CASTELL HOWELL has launched a new Food Show, showcasing the food trends and innovations that the hospitality industry can expect to see in 2025 and giving visitors a preview of its growing range of Welsh food and drink products. 

The new industry event is taking place alongside the 2025 Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC) at the International Conference Centre in Newport from 20-22 January.

Castell Howell managing director Matt Lewis said: “The Castell Howell Food Show will be a new highlight in this three-day celebration of Welsh culinary excellence, hospitality skills, and innovation. As the largest wholesale supplier of Welsh Food & Drink, it gives us the opportunity to champion our excellent Welsh producers, to support hospitality customers in developing their businesses and, ultimately, to help our communities and local economies throughout Wales to thrive.

“Visitors will have the unique opportunity to engage directly with Castell Howell specialists representing every aspect of our business from insights into the latest trends, to discovering what’s in the pipeline for Welsh food and drink producers in 2025,” he said.

The Castell Howell Food Show will be a new annual event in the calendar at the start of the year, serving as a preview for its larger established trade shows, hosted at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli and Parc Eirias in Conwy. 

The Welsh International Culinary Championships, organised by the Culinary Association of Wales, bring together the nation’s most talented craft chefs, butchers, and front-of-house professionals for three days of demanding competition. The 2025 WICC also hosts the Skills Competition Wales hospitality finals, showcasing the country’s top apprentices.

Deputy First Minister, with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: 

“These two events promise to be a fantastic showcase for Wales’ food and drink industry. It’s an opportunity to celebrate Wales’ culinary excellence and the strength of our hospitality sector. Castell Howell plays an important role in supporting Welsh farmers, producers and the hospitality sector – and I wish them well with this new event.” 

Further information about the event is at foodshow.wales

A SCHEME for a battery storage facility near Pembroke Power Station which will put the county at “the forefront of South Wales’ low-carbon future” has been approved by county planners.

In an application recommended for conditional approval the January meeting of Pembrokeshire County council’s planning committee, RWE Generation UK plc sought permission for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) of up to 212 battery units including ancillary works, along with a connection to the National Grid on land next to Pembroke Power Station, Pwllcrochan, Pembroke.

An officer report for planners said: “The application site comprises an area of approximately 32 hectares of primarily agricultural land within the countryside, to the south of Pembroke Power Station.

“As well as the main part of the application site that would accommodate the BESS, the application site also includes a linear cable route to connect the BESS to the National Grid substation located adjacent to Pembroke Power Station, temporary construction laydown areas and a new means of access from the main power station access road to the west.”

Members heard that extensive mitigation was planned for visual impacts related to the proposal.

Speaking at the meeting, project manager Victoria Williamson said RWE wanted the Pembrokeshire site to be “at the forefront of South Wales’ low-carbon future,” the battery facility providing storage of excess electrical energy from the ‘grid, contributing to a consistent energy framework by storing energy at peaks and making it available for periods of higher demand.

Members heard local town and community councils had been liaised with, and local households had been informed of the scheme, with “overwhelming support for the proposal”.

Following a request for information from Cllr Alan Dennison, members were told that, if approved, it was hoped the scheme would start at the end of 2025, and be operational by early 2028.

Moving approval, Cllr Brian Hall said: “If we don’t go down this line, to be honest I don’t think the power station will stay there; it’s essential to go down this green energy, with the extra staff and benefits to the Pembrokeshire economy I think it’s marvellous, I have no hesitation whatsoever to move this recommendation.”

The recommendation for conditional delegated approval from the council’s head of planning, once a draft Habitat Regulations Assessment had been ratified, was unanimously passed by committee members.

MEMBERS of the Eglwyscummin Community Council and residents of the village of Red Roses today (Friday 17^th January) called a road-side meeting with local politicians Samuel Kurtz MS, Cefin Campbell MS and Ann Davies MP to highlight what they consider to be an ‘unsafe’ junction.

Growing concerns about the safety of the Red Roses junction brought about by the increase in near misses and accidents from users of the junction was evidenced during the meeting. The community hope that continued pressured on Welsh Government will deliver the additional safety modifications needed to reduce the number of incidents happening at the junction.

The local Member of Senedd for Carmerthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Samuel Kurtz, has been leading the campaign with the Community Council and has been liaising with SWTRA and Welsh Government Ministers to call for action on this junction.

He has already delivered a successful campaign to change the road layout of the notorious A477 Nash Fingerpost junction following several serious accidents, which is already being of real benefit to the local community. He hopes to build on this success by continuing to fight for further improvements in Red Roses and address the speeding issues being experienced on the A477 through the village of Milton.

Following the community meeting, Samuel Kurtz MS commented: “The Community Council have been extremely active in sharing the experiences that drivers are having at this junction and have put forward some recommendations that they believe will make it safer. Sadly, it’s a typical case of the junction meeting all the criteria on paper, but in practice, it’s dangerous and needs addressing.”

“ In this case, traffic travelling Westward towards Pembroke at speed have no turn off lane before having to slow down to virtually a standstill to make the narrow sharp lefthand turn off the A477 to Red Roses. On this fast busy road, it has been the root cause of the sign being crashed into on several occasions as drivers have failed to make the turn. There are crashes or near misses, as cars break sharply to try to make the turn as safely as possible.”

He added: “I believe that there are some relatively straight forward steps that can be taken which will deliver improvement and I’ve been asking Welsh Government for a review of the A477 and will invite road officials to see for themselves the junction in use. But I do need feedback from the local community to help make the case to Welsh Government. I’m asking people to get in touch with me via my Facebook page or email to share their experience, opinion, or example of any issues they may have had or witnessed using this stretch of road.”

Pictured above: Members of the Eglwyscummin Community Council at the road-side meeting with local politicians Samuel Kurtz MS, Cefin Campbell MS and Ann Davies MP discussing safety concerns at the Red Roses junction.