Try at taste of Wales for St David’s Day

Feb 26 2008 by Leigh Roberts, Western Mail

HOORAY, hooray, it is nearly St David’s Day. It may not be public holiday, but at least it is a Saturday and our annual chance to celebrate being Welsh.

Unless you have small children, our national feast day may slip by unnoticed and with no real opportunities to celebrate.

How poor our celebrations are compared to our Irish cousins who seem to get far more enthusiastic about St Patrick’s Day. Let’s follow their lead this year and really make St David’s Day something to celebrate by tucking into the best of Welsh food and drink.

Wales really is becoming recognised for the fabulous quality of its produce.

The Welsh Assembly Government is doing its bit to get Welsh food recognised internationally and is hosting a number of events from Cardiff to California and Brussels to Boston.

Wales Week USA is this week and will feature Welsh food, arts, music, business and academic events in New York, Boston and for the first time, Los Angeles.

In Brussels, First Minister Rhodri Morgan will host the annual St David’s Day reception. The guests – including EU Commissioners, Ambassadors, MEPs and friends of Wales – will enjoy dishes such as crab and sweet corn fritters, rillette of hot smoked salmon and yoghurt with beetroot relish on a wholegrain muffin, fillet of Welsh Black beef with shitake mushrooms and buttered spinach, rack of Welsh lamb with a spiced crust and lime pickle. Dessert canapes include Penderyn whisky truffle lollipops, and fudge and plum jam brulees.

Closer to home, March 1 marks the launch of Cardiff’s second farmers’ market, the Roath Real Food Market. The new market follows on from the Welsh capital’s award-winning Riverside Market, and has been set up in response to demand by Cardiff shoppers. Go to www.walesthetruetaste.com to find out how to find the best tasting Welsh food for St David’s Day in style.

Leigh Roberts is a consultant for food and farming PR specialists Coleman Roberts Communications www.colemanroberts.co.uk