Neath is to host Wales’ newest Food Festival, as consumer interest in locally produced food and drink continues to grow.
The inaugural Neath Food & Drink Festival will be held in the town on October 24th from 10am-5pm. Featured will be more than 30 food and drink producers from across South Wales, a number of them True Taste Award winners, including: Caws Cenarth, The Welsh Whisky Company, Penlon Cottage Brewery, Pembertons Victorian Chocolates, and Tomos Watkin (the Hurns Brewing Company).
“Our aim is to draw together the whole community in a celebration of food and drink,” said Festival co-ordinator, Ian Hindle, who with his chef wife Sian runs the award-winning La Crème Patisserie in Neath town centre.
“The majority of the producers taking part are from the Neath area, and we hope the festival will encourage people to buy more local and Welsh produce.
“We have had tremendous support from the local community as well as from Welsh Assembly Government, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, and Neath Town Council.”
Much support has also come from local hotels and restaurants and from businesses in Neath’s Victorian indoor market, who have embraced the Festival spirit and will be joining the stallholders in the streets.
There will be emphasis too on health and wellbeing with a host of activities planned including children’s cookery workshops, entertainment, and sporting fun with Neath RFC. Wales and British Lions forward Adam Jones of the Ospreys will open the Festival.
The stalls will line the streets and a number of other town centre venues have been lined up to be part of the Festival programme, including St David’s Church which will host a cookery theatre where local chefs will demonstrate healthy and nutritious dishes.
“Neath is already home to events such as the Great September Fair, and we hope that the Food Festival will become a fixture in the town’s calendar and not just boost local businesses but highlight what fantastic food and drink we have in Wales,” said Ian.
Speaking about the festival, Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones said:
“I am delighted that Neath is to hold its first food and drink festival. This initiative is a great way for the people of Neath to rediscover the variety of high quality food and drink that is produced on their doorstep."
"Earlier this year I launched the Local Sourcing Action Plan which encourages all of us to buy more local food. Not only does buying locally reduce our food miles and carbon emissions it also leads to money being reinvested into our communities, something that is more important than ever in the current economic climate."
NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information about Neath Food Festival and a programme of activities log on to www.neathfoodfestival.co.uk or contact Ian Hindle 01639 813166.