News

Food and drink winners announced at County Show

Published

7 years ago

August 16, 2017

FOUR local businesses which champion the use of Pembrokeshire produce have been officially recognised for the outstanding quality of their food and drink in the annual Pembrokeshire Produce Mark Awards.

Hand-picked scallops, locally-produced sea salt, home-made sauces and restaurants that make best use of local produce made up the winners that were presented with awards at a ceremony in the Food Hall at the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Show, Withybush, Haverfordwest, this morning (Aug 16).

The awards were announced by the Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, Councillor Paul Harries.

The Pembrokeshire Produce Mark scheme recognises county businesses which excel in providing or sourcing local food and drink. Members display a unique logo which helps customers to identify that the product is local.

The scheme has more than 300 members, which are verified to ensure that the product they sell or use is made in Pembrokeshire.

There were two winners In the Best New Product category: the Pembrokeshire Sea Salt Company – with their homemade sea salt and salted caramel sauce – and Pembrokeshire Scallops.

The concept of producing salt first came to Sherrill Evans, when she was making sea salt body scrubs.

Given that she was living so close to the sea, she thought it might be worth giving salt production a go at home.

Armed with buckets, bottles and funnels, seawater collection and salt production experimentation began, returning some promising results.

The salt being produced was not only good enough to replace the shop-bought sea salt she was using for the scrubs, but the high quality taste and texture meant it was good enough to eat.

“We’ve come a long way since we were collecting seawater with buckets,” said business partner Josh Wright.

“In the year we’ve been operating, our range has been extended and now includes plain salt, five flavoured salts plus the salted caramel sauce, which has been a firm favourite with the public.”

Based just outside Newport, Pembrokeshire Sea Salt Company’s products, including salted caramel sauce, can be found in selected delicatessens, food festivals and local producers’ markets.

A desire to earn a living from the sea is what prompted local divers Neil Walters and Ceri Jones to start Pembrokeshire Scallops and the quality of their hand-dived scallops has quickly come to the attention of food lovers from all over the county.

A company with concerns for the environment at the forefront of their philosophy, they harvest the scallops by hand, leaving no damage to the sea-bed

Carefully choosing which scallops to collect and which to leave for re-breeding also allows the beds to re-populate.

“Pembrokeshire Scallops is dedicated to the scallop population,” said Neil who started the business two years ago with business partner Ceri.

They regularly have a stall at Haverfordwest Farmers Market.

“We formed because we love to dive and we love to dive in Pembrokeshire’s waters,” he added.

“Because we know the sea bed so well, we started diving specifically for scallops and other shellfish from the cold, clean waters off our coast.

“It means we’re able to choose the best scallops and shellfish for our customers.

“We focus on two things at Pembrokeshire Scallops: a desire to provide our customers with the best tasting shellfish and to ensure their homes on the sea-beds off our coast are well preserved and maintained for future generations to come.”

There were also two winners in the category for Best Use of Local Produce in a Hospitality Outlet and both came from St Davids.

They were St Davids Kitchen and the Blas Restaurant at the Twr y Felin Hotel.

Located in the heart of Britain’s smallest city, St Davids Kitchen truly is a local business.

From the five full time chefs to the pedigree Welsh black cattle they breed, everything served at the establishment comes from St Davids and the surrounding area.

“We pride ourselves on that,” said owner Neil Walsh, who along with his wife Ruth opened the restaurant less than a year ago after moving back to the area

“Our family can be traced back over 215 years to the city and we’re incredibly proud to live and work in St Davids and we base our restaurant on three key principles.

“We produce for our own restaurant, we trade fairly, openly and ethically with local producers and we provide well paid, full-time jobs with career progression.”

The produce they serve is so local they can even tell what field it came from be it the Welsh Black cattle they rear or the vegetables and pork they source from the nearby Farms for City Children.

They also have an agreement with the RSPB allowing them to source venison and ram lambs from Ramsey Island and they work with the National Trust on conservation grazing for their Welsh Black cattle on local heathlands.

Fish is procured from Solva and if what they want to use can’t be grown locally, they ensure it is bought from a local wholesaler.

“We support local farmers, producers and fishermen by buying the best from the best and delivering that to the plates of our customers,” added Neil.

As one of Pembrokeshire’s leading fine dining experiences, the Blas Restaurant at the Twr y Felin Hotel has come a long way since it opened 18 months ago. It has now cemented itself on the county’s gastronomic map with two Rosettes and a local food, drink and hospitality award.

Meaning ‘taste’ in Welsh, Blas attracts customers from all over the world who are drawn in by head chef Simon Coe’s culinary creations that are often described as ‘art on a plate.’

It offers a true taste of Wales and a menu that is influenced by the season and locality.

The use of local ingredients is central to that.

Local farms, butchers, wholesalers and fish mongers provide the bulk of their produce.

They’ll even go out and forage for it themselves.

Wild garlic leaves and blackberries picked from local lanes and bushes often find their way into Coe’s dishes.

“Our aim is to provide a warm, Welsh welcome for all of our customers and using local ingredients helps us achieve that,” says Paula Ellis, Group General Manager of Twr y Felin Hotel, Roch Castle and Penrhiw Hotel.

“Wherever possible we will use local produce. We source fish from Milford Haven and shellfish from Solva.

“The cows that produce the milk for Caerfai Cheese come from a field that’s seven minutes walk away and the vegetables and salad come from Pen Pant Farm at Nine Wells near Solva.

“We want our customers to have a taste of our language, our culture and heritage and they get that from the time they spend here and the food we create from local ingredients.”

Community

Public reminded to stay away from Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay

Published

13 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE PORT of Milford Haven is reminding members of the public to stay away from Ward’s Yard in Milford Haven and Criterion Quay (sometimes known as the offshore jetty) in Pembroke Dock due to concerns over public safety. 

Despite significant security measures, people continue to access the sites illegally, ignoring and sometimes damaging the onsite signage and fences.

Niall Yeomans, Head of Health, Safety and Security at the Port of Milford Haven said: “Safety is our key priority. Members of the public are continuously putting themselves and members of our team at risk of serious harm by trespassing in these areas.”

“Both Ward’s Yard and Criterion Quay are unsafe for public access. They are isolated areas next to deep water and are susceptible to slips, trips and falls.”

Both sites are owned by the Port of Milford Haven and are private property. Anyone found onsite without consent is trespassing, and any criminal damage could result in prosecution.  

Anyone who sees any suspicious activity at Ward’s Yard or Criterion Quay is asked to contact Dyfed Powys Police on 101 urgently.

Crime

‘Sophisticated’ organised crime gang trafficked cocaine and cannabis to Aberystwyth

Published

15 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

FIVE people have been found guilty or admitted to conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis as Dyfed-Powys Police continues its efforts to dismantle organised crime gangs.

Officers seized cocaine with a street value of more than £400,000 from gang members, who continually changed tactics to avoid arrest.

Six defendants have appeared in court in the latest phase of Dyfed-Powys Police’s Operation Burleigh, which sought to disrupt the trafficking and onward supply of class A and B drugs into Aberystwyth, with all but one admitting their charges or being found guilty by a jury.

This brings the total number of people awaiting sentence under the operation to 15.

The court heard that officers from Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Team and Ceredigion Priority Policing Team led the investigation into the OCG, which was described as ‘sophisticated, well-organised and evolving’.

Detective Sergeant Steven Jones said: “This conspiracy operated on a County Lines model, where controlled drugs are trafficked into a smaller rural town from a larger city, and the operation is controlled by one or more ‘drugs lines’.

“In this case there were a total of four lines controlling the supply of cocaine and cannabis within Aberystwyth.

“The conspirators frequently evolved their actions to frustrate the authorities and evade capture.”

The OCG embedded members were mainly asylum seekers brought to Aberystwyth by Toana Ahmad and another man who remains outstanding, with the sole purpose of dealing drugs. The drug lines were initially based in Swansea, and later in areas of Birmingham.

Three properties – on Terrace Road, Alexander Road and Parc Graig Glas – were identified early in the investigation as being used to house the OCG members embedded in Aberystwyth. Substantial amounts of cash, controlled drugs and weapons were recovered from these properties, and from the people found inside.

When arrests were made, the gang changed its tactics. Drugs began to be supplied from vehicles, and OCG members stayed in guest houses to avoid detection.

DS Jones added: “Trusted couriers were employed to transport drugs to Aberystwyth and cash back to Birmingham or Swansea. A number of vehicles, including taxis, were used as the gang attempted to avoid detection along the route, while trains were also taken when courier cars were stopped by officers.”

In June 2023, two vehicles travelling from the West Midlands towards Aberystwyth were stopped by police on consecutive days. A black sock was uncovered in the engine of the first car, which was found to contain 82g of high purity cocaine divided into 169 grip seal plastic bags.

Davinder Singh, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs, was the driver of the second vehicle, which was a taxi. A blue plastic bag was seen falling out of his shorts, which contained over 81g of high purity cocaine divided into 167 grip seal bags.

DS Jones said: “On the basis that the amounts of cocaine transported over the 37 couriers over the course of the conspiracy period were similar, over 3kg of cocaine would have been conveyed to Aberystwyth from Birmingham.

“This equates to class A drugs with a potential street value of over £308,950. In addition to this, class A drugs were seized from individuals and addresses with a potential street value of £103,445, along with cash totalling £11,687.

“A number of teams and departments across Dyfed-Powys Police, from analysts, CCTV operators and priority policing teams, to CAB, the Technical Support Unit, Economic Crime Team and Force Intelligence Bureau all assisted in dismantling the OCG from top to bottom.

“Their dedication and relentless efforts have assisted in making Aberystwyth a safer place to live without the threat and harm of drugs being made easily available on the street.”

After a seven-week trial at Swansea Crown Court earlier this year, the following three defendants were found guilty for their parts in the conspiracy:

Toana Ahmad, aged 33, of Lee Gardens in Smethwich, West Midlands
Barzan Sarhan, aged 31, of no fixed address
Ahmed Piro, aged 26, of no fixed address

The jury failed to reach a verdict on two defendants during the earlier trial. They have been subject to a retrial starting on July 1, with the following outcomes:

Hawre Ahmed, aged 35, of Pinderfields Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was found guilty by the jury of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.
Diar Yousef Zeabari, aged 35, of Flat 5, 41 Bryn Road, Swansea, was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.

Karwan Karim, aged 39 of 125 Griffith John Street, Swansea, also stood trial, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs on day three.

In addition to the OCG members found guilty during the most recent trials, the following have previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs under Operation Burleigh:

Davinder Singh, aged 36, of Huntingdon Road, West Bromwich
Daban Khalil, aged 23, of Streetly Road, Birmingham
Kastro Omar, aged 30, of Junction Road, Northampton
Karwan Jabari, aged 26, of Weedon Close, Northampton
Walid Younis Abdal, aged 34, of St Anne’s Road, Doncaster
Saman Aziz, aged 41, of Kirk Road, Merseyside
Adel Mustafa, aged 39, of Hubert Road, Newport
Charlotte Roberts, aged 21, of Sutton Hill, Telford

The following have previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs:

Akasha Smith, aged 24, of Third Avenue, Aberystwyth
Luqman Jarjis, aged 21, of Wake Green Road, Birmingham

News

Community asked for views on allocation of new St Davids homes

Published

15 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST phase of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Glasfryn housing development in St Davids is progressing well with the second phase also underway.

The development being built by GRD Homes Ltd, began in November 2023, with a first phase completion date of Winter 2024 looking hopeful, ahead of the scheduled plans.

The first phase consists of seven properties, including a mixture of one and two bedroom bungalows

As completion draws closer the properties will be advertised via Pembrokeshire Choice Homes.

Ahead of this, the Council’s housing team will be holding community engagement on the 13th August 2024 at the Ty’r Pererin Centres, Quickwell Hill, St Davids, SA62 6PD, 5pm-7pm.

This will be a chance for officers to liaise with the local community about the allocation process for these properties.

Glasfryn’s second phase is well underway, with the initial groundwork already completed. This phase includes a further 11 two bedroom bungalows, with a completion date in late 2025.

These bungalows will meet the latest Welsh Government’s Development Quality Requirement, and will be energy efficient, built to EPC A specification and include solar panels to help tenants with running costs.

The Glasfryn development is funded in partnership with Welsh Government.

Cabinet Member for Housing Cllr Michelle Bateman said: “We are really keen to work with the community on a local lettings policy for these new properties, as we have done for our developments in other parts of the County.”

If you have any queries please email the Customer Liaison Team on [email protected], phone them on 01437 764551, or visit Housing’s Facebook page.