Two farmers from Pembrokeshire have been named Britain’s food producers of the decade at The National Trust Fine Farm Produce Awards.
Peter and Gina Smithies of Trehill Farm, Pembrokeshire scooped the top prize, awarded in recognition of the ceremony’s 10th anniversary. In total sixty-two products were awarded a National Trust Fine Farm Produce Award ; one of food and farming’s highest honours at the prestigious industry awards on Tuesday night.
The Smithies grow potatoes across 600 acres on the coast of Pembrokeshire, having been tenants at Trehill since taking over from Gina’s parents in 2001. They have won a Fine Farm Produce Award every year since 2007.
The annual awards were held at Vintage Salt on Selfridges rooftop as part of its yearly “Meet the Makers” campaign, celebrate the very best produce from the National Trust’s 1,500 tenant farmers and estates across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Products not only have to excel in the obligatory taste test, but entrants also have to pass a checklist of environmental standards to guarantee the quality and origin of ingredients alongside high standards of production.
Roland and Will Watkins from Cwmcerrig Farm Shop in Carmarthenshire also secured an award for their venison steak, sausages and burgers.
The Venison sold by Cwmcerrig is reared on the nearby 800 acre Dinefwr Estate, a property looked after by the National Trust.
West Wales is famous for its superb local produce with superb quality meat, fish and shellfish in abundance, award winning cheeses such as Caws Cenarth, Pant Mawr, Llangloffan, to name but a few; Carmarthen ham, Nom Nom and Wickedly Welsh chocolates, Upton Farm and Cow Pots ice cream, Fire and Ice sorbets, and numerous other delicious locally grown and produced foods.
Many producers will be displaying their wares at the annual Narberth Food Festival in Pembrokeshire which this year takes place on 27th-28th September.
If you are looking to move to Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire or Ceredigion, or buy a holiday home here, we at West Wales Property Finders would be delighted to help you. Over 90% of the properties we find for our clients never hit the open market, ensuring they get the pick of the crop. At the same time, we save our clients, time, money and stress by finding them their perfect property, carrying out all the negotiations on their behalf and managing the purchase for them. For further information please check our website at www.westwalespropertyfinders.co.uk; call Carol or Rayner Peett on 01834 862816 or email carol@westwalespropertyfinders.co.uk.
