunday, December 16 and Afternoon Tea with Father Christmas.

Ancre Hill Crowned World Champions

Now I've been saying this for a long time to anyone who will listen to me (easy now), but in Wales we have some of the best sparkling wines I have tasted - and in my opinion, in Ancre Hill Estates produce the very best of the best.

Quite simply, to my taste their sparkling rosé is the best sparkling rosé I have ever tasted, and now I am pleased to see that their 2008 White Sparkling Wine has been voted as the best in the world !

Their wine has been voted the best White Sparkling Wine in the world at the Bollicine del Mondo international competition held annually in Verona, Italy.  The competition is in its fifth year and is organised by the leading Italian wine magazine, Euposia.  This is the second success for an English & Welsh wine following Nyetimber’s win in 2009.

This success came against some of the best Champagnes in the world, including Bollinger, Champagne de Saint Gall (a close second), Baron de Rothschild, Pannier, Feuillette and Paul Bara amongst others.

An international panel of 24 judges from Italy, France, Spain, Argentina, USA, Sweden and UK adjudicated under the rules of the Grand Jury Européen.

Richard Morris of Ancre Hill Estates commented: “We are delighted with this result which is a massive plus for Wales and the Welsh Wine Industry.  It proves quality sites exist in Wales capable of growing the best quality fruit which can be made in to world class wine. Our vineyard site, sitting in its own meso-climate in Monmouth, together with our bio-dynamic farming practices undoubtedly points the way forward for the Industry.”

This is great news for Richard and Joy and their team at Ancre Hill Estates, who are passionate about wine and Welsh Wine in particular, and it's great news for Wales and the drinks industry here.

So, as Christmas approaches, I can think of no better way to celebrate at your party, or over Christmas Dinner with a bottle of Welsh World Champion Winning Ancre Hill Estate Sparkling White Wine... go on you know you want to ..... you can buy Ancre Hill Estates wines at Fine Wines Direct or Tanners Wines.

Cheers and many congratulations !!

An Evening of Whisky and Wonder at The Conway

Occasionally we get asked to push out details of events... and we are happy to let you guys know about this one coming up.......

Michelin Pub Guide entrant The Conway in Pontcanna will be hosting an evening dedicated to whisky and gastronomy on Tuesday November 27th 2012.

The evening, which will be led by a Gordon & MacPhail whisky expert, will match a six course tasting menu created by The Conway’s kitchen team, with a specially selected selection of six whiskies designed to enhance each and every dish.

The menu includes classic Celtic favourites including Rarebit and Haggis, combined with slightly more exotic fare including spiced soy chicken thigh with shallot purée and Jamaican ginger cake served with vanilla ice cream.

The six whiskies on offer include Island Malt 2000 which has a sweet nose combining orange peel and vanilla, whilst the twelve year old Campbeltown Malt has an oaky palate with hints of figs and nuts. The Highland Malt bottled in 1993 has a vibrant nose combining shades of cut hay, mixed fruit, menthol and caramel, which develops into a flavour of sherried fruit and winter spice with herbal notes on the palate.

Serge Luceau, Director for Knife & Fork Food who own The Conway, commented: “We know from our regulars that whisky has a large and loyal following, especially quality brands like Gordon & MacPhail, who are legends in the whisky world.

“It seemed like a wonderful idea to host an evening dedicated to the amber nectar and combine it with some incredible dishes that would really bring out the best in the different whiskies we will be serving our guests. What better way to spend a cold November evening?”

Gordon & Macphail who are regarded as the world’s leading malt whisky specialists, are located in the north-east of Scotland in the heart of the world famous whisky producing region of Speyside. Gordon & MacPhail is an independent family owned and managed firm which has been bottling Single Malt Whiskies for over 116 years.

Whisky tasting evening: six course, food matched, whisky tasting menu £35. Call 029 2022 4373 for more information and to book tickets.

Knife & Fork Food Website

Let the train (or bus) take the strain for a pint !

Starting tomorrow (27th April) The Old Swan Inn in Llantwit Major is holding a beer festival which I am happy to help promote.

The pub, which dates back to the 12th century, is issuing an open invite to ale lovers across South Wales to come and sample the 25 different types of beer and cider on offer, including the famously strong Firebox beer, back again this year by demand. There will also be beer from breweries like RCH, Wye Valley, Wickwar, VOG, Breconshire and Otley.

Anyone who chooses to travel to Llantwit Major by train or bus will be able to exchange their ticket for a free pint at any point over the weekend.  The pub is just a short walk from the station, which is well-served by trains every hour from Cardiff.

Your round !

The Welsh beer and cider line-up will be complemented by bands from the local area, who will be playing live music throughout the weekend.  While the event lends itself to the outdoors in the large beer-garden, rain will not stop play, with a specially erected marquee lined up to accommodate the festival goers.

This is the first of a programme of festivals the pub, which is part of the Knife & Fork Food Group, will be laying on over the course of the summer with plans for similar events to coincide with the Queen’s jubilee and the National Eisteddfod.

Landlord Sean Murphy said of the event: “Beer festivals really do indicate the start of summer and we are looking forward to welcoming both our regular patrons and some new faces. The public transport to Llantwit serves us very well and we hope our offer to buy any travellers a drink will encourage people to go a little bit farther afield that weekend.

“We are confident that our line up of the great and the good of beers and ciders is the best we’ve seen yet, and we are looking forward to getting feedback on the ones we have chosen.  It will be a fantastic weekend, whether you are a beer drinker or not, and there is plenty of entertainment on offer.”

The Festival runs until Sunday 29th April.

Project Venus 4

Earlier this week, the Huffington Post ran an article entitled 'Where are all the Women Brewers ?' - well I can tell Jane Peyton that tomorrow, a fair chunk of them from the UK and Ireland will be in Wigan at the Prospect Brewery undertaking the fourth brew of Project Venus.

Among them will be our own Sue Hayward from the Waen Brewery in Mid Wales, who is one of the driving forces behind Project Venus and will be off to Wigan tomorrow to take part in the fourth brew day.

Inspired by the Pink Boots Society in America. This project aims to promote women in the UK brewing industry by collaborative brewing.

Involved in the project are Sue Hayward (Waen Brewery), Sara Barton (Brewsters), Sara Carter (Triple fff), Kathy Britton (Oldershaws), Patsy Slevin (Prospect), Michelle Haylock Kelsell,(Offbeat), Jennifer Nicholls, (Northcote), Sophie De Ronde (Brentwood), Grainne Walsh (Metalman), Angela Wurges (Zero Degrees), Tracy Brown (Molson Coors), Janine Shorrock (Ashover), Pene Coles (Sandstone/Jolly Brewer), Claire Monk (Kelham Island), Catherine Bate (Flowerpots), and Nicola Hughes (Happy Valley).


Project Venus UK and Eire was originally the idea of Sara Barton at Brewster's Brewery, to raise the profile of female brewers (Brewsters) in the brewing industry using collaborative brewing.  Each brew recipe is decided amongst the brewsters (usually using Facebook and twitter!). 


The early brew days consisted of 5 or 6 brewsters brewing a beer at one of the breweries, the first one being at Brewster's Brewery, the second at Oldershaws and the third at Triple fff.  The 4th is happening tomorrow (Saturday 14th January 2012) at Prospect Brewery, home of Brewster Patsy Slevin.  

In a short time the numbers of Brewsters involved has grown to more than 16 members including one from international brewers Molson Coors, Tracy Brown, who will be attending the brew day tomorrow. Tracy has had to have a sense of humour to cope with the friendly banter from Project Venus watchers who are wondering if us craft brewers will be able to teach Molson Coors a bit about 'flavours'!  


Launches of each beer are usually held near to the brewery used to host the brew but two London launches have also taken place at the 'The Rake'.  The last brew went National, appearing as an Ember Inns promotion.

2012 looks like being a big year for Project Venus with a possible BBC2 appearance coming up in the spring and lots of brew days and launches planned.  Who knows, there could even be a 'Project Venus Bar' at the Great British Beer Festival one day!   Lets get the word out that women brew great beer!! 

Happy 2012

Well a Happy New Year to one and all !!
I've been a little off the ball in updating the blog in recent months so please forgive me for that.. normal service will be resumed shortly.
I'm also hoping to make 2012 a year where Drinks from Wales grows, so if you want to be involved then do get in touch.

True Taste Awards.... all about the food ???

I was delighted and honoured to be asked last month to attend the Annual Awards Ceremony of the 'Wales - The True Taste' which was held in Venue Cymru, Llandudno.  I had been invited to attend by Four bgb Communications and a big thank you to them for allowing me to attend.

 

So was this a move in the right direction for this scheme which has in my humble opinion been so totally focused on food in Wales to the detriment of drinks from Wales, and was the invitation a recognition that the drinks industry in Wales needs greater exposure and support ?

I was keen to see - so off up that dreaded A470 I set..... and 5 hours and 187miles (yes, it does take that long !!) later I saw the sea from the brow of the hill into Llandudno.

Once I had popped the old suit on it was a short hop to Venue Cymru for the Ceremony and dinner and I had high expectations of meeting some key industry players - I mean, if I was a PR company who had invited a blogger called Drinks from Wales, I would definitely have ensured they were sat on a table with at least one drinks producer, right ? Well, no. Oddly I was sat with some business support people and no drinks producers - OK, to me that was a wasted opportunity but hey, they were in the room right !

Well, yes they were - along with about 600 other people, so it was a case of find them if you can... and to be fair the PR bod did ask me if I wanted to be introduced.......

 

Anyway, small gripe over and on to the Awards proper... all 120 of them !! Yes 120 - it was going to be a long night !! (A very long night as it turned out) so on with the food - which all came from champion producers in Wales and was almost perfect - right up to the pudding which was a major disappointment !

So let's make a guess as to how many of these 120 Awards were related to Drinks from Wales ? Go on.. do you want a multiple choice ? Well let me tell you...... wait for it...... 3.

OK - so it's a question I want answered - why are there a multitude of awards for the food sector yet only 3 fro the drinks sector ? It may be that there is no other way that they can add an award category but what about Welsh Wine List of the Year ? Splitting the beers, wines and ciders into three categories with maybe an overall winner as well ? Really you need to spread the net a little wider and more imaginatively...

Because even those that did win were simply the usual suspects to a great extent - I mean I knew, before I had even read a thing, one brewer that would definitely be in the awards... now that may be because they have excellent marketing and they do have an excellent product and they know the system - but come on True Taste - how widely do you publicise these awards amongst the drinks sector ?

So therein lies my problem with The True Taste - it simply doesn't effectively represent nor reward the drinks sector in Wales - surprise surprise....

But on a more positive note let's celebrate the winners !

In the category for  NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS the awards went to:

GOLD

Welsh Farmhouse Apple Juice - Egremont Russet

SILVER

Brecon Mineral Water - Brecon Carreg Welsh Natural Mineral Water – Still

BRONZE

Brecon Mineral Water - Brecon Carreg Welsh Natural Mineral Water – Sparkling

In the category for BEER, CIDER & PERRY (UNDER 10% ABV) the winners were:

GOLD

The Celt Experience Ltd - Celt-Golden

SILVER

Monty's Brewery - Sunshine

BRONZE

Blaengawney Cider - Hallets Real Cider

And the final drinks award, for WINE, SPIRITS & OTHER ALCOHOL (OVER 10% ABV) went to:

GOLD

Celtic Spirit Co. - Danzy Jones

SILVER

Condessa Welsh Liqueurs - Sloe Gin

BRONZE

Da Mhile Distillery - Da Mhile Orange Liquer

And that was it - in a blink of an eye - for those 9 minutes out of the 6 hour evening, the drinks sector was highlighted.

So well done to all those who won. Interestingly, the splendid wines of Ancre Hill were available at the pre-dinner drinks reception and throughout the night so well done to Richard Morris and his team - even thought they didn't win any awards.....

So all in all a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening evening and I have plenty of ideas of how the next 10 Years of True Taste Awards can properly represent the drinks sector as well as Wales' wonderful food producers ! So anyone at True Taste want to talk ?????