News

How local rum inspired by legendary pirate has exploded into national sensation

Published

1 month ago

November 25, 2024

When Jonathan Williams left his desk job in Swindon way back in 2010, his mission, to many, was impossible.

This is the man who hot-footed it back to Pembrokeshire to harvest seaweed from Freshwater West which he then used to create his multi award-winning ‘Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company.’

Using only choice produce sourced from the seas around Pembrokeshire, Jonathan’s innovative (and many would say courageous) idea began tickling the taste buds of some of the UK’s top chefs and food critics including James Martin who christened Williams as ‘the crazy seaweed man’.

Fast-forward seven years and once again Jonathan began honing yet another brain-storming idea, this time inspired by the mighty Bartholomew Roberts – otherwise known as Black Bart. After setting sail from his home in Little Newcastle at the age of 13, Bart gained notoriety as the most successful pirate in the ‘golden age of piracy’ who went on to raid 400 prize ships off the Americas and the West African coast between 1719 until his death from a wound to his throat, in 1722.

And so began Barti Spiced Rum.

“Everything was ticking along nicely at the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company, and then in January 2017, Jonathan went off on paternity leave,” explained Barti Rum’s managing director, Fran Barnikel.

“Any normal person would have been busy changing nappies, but Jonathan, being the incredible entrepreneurial person that he is, came back to work saying, ‘Ok, I’m going to start a new company’.

“He’d read about Barti Ddu the pirate, and had always wanted to bring out a spiced rum in his honour. So he’d spent his paternity leave investigating different distilleries and bottlers and slowly but surely, Barti Spiced Rum started to come to fruition.”

Because of Jonathan’s strong allegiance with Pembrokeshire seaweed, he knew from the outset that the natural product would be used in his rum.

“Jonathan wanted his rum to be vibrant in flavour, so the seaweed is infused, giving it a real depth of flavour and enhancing the other ingredients which include vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, orange and lemon,” said Fran.

The rum is distilled in the Caribbean and then exported to Cardiff where the Pembrokeshire seaweed along with the remaining ingredients are infused.

“Out first batch arrived in late summer and initially we sold only to people we knew,” continued Fran.

“But as time went on, we could see that there was definitely a market out there for expansion.

“Obviously there was a lot less niche for the rum as there had been for the seaweed, plus the gin market was picking up at the time. But we could also see that the rum market was on the increase. In many ways, it was perfect timing. So we continued riding the wave.”

Jonathan and his team shun the rum purists who cite mixing it with coke or pepsi as sacrilege.

“All we want is for people to enjoy it,” said Fran. “And this means drinking it exactly as they want. If you want to add cola or ginger beer, that’s great. But it’s also really good with cloudy apple juice and particularly now as we’re getting closer to Christmas, hot apple juice.”

The cream liqueur is also extremely versatile for cocktails, including the Manhattan, Mojito and Daiquiri.

Jonathan has steadfastly refused to add flavour varieties to his brand, adhering rigidly to the Barti Spiced.

“From the beginning, he wanted to create a strong product that would continue to do well, rather than dilute its vibrant flavour with other ingredients.”

But in Christmas 2023, Jonathan broke away from his rule by introducing a Barti Cream Liqueur.

“This was the first addition he’d ever introduced to the range and it was only supposed to last for the Christmas period. But once again, because of the feedback we’ve received from our customers, we’ve kept it going and we’re now fully stocked for Christmas 2024.”

The Herald caught up with Fran as she travelled back to Pembrokeshire from Tesco’s headquarters in Welwyn Garden City, London. Six weeks ago the company began selling their rum at a total of 58 Tesco stores throughout Wales, but the supermarket giant is now considering stocking Barti Spiced Rum throughout the whole of the UK.

Earlier this year, Barti Spiced Rum was named the best rum in the Great British Food Awards while the Barti Cream Liqueur has won eight separate awards in the World Drinks Awards including best in country, best new launch, and three golds awards in both the taste and design categories.

One can’t help wondering, given the fact that eight years ago Barti Spiced Rum had yet to be given its first pouring, whether its success has come as a surprise.

““At the end of the day, Jonathan has that incredible ability to make everything work,” chuckled Fran. “Everything that he captures tends to turn to gold.

“But we know that Barti Spiced Rum is a really strong product and something that’s very ‘Pembrokeshire-sentric’. And the support we continue to get from the local cafes and pubs has been incredible and has really helped us to move forward. The staff reach out, time and time again, with tasters and samples, and we know that they’re genuinely behind our brand. And this is so important. We are so grateful for everything they continue to do to support us.”

Charity

Over 1,100 festive bathers enjoy Tenby’s famous Boxing Day Swim

Published

51 mins ago

December 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A RECORD-BREAKING number of 1,150 festive bathers have had a splashing time in the Tenby Boxing Day Swim this morning.

The fancy dress theme of Superheroes – in tribute to the RNLI in its 200th anniversary year – saw Batman, The Incredibles, Wonderwoman and a whole crew of emergency services dashing into the chilly water of Tenby’s North Beach.

RNLI mascot Stormy Stan was there amongst the huge crowds to cheer the brave bathers on their way.
The swim will be one to remember forever for one duo of dippers as they got engaged following a surprise proposal on the sand.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Philip Frith, 34, made one of his best-ever moves when he popped the question to his girlfriend, former professional dancer Victoria Tansey, 34, who is originally from Hakin.

Said swim chairman Sam Skyrme-Blackhall: “”Well, we said ‘come to the Tenby Boxing Day Swim and take the plunge’ but we weren’t expecting that! Congratulations to the happy couple”.
The swim has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities and good causes in its 52-year history, and this yeae’s event will see Tenby RNLI as the main beneficiary.

Town mayor Dai Morgan said: ”It’s great to see so many people from here, and for such a good cause. I just love it down on the beach on Boxing Day. The swim is such a fantastic tradition.”
The mayor’s daughter, 18-year-old Erin Morgan, who is Tenby’s town crier, gave a special ‘cry’ to welcome the swim.

Swim chairman Sam supervised 10-year-old Sam Fecci as he fired the swim’s starting pistol – a duty usually carried out by his dad, Stuart, who was not well enough to attend.

Festive tunes and a lively commentary from DJ Steve Briers ramped up the atmosphere on the beach and swimmers emerged from the sea to be presented with commemorative medals and warm up with hot soup donated by the Giltar Hotel and served up by Tenby and District Lions.

‘Taking the plunge’ at a festive swim in Wales this morning meant more than just a dip in the sea for one happy couple.

As hundreds of Boxing Day bathers at the legendary event in Tenby dashed for the water, a magical moment was happening between Victoria Tansey and Philip Frith.
Philip, 34, went down on one knee on the sand and asked Victoria, 37, to marry him.

Fortunately, she said an ecstatic ‘yes’ to the carefully-planned proposal, which saw the couple’s special song Ocean Eyes y Billie Eilish sound out over the beach as the newly-engaged couple celebrated with a splash in the sea.

As a former Royal Marine Philip – who is now a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach – has faced some scary situations in his life but the Boxing Day proposal was up there with the most nail-biting.
“I’ve been so nervous/special moment.

Victoria, originally from Hakin, Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, worked as a professional dancer – appearing on the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Pineapple Dance Studio: Survival of the Fittest -and before setting up her own entertainment agency.

Although now living in Guildford with Philip, she has always loved returning to her Pembrokeshire roots

“When we first met, Victoria couldn’t wait to show me all around Pembrokeshire and we have made the trip as often as work would allow us, to visit her family, go beach hopping and take in the breathtaking scenery,” said Philip.

“I absolutely love sea swimming, I believe that it is so worthwhile for your body and mind, however Victoria has never been one to enjoy the cold!

“So, on our first Christmas together as a couple, Victoria surprised me by taking me to Tenby for the Boxing Day Swim – it’s honestly one of my most fond memories from the start of our relationship!

“I wanted to return her the favour of surprising her by proposing to her at this year’s swim.”

Victoria’s mum and her childhood best friend , Sean Griffiths – who she set up Milford Haven’s Unison Dance Group with in 2004 –were on the beach to watch the proposal, with Sean bringing along the engagement ring in his pocket to fellow swimmers crowded round to congratulate Victoria and Philip, and swim chairman Sam Skyrme-Blackhall laughed: “Well, we said ‘come to the Tenby Boxing Day Swim and take the plunge’ but we weren’t expecting that! Congratulations to the happy couple”.

Charity

Letterston dog show raises over £750 for local charities

Published

20 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

ON SUNDAY (Dec 22), Letterston Ring Craft successfully raised £755.55 for two Pembrokeshire-based charities during a fun dog show event. The funds were equally split between South Pembrokeshire Cat Rescue and Letterston Memorial Hall.

The event featured a variety of well-attended classes, including child handling and fancy dress, drawing participation from dog enthusiasts of all levels.

This fundraiser marked the first charitable event supporting South Pembrokeshire Cat Rescue. Founded and managed by Lizzy Austwick, the rescue organisation aids unwanted, feral, and sick cats across Pembrokeshire and responds to urgent cases in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. The rescue provides neutering support for stray and feral cats, directs owners to available resources, and specialises in helping stray cats with severe injuries, raising essential funds for their care.

For assistance, Lizzy can be contacted via the rescue’s Facebook page or at 07575 131443.

Letterston Ring Craft welcomes new members interested in training and showing their dogs, from local companion shows to prestigious events like Crufts. The club meets every other Sunday in Letterston, and further details can be found on their Facebook page.

Looking ahead, the next fun dog show is scheduled for early next year and will support Belle’s Story Charity. For more information or to get involved, contact Gentle Lowe at 07956 653401.

Charity

£3,800 donated to services across Withybush Hospital

Published

22 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE CAMROSE VINTAGE WORKING DAY team has donated £3,800 to services across Withybush Hospital.

Their 37^th annual event raised a record breaking £25,000, which has now been distributed among 26 local charities.

They donated the funds to the Stroke Ward, Specialist Respiratory Team, Chemo Day Unit and Heads Up! Hair Loss Initiative at Withybush Hospital. Each service received £950.

The Heads Up! initiative provides a person-centred, holistic hair loss service for cancer patients. It brings together healthcare and haircare professionals from local communities to give patients the knowledge and products needed to manage their hair loss with dignity and choice.

Katie Hancock, Fundraising Officer, said: “Thank you to Andrew, the team and the supporters of the Camrose Vintage Working Day for your generosity once again. Your donation to each service is amazing and will make a big difference. We are hugely grateful for your wonderful support.

“The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”

Pictured above: Andrew James, Chairman of Camrose Vintage Working Day with Withybush Hospital staff from the Stroke Ward, Specialist Respiratory Team, Chemo Day Unit, Heads Up! Hair Loss initiative.