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Welsh Whisky producers urge restaurants to feature Welsh GI produce

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A GROUP of Welsh whisky producers have come together to launch a new campaign which encourages restaurants in Wales to feature more GI (Geographical Indication) protected products. 

The five Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI producers – Penderyn, Aber Falls, Dà Mhìle, In the Welsh Wind and Coles collectively hold UK GI status, which recognises them nationally and internationally as producing a quality product with a distinctive style.

The new campaign is backed by Welsh Government research which highlights that nine out of ten hospitality guests believe it important for venues to have a good range of dishes with Welsh ingredients. Four out of ten would be prepared to pay more for dishes with Welsh ingredients and 25 percent of respondents would be discouraged from visiting venues with no Welsh food offer.

There are currently 20 GI products in Wales, and the GI Single Malt Welsh Whisky group is urging more chefs and hospitality venues to use and promote these examples of authentically Welsh produce on their menus.

The campaign has been launched with the help of three Welsh chefs who have partnered with the group to create a package of recipes which showcase ideas for using GI produce to others in the hospitality and tourism sector.

Chefs Osian Jones of Crwst and Chris Walker of Yr Hen Printworks, both based in Cardigan and Douglas Balish from the Grove of Narberth have created recipes, demonstration videos and food & drink pairing recommendations for the campaign.

Recipes include Welsh Beef PGI short rib with a Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI pepper sauce and celeriac and a Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI Crème Brûlée. The chefs have recommended food pairings for Welsh Single Malt Whisky PGI including a Traditional Welsh Caerphilly Cheese PGI souffle with Welsh Leeks PGI paired with Dà Mhìle Single Malt Whisky PGI.

Stephen Davies, chief executive of Penderyn Distillery said: “As we recently marked one year since Single Malt Welsh Whisky gained UK GI status, we all appreciate the international recognition and value of the GI brand as a mark of quality, authenticity and provenance. Coupled with the clear evidence that visitors and hospitality guests are actively seeking out Welsh produce on menus, there’s a win-win opportunity here for our great Welsh restaurants and producers,” he said.

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, told The Pembrokeshire Herald: “The GI process is a fantastic way for our high quality producers in Wales to tell their stories and showcase the expertise, sustainability and tradition that goes into these products. Welsh Government is actively encouraging and supporting more producers to apply for GI status as we build our national and international reputation as a distinct food and drink nation. We are delighted to support this new campaign and look forward to seeing more Welsh GI products on menus throughout the country”.

Ellen Wakelam, co-owner of In the Welsh Wind added: “Being part of the Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI family has given the Welsh whisky producing distilleries the chance to collaborate at a deeper level, and has strengthened our individual and collective voices on the UK and International playing fields.

“This is a great opportunity to collaborate with established Welsh hospitality brands and bring the Welsh whisky story to a wider audience. We’ve all had a great experience working together as chefs and producers to create this campaign and we’d urge chefs and producers all over Wales to develop similar relationships to build a truly unique and distinctly Welsh menu offer,” she said.

The campaign is being promoted through Welsh Government’s Food & Drink Wales and Visit Wales networks. Hospitality venues can download recipes and information about Welsh GI producers, and watch the chefs’ recipe videos here.

The PGI Welsh chefs’ recipe collection is:

Douglas Balish, The Grove of Narberth:

Atlantic Edge Pembrokeshire Rock Oyster with Carmarthen Ham PGI and Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI

Pairing: Aber Falls Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI

Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI chocolate tart with smoked Halen Môn salt PDO

Pairing: Penderyn rich oak Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI 

Traditional Welsh Caerphilly cheese PGI souffle with Welsh Leeks PGI and Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI

Pairing: Dà Mhìle Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI

Douglas Balish, The Grove of Narberth

Osian Jones, Crwst, Cardigan:

Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI Crème Brûlée

Chris Walker, Yr Hen Printworks, Cardigan:

Chocolate cremeux, malt ice cream and a Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI & cherry caramel

PGI Welsh Beef short rib with a Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI pepper sauce and celeriac

Three Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI cocktails: 

  • Dà Mhìle Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI Old Fashioned
  • Penderyn Portwood Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI Manhattan
  • In the Welsh Wind Single Malt Welsh Whisky PGI Cherry Whisky Sour.

Chris and Rachel Welch with their son, George (Image: Yr Hen Printworks)
Catrin and Osian Jones (Image: Crwst)

Business

Ascona wins at the 2024 Allica Bank Vreat British Entrepreneur Awards

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PEMBROKESHIRE businessman Darren Briggs, founder of petrol station operator Ascona, has been named a winner of the prestigious Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the ‘Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year – Wales’ and the inaugural ‘Randal Foundation Entrepreneur of the Year – Wales’ categories.

Now in its 12th year, the Great British Entrepreneur Awards shine a spotlight on the individuals and businesses driving innovation, creating jobs, and shaping the future of the UK economy.

This year, the brand new ‘Randal Foundation Entrepreneur of the Year’ award celebrated entrepreneurs whose business embodied The Randal Foundation’s core mission – to save lives, improve life chances, and contribute positively to local communities.  

Ascona has been committed to supporting local communities since its inception, having established The Ascona Foundation in 2020. The success of the Group over the years has enabled Darren and the team to support many charities in the areas in which it operates, with the Company donating over £400,000 to local, national and community organisations since 2017.

Darren Briggs, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ascona Group, commented: “It is a great honour to be recognised for such prestigious awards at this year’s Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

“I am incredibly proud of Ascona and everything we have achieved over the years. This is another milestone for our business and the recognition is a testament to everyone’s hard work, commitment, and ‘Team Ascona’s’ ethos over the years.

“However, I am most proud of our charitable endeavors and the team’s commitment to giving back. It is something that is very close to my heart. We’re committed to supporting our various charity partnerships, including the Wales Air Ambulance this year, as we continue our extensive fundraising initiatives across the Group.”

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Business

Cilgerran cafe could close but a new one could open as plans submitted

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A CALL to convert a Pembrokeshire village café back to a house, while another ongoing scheme in the same village seeks to convert a house to a café, have been submitted to county planners.

David McDonald, through agent Acer Town Planning, seeks permission to change the use of the ground floor of Awelfa, High Street, Cilgerran from a café to being used as part of the attached dwelling.

A supporting statement, through the agent, says Adele’s café at Awelfa, High Street was originally a dwelling but has seen mixed commercial use for decades.

“Prior to opening as Adele’s café by the applicant, the ground floor commercial use had been vacant for around two years having previously been operated as a Chinese takeaway.

“The current owners took over the rental of the property in April 2019 (purchasing in October 2020) and have operated Adele’s café from the premises between June 2019 and August 2024 whilst living in the linked dwellinghouse.

“During this period, the Awelfa, Cilgerran business has been under prolonged and sustained economic pressures from the cost-of-living crisis with the subsequent increases in utility and food costs and minimum wages.

“Summers 2023 and 2024 saw a significant drop in trade from both local customers and, in particular, a drop in the number of tourists visiting the area.  The closure of the toilets and visitors centre at Cilgerran Castle is considered to have contributed to this reduction in visitor numbers.

“The business was closed during January due to low trade and opened again in February for three days a week and then four days a week from April.  Even with reduced opening hours the business has not been viable for the applicant to continue operating.  The reluctant decision was therefore made to sell the property and trading ceased on August 24.”

The statement says was put up for sale with no offers to buy despite several price reductions, with only three viewings in total.

“In order to increase the pool of buyers for the property, the applicant is now applying for the change of use of the café areas back to form part of the residential use of the main dwelling (as per the original building),” the statement adds.

It also references an unrelated application to convert The Old Post House, High Street, owned by nearby village stores Siop Y Pentre, from a dwelling to a café and flat, saying it “could act as a replacement facility for the community”.

Both applications are currently before planners and are expected to be considered at a later date.

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Business

Rising living costs are increasing credit card usage 

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The recent cost of living crisis has affected millions of people across the UK, with 46 million people reporting that their cost of living has increased since November 2021. Costs are continuously on the rise, and unfortunately many people are struggling to pay bills on time, or at all, and afford basic necessities like food, clothes, and heating. 

In order to get by, more and more people are using alternative methods to make ends meet. This includes buy now, pay later schemes, relying on credit cards, or taking out personal loans. Whilst this can work for some in the short term, it has the possibility of leading to long term implications like debt and a bad credit rating. 

Increased reliance on credit cards 

When used responsibly, credit cards can be a great tool for spreading costs and could help with building a better credit score. However, the pressures of inflation has led to a significant growth in credit card usage, with a 0.8% rise in total credit card spending year-on-year in the UK. 

More people are having to use credit cards to get by on a day-to-day basis which is leaving some people in debt. In fact, outstanding credit card debt reached £70.1 billion – an increase of 7.02% in the year to April 2024.

Once you’re in debt it can be incredibly difficult to get out of it. You need to have enough income to cover your living costs and day-to-day expenses as well as your debt in order to start reducing it. Unfortunately, the inflated living costs are making it even more difficult for people to break the cycle of debt, and are leading to poor credit scores.

How a bad credit score can affect you 

Carrying a lot of debt or failing to make payments on time could affect your credit rating. This, in turn, can lead to several complications regarding some financial products or your ability to rent.  

You are less likely to be accepted for mortgages and loans 

Bad credit makes you look less appealing to mainstream lenders, who will be less likely to offer you a loan or accept a mortgage application as they view you as high risk. Similarly, a landlord or estate agent may be unlikely to consider a rent application for the same reason. 

Qualifying for a credit card may be difficult 

Like with loans, lenders will check for debt and a low credit rating. If your credit score is poor and you have a significant amount of debt, it’s much more likely that your credit card application will be refused. 

Getting car finance can be tricky

Getting car finance is another difficulty when you have bad credit. Lenders will be much less inclined to offer you car finance if you have higher risk factors such as debt and a history of missed payments. 

Fortunately, there are still ways to finance a car with bad credit. It’s important to note that whilst it is possible to get car finance even with a bad credit score, you do need to be sensible about it. Always do your research around which car would be suitable for you and what will match your budget. 

You might face larger interest rates 

If you do get accepted for a loan, mortgage, or credit card whilst you have bad credit, it’s not unusual for your repayments to be much higher than that of someone with a good credit rating. Lenders do this as a way to better protect themselves since the risks they are taking are higher when someone has a poor credit history. 

Your car insurance premiums could be higher

A bad credit score could lead to higher auto insurance premiums. Whilst it’s unlikely you’ll ever be rejected for insurance based on your credit score, it is likely you will have less available options and the premiums on offer could be much more costly. 

Financial products can still be beneficial

When used correctly, credit cards, loans, and other financial products can be advantageous in helping you make larger purchases such as cars or houses. However, it’s important to note that whilst they can be a good tool for spreading costs, it’s essential to conduct thorough research when considering a financial product as you are responsible for your own credit. 

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