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Posts Tagged ‘Welsh Country magazine’

Latest Update From HCC – Hybu Cig Cymru

04 Dec

I have been told today by HCC, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, that there is no requirement for butchers to register with HCC. Actually I didn’t think there any requirement for butchers to register with HCC, what I thought I was doing was asking a simple question of how many independent retail butchers there are in Wales and for a full list of them. Apparently not so simple for HCC or wag to answer!

However I am also informed that HCC have their own database of butchers contrary to them saying they do not have any list, see below, which has been built up over the years. But surprise, surprise, I am not allowed to have a copy of that because it includes personal information and its release could breach people’s rights under the Data Protection Act. I don’t need or want anyone’s personal information, just a list of independent butchers and where they are based, but this is proving too difficult for the powers-that-be, if not downright impossible.

When I first asked this question on 12th October, Welsh Country magazine was told that HCC was building a website for registered butchers and that hopefully it would be live in ‘a month’. We were not told that HCC had a list of butchers and that due to Data Protection we could not have it. Indeed our response to FOI 6577, we were categorically told that HCC did not have this list. Our only conclusion from this is that their FOI reply was incorrect!

I’m rather puzzled that HCC state they cannot let me have a copy of their due to Data Protection, whereas Environmental Health Offices can and have, provided such information to us without any such restriction. So do some agencies hide behind Data Protection, or is it just HCC’s intention to make life as difficult as possible for Welsh Country magazine, whilst they play the government game of smoke and mirrors? Our Best Of Welsh & Border producers know how many times the smoke and mirror tactic has been used by those people in ‘food power’.

I have again asked HCC to clarify how they can state that they support local butchers and send them promotional material, if they don’t know who and where they are? Unless of course, what HCC actually means, is that they only support the butchers that are on their own database. I’ve asked this question before, but not yet had a reply………………….

I’ve also asked for the total number of butchers on HCC’s database. Bearing in mind that HCC might again consider this information confidential.

I have lost count of the number of emails I have sent on this subject to HCC and wag, but as people paid at the end of each month, they no doubt think I have nothing better to do and plenty of time to waste! So much for HCC being tagged Meat Promotion Wales, if only this scenario could make you smile, otherwise you and I might just cry…………………

First post on this topic was 13th November – Butchers, Who & Where Are You? Please Tell HCC Because They Don’t Know!!!!  

 

 

 

 
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Butchers, Who & Where Are You? Please Tell HCC Because They Don’t Know!!!

13 Nov

On 26th October I posted on my struggle to get what I thought was a simple FOI question, Number 6577 answered. The two questions were: 1. How many independent retails butchers are there in Wales? 2. Please forward the full list of all independent butchers in Wales. To be then told that the HCC, wag nor the FSA hadn’t the figures I’d asked for – that was it. So as is allowed I went forward to ask for an internal review to Wag in Pontypridd. This internal review got a similar response but I was also told if I wasn’t content with that response I could go back to him. Why oh why, would any civil servant after NOT answering a question, would they expect any journalist to be happy. In case you can’t guess, I’m not and here we go again. I’m sure it is not just me, but it is something I find infuriating, unprofessional and very annoying. Whilst emails banged backwards and forwards – achieving nothing new but wag’s game of smoke and mirrors continues. I’m then asked if I feel that wag and HCC should have this information this will be discussed with HCC. ‘If I feel’ ………guys I am not head honcho of HCC, because if I was, this basic information would have been there. How can any business, and in the case of HCC I use this term loosely, because you can’t be classed as a business if you are funded by wag and the levies paid for by the meat trade – but as I have been told that HCC is an industry lead body, how can they have the ability to lead anything at all if they don’t know how many local butchers they should be looking after? Cynics amongst you, will of course be saying that HCC have never looked after butchers and all the wordage on HCC’s website simply ‘says’ the right things but as we all know actions speak louder than words don’t they? I have followed through with this FOI question because butchers have quizzed me with one in particular asking me to send one through on his behalf. With my past poor record of achieving any sensible discussion with HCC, I warned him I wasn’t hopeful, but I certainly did expect to make some progress. Of course there are other options for me to try and at the moment I have a half page spare in our food editorial pages for our next issue of Welsh Country magazine, January/February. But do our readers really want to know that HCC, who is paid such a whacking amount of money to be a ‘lead industry body’ doesn’t know how many independent butchers there are in Wales – of course the embarrassment thankfully would be mine, but the question I’m struggling with, is will sharing this information help or hinder this industry further? Since Welsh Country magazine started eight years ago we set our stall out to support and promote local Welsh food in as many ways as we could. We ran a Buy Local – Eat Local campaign we put together our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers group, which now totals over 100 producers. We talk on a regular basis by phone and email to our BOW people, and they are more up-to-date with what is happening in their industry than they have ever been, which is excellent and is how it should be, despite the fact that communication should be wags job. We know when our producers are unhappy and we feel it is part of our role to help them when we can with any food problems. I started welshfoodbites and this has been a massive success, despite not being funded by anyone but us. If I tell you that I’ve asked on our producers’ behalf in excess of 30, yes thirty Freedom Of Information questions relating to food issues. Wag have eventually in some case, had to supply information that I’d been told was not in the public domain, but I got there, in time. It is not for the first time, I can assure that the WCM team and I feel we are the unpaid conscience of wag food, but does it still have to be this way?

So far this year Ian and I have attended 22 food festivals. But over the years we’ve attended numerous farmers’ markets, local produce markets, food conferences and food tourism groups. So surely there can’t be too much doubt that we have more than a good idea of what our food producers are thinking and wanting.

As wag, HCC or FSA don’t know butcher number in Wales, we are now having to speak to County Environmental Health officers to find if they have the information readily available. We still await a response but they have now put the question under an Freedom of Information banner so we should hear within 20 working days.  If this situation gets updated you can be sure I’ll let you know.

 
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Congratulations To Cowbridge Food & Drink Festival

29 Oct

What a delightful change for Ian and I to visit a 2-day food festival, arrive on the second day and see and talk to happy traders. Yes dear reader, you did read that correctly, happy traders! Plus we had lots of Best of Welsh & Border producers there.

Wow, wow, wow Cowbridge, what is your secret……….?

Well to be fair there isn’t one, but the reason why the Cowbridge team have a winner of an event, year after year, is that they listen. Cowbridge listen to traders, to the retailers in the town, to the town council, to their helpers and volunteers, to their sponsors and maybe in part, also listen to us too. In my view, listening is their secret. Usually when ‘anyone’ suggests to organisers that something could be improved, instead of getting the usual scenario from them, which could be strongly defending their corner because there is nothing wrong, it can’t be changed or the ultimate, which if a trader complains, means they’ll not get invited back, so what is the point of traders saying anything? Cowbridge Events Manager is Polly Wilson of pollywilson events, she’s the face of Cowbridge, the contact for both traders and press, but thanks and congratulations must also go to John Davies the Chair of Cowbridge Food Festival and the rest of the great team that he has put together.

Anyway back to Polly, who I must say that the traders have a great deal of respect for, and I still insist it’s because she does listen to them. Of course she can’t please everyone, who could? But if your requests are listed on your application form, and if your form is accurately filled in, with you not expecting Polly to remember all the products you produce, then maybe possible problems can be nipped in the bud  before they start. Festival forms are a pain in the butt for both sides, but over the following months, I want to pick Polly’s brains and see if we can devise a form that will help Polly do her job and will make life easier for traders too. If we can achieve that, then maybe we can persuade wag to have just one form for ALL funded festivals, but maybe I’m dreaming on that one, we’ll see.  Yet after praising Polly and the team, even they couldn’t stop the rain on Sunday afternoon! But the pleasure from visiting Cowbridge festival does come from Polly understanding the traders and the traders appearing to understand the job she works so hard to get right.

I’m sure you can now guess another reason the traders so happy? Yes of course, Saturday was brilliant on the takings front. One trader said: this festival is the best and busiest I have done this year and such a change to see people handing me £20 notes and not struggling to find a fiver in change. Many commented: Saturday was so busy; Sunday is now a much needed bonus. A trader, who has travelling down to London that night for a show this week, had no choice but to use some of the London stock they had, as they too had been so busy. This was music to my ears.

Parking has always been a problem in Cowbridge, that’s the nature of this beautiful town, but improvements had been made, although human nature decrees, that traders will want to be as close as possible to the food marquee. However something else that impressed me was the young people from the ATC that were so helpful to traders in helping them move their stock back to their vans. Gosh they were so polite, despite the hideous rain that came in without my permission I might add! The cookery demos were moved much closer to the main action, which was sensible and worked well. There were locals chefs down for duty and again this is something I like and want to see more of at other festivals. Not sure though if they were using food from the producers, I’ll check with Polly about that one. I would have liked to have seen a notice in that area saying who was cooking and when though. The Park & Ride was another big help, as were the AA signs on my way in. Marshalling worked well and everyone was so polite and helpful – yes even to press too!

Another surprise after Ian and I had had our coffee fix in Cowbridge just after 9.30, the cafe was very busy and doing a good trade in breakfasts, was to see a local butcher open on the High Street and other shops planning to open from 11-3.00. Thank goodness that shop retailers were taking advantage of the massive number of visitors to the town and showing them what Cowbridge has to offer.

There was the craft area in it’s normal spot, some had done ok some not well at all. I must have a moan at some of these traders who not only didn’t have business cards and singnage on their stands but did look totally fed up. I know it was cold and it is always worse if you aren’t selling, I do know that after having done tradestands for more years than I wish to divulge here, but a grumpy looking trader doesn’t encourage me to have a look at what they have got on offer.  Ian has quick to spot our First Minster Carwyn Jones in the craft area, and of course couldn’t resist the opportunity to give him a copy of Welsh Country to take home with him. Polly you didn’t say you had friends in such high places!

I didn’t see Miller Research but maybe they visited on Saturday. To me that is a daft day to go as Saturday is always the busiest day so you cannot talk to traders and get their view – that is if they want any traders view of an event.

So compliments to all involved in Cowbridge, wag should hold you up as the example to follow. I know that wag funded Cowbridge to the tune of £9,900 and this is one of the few occasions that wag food and our producers got real value for money.

Poor Polly is though going to have many, many more producers wanting stands next year when word spreads to those who haven’t attended before or worst still couldn’t get in this year and missed such a wonderful event………………………………..

 
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How Do Welsh Food Festivals Promote & Market Themselves?

17 Oct

Well my quick answer is that many don’t manage promotion very well. You might well say – so what does that matter to me as a producer? – well it really does matter to every trader attending. Let me throw a question to anyone wanting a tradestand at a food festival. Do you ever ask the organiser what promotion & marketing are they doing for their festival before you part with your hard-earned money? I’m guessing the answer is no,and you just assume they’ll do something, but you’re more concerned on whether you’ll get a stand at all and where you want to be sited. This is what I’m told by many of our Best Of Welsh & Border producers and I do listen carefully to what they tell me. So I can understand this, as producers have so much on their minds and so little time to get even their essential jobs completed.

So let me explain where I, as a journalist with a love of local food, stand. Many of the food festivals are funded from wag and at some stage I get a list from wag giving me a list of food festivals they are supporting that year. A success for me to crow about is that now I also get told how much each festival receives! That took a great deal of effort to get that, but I did and I think those amounts are helpful not only for me, but for traders too. Ian then talks to the various organisers during the year, obviously to see if we can get them advertising with us, but can you guess what many of them say? ‘That there’s no advertising budget this year’. Of course we have to accept that, we’re in a competitive market after all and it’s possible that they are using their local paper or even local radio. But I think it’s a pity that you as producers attending, are not told how a particular festival will be getting thousands of the people you need into their event.

So having to accept, with great reluctance of course, that some festivals will not be advertising in Welsh Country magazine, as a foodie journalist I do expect to get at least one press release about each festival. As I’ve worked in PR I know that it is worth sending lots of press releases out because you can never tell how much coverage you ‘might just get without placing an advert! Plus with the ease and speed of email why not send out to lots and lots of people? Yet out of the 33 festivals that wag are supporting this year, I’ve had only seven festivals send me through even a basic press release. As some of those were advertising with us anyway, our team would have pushed and pushed for us to be sent as many press releases as possible because they would all be put up on welshcountry.co.uk. Certainly if space was available, one would also go in the appropriate issue of the magazine too. This along with social media is part of the service package we offer to help promote their festival; in fact it is what we do for anyone advertising with us. I must at this point also confess that if we get a press release from a food festival not advertising with us, they go straight in my bin or my deleted box. This is because our company policy is to help and promote any advertiser that is supporting us.

My other grumble is that if we decide to visit a festival then I want to be able to easily find a website that has the details of all the producers attending on it. Annoyingly this doesn’t always happen, but it highlights another opportunity lost by the organisers and some promotion lost for you as traders.

Obviously there are exceptions to my list of grumbles, some festivals are very switched on and use e-newsletters, have super websites, which are regularly updated and make full use of social media. Over the years I have discussed food festivals with wag but have been repeatedly told that wag can’t ‘ask’ organisers to do these basic tasks, let alone insist that they do. Well I totally disagree with wag’s attitude, because if promotion and marketing were listed as one of their criteria and the festival didn’t get paid unless they did that, then it would be done and be helpful to many of us. Remove wag’s financial carrot and the donkey must go without. It amazes me that wag can insist that everything a festival produces must be bilingual, regardless of whether the bulk of your audience is English speaking, but wag cannot push organisers to do basic PR & Marketing.

My main argument is that there is no co-operation. I appreciate that the following comments don’t apply to all festivals as there are exceptions.  Anecdotally Welsh Country offered three wag funded food festivals a 32 page festival booklet produced and printed at no cost to the festival with advertising paying for the production and printing. Unbelievably for various reasons, all three rejected the offer. Why? Various reasons, one being the committee decided against it. But we are still puzzled that a no-cost offer was turned down.  We are astonished that festivals shouldn’t want offers like this. Add to this the fact that local businesses want to work with festivals, but some festivals appear not to want to use this free resource either. The tin lid on this long list of grumbles is the complete jobs- worth attitudes of some local councils. I am constantly complaining that signage is a problem, but also realise that many of the issues are not the fault of the festival organisers, but the local highways department. The local or county councils economic development team supposedly want to help local businesses and therefore allow and in many cases help local food festivals, but then the highways department stop signage preventing the economic development department doing their job and hindering local businesses in the process. On a positive note let me give the example of brilliant Council co-operation work, then look no further than Caerphilly, who at any of their festivals co-operate, sign well and all with a smile too! But before the cynics amongst you think I’m praising one of our advertisers, on this occasion I’m not!!!

My suggestion after ranting away about wag’s archaic system is that if you are unsure whether to apply to a festival, even after chatting to fellow traders, then why not ask the organiser how they are going to get the thousands of punters that you guys all need, into their event. Their answer will surely help……..

 
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Hybu Cig Cymru Campaign To Help Welsh Butchers?

11 Sep

I received a press release from Hybu Cig Cymru, HCC on 29th August and was thrilled to learn that HCC are spending £850k on a promotional campaign to promote Welsh lamb this autumn. I have taken the liberty to show the press release in full further down, so all our independent butchers that are with us as Best of Welsh & Border producers, BOW, can join with me in my excitement!

When we received this press release, Ian contacted Golley Slater, the Public Relations company that ‘look after’ HCC, asking when he should be talking to them about advertising, bearing in mind that at this stage Golley Slater for some reason, hadn’t already been talking to Welsh Country magazine. This press release came direct from HCC, not from Golley Slater, but stated the campaign breaks in September, so we’d no chance of HCC coming in our S/October issue, had we?

But I was told by one of our BOW butchers, that on 9th September there was a full page advert in the Mail On Sunday, MOS. Well I tracked the advert down and read it with some interest. But I’m not convinced at all that MOS readers will understand that Welsh lamb has PGI status, let alone know what PGI actually means. This is a campaign to the ordinary chap in the street, Joe Public, not to the trade, so why in an advert campaign would you use PGI instead of saying and explaining Protected Geographical Indication? I’m puzzled about that. Even having a minuscule logo next to the Welsh lamb logo totally misses the mark; it will mean very little, if anything at all, to the readers of the Sunday Mail. Maybe I’m wrong on that but I really don’t think so.

I’m also not sure that it’s motivating enough that the competition HCC are plugging with ‘quality time in a luxury Welsh farmhouse for eight guests with dinner specifically prepared by a celebrity TV chef,’ hits the mark either. Is this a Welsh TV celebrity chef or an English TV celebrity chef? Doesn’t the celebrity chef deserve a plug? Or has a celebrity chef not yet been booked yet? For goodness sake don’t lose the opportunity to name the chef, especially if he or she is Welsh. Any bets guys on the chef? Maybe it’s Dudley or Steve Terry, but perhaps HCC will use the young and talented Luke Thomas who I interviewed for  Welsh Country magazine for our J/Feb issue in 2011. Not quite sure that the lovely Luke will count with HCC as a celebrity TV chef, but he’s certainly one to watch.

My other worry with this national campaign, is that one of the constant queries I get asked, is where Welsh people can buy Welsh meat. In a way it’s an easy one for me to answer, as I know we have a superb selection of local butchers with us on our Best Of Welsh & Borders listing, so I can direct people there. But I hate to hear of people living here in Wales struggling to find Welsh meat, be it lamb, beef or pork. When I have no option but to visit a supermarket in Wales, I often find it difficult to find Welsh meat. Following a meeting I went to some time ago about the Cambrian Mountain initiative I visited a Co-Op store after being assured their meat was readily available there, but I couldn’t find any Welsh meat at all, I asked a member of staff to be told she didn’t think they had any! Now that was here in Wales, so I am concerned how much Welsh meat is readily available across all UK supermarkets and if it really is not just easy to find but more ‘right-in-your face’ when you get to the meat counter and is clearly marked on their shelves. Cynical journalist I might be, but my concern is totally and utterly for not only our BOW butchers, who of course are my priority, but also for all independent butchers who are having a very tough time as they continue to compete against the powerful supermarkets and the downward trend of our High Streets.

£850,000 promotional campaign for Welsh Lamb launches this autumn

 A major £850,000 advertising campaign gets underway in September which aims to make Welsh Lamb the first choice meat on Britain’s plates.

The campaign includes television, online, billboard poster and magazine advertising as well as an on-pack competition for shoppers to win a luxury break which includes being treated to a top class meal cooked by an up-and-coming young chef.

New recipe booklets will be distributed to butchers across the land to hand out to shoppers.

“This is one of the most comprehensive advertising campaigns we have ever undertaken, driven by our desire to see Welsh Lamb installed as the number one choice on dinner tables,” said Laura Dodds, Market Development Manager with red meat promotion agency Hybu Cig Cymru.

“Our advertising campaign covers all media, while both independent butchers and supermarkets that sell Welsh Lamb will be supplied with posters and recipe booklets that consumers will be able to take home with them to try out.”

 

 
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Welsh Government Food Staff Change

28 Aug

After a very gossipy week – the phone and emails have been red hot, the gossip has officially been confirmed - here it is in full:

A brief note to let you know that I will be moving to work in the office of the Welsh Language Commissioner before the end of September. I have worked with many of you for over a decade on many programmes and initiatives within the food and drink industry in Wales. It has been a challenging but successful time and I’m sure that the sector will remain both vibrant and competitive in the future.

Best Wishes
Wynfford James.

This news has been circulated to our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers and other interested Welsh Country advertisers.

From what I ‘hear’ huge changes are strong possibility. However all I can do is await further official news, who has moved, where and why. Just hope I’ll be informed!!!! Rest assured when I know, you’ll know.

Contrary to further rumours I am not running a book as to who takes over Head of Welsh Food!!!! The role of Director Of Rural Affairs is also I believe vacant, might these two roles be combined? Form the outside it seems a massive opportunity to have a complete shake up. Whether this will be for the better, we can only cross our fingers and hope ………………………..is that scary or what?

 
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Local Welsh Food At Royal Welsh Show

25 Jul

There was huge relief all round that the sun shone on the showground in Builth Wells. I visited on Monday and after signing in at the press Office and able to get a cup of PG Tips …….despite the fact that Welsh Brew Tea had two stands at the show; I made my way to the Food Hall. Before I entered the Welsh Food Hall, I had to pass a mobile van selling ice-cream, nothing wrong in that you might think, but you’d be wrong, this van was Kelly’s Of Cornwall, yes guys Cornwall!!! In our Welsh Food Hall there must have been at least three Welsh producers selling ice-cream and the quality of their product I know is second to none but why should they have to compete with a van from Cornwall just outside the Food Hall? Is there a Cornwall foodie insider working on their behalf in the RWAS? Or is there another reason for Cornwall ice-cream to have such a prominent position alongside our Food Hall. Now please don’t think that Kelly’s of Cornwall is a mini family business, because I didn’t walk the entire Welsh Showground I counted a total of three Kelly stands there. Now of course I’m aware just buy looking at the ‘quality’ of some of the stands at the outer reaches of the show ground that the RWAS must take any stand that wishes to attend, but is it really beyond the comprehension of RWAS and Wag Food to put in at least some effort to push Welsh food first.

I saw a few red banners bearing Welsh Assembly Government logo, saying there were supporting rural business, but perhaps micro and small food producers don’t come under Wag’s count of rural businesses. You hardly need to be the ‘Brain of Wales’ to work out that this mobile ice-cream van could easily have been sited elsewhere, it is after all a very large show ground and all it needed was a little thought and for Wag Food to recall who they are actually working for. Perhaps this might just get me into another game of ping pong when Wag might say it is not their jurisdiction and pass it over to RWAS, but if that’s the case RWAS might care to recall that Wag is possibly their biggest single benefactor. For as I understand it Wag allegedly put into the RWAS coffers via various means £1m for the summer show. Wag ‘occasionally’ forgets that those doing the paying, do the saying too.  Wag does use this ploy elsewhere, but that is another story to be aired here later.

So that was my day off to a poor start, but could it get worse? Sadly yes it could and it did. As I walked around the Food Hall, and I did that many times during the day, what struck me, as it did when Wag first opened this building is a total lack of anywhere to sit. There where no seating areas inside at all and it got to the stage where some people had no option but to sit on the floor. Good heavens what is life coming to that this obvious one to me anyway, is not important to the powers-that-be? There was space for seating areas to be done, as they were last year, but if you go onto Preseli Coffee or visit Welsh Brew Tea for a well earned cuppa, it appears you just wander around trying to drink it. As for food if you wish to buy some of the fabulous food on offer, then you eat on the hoof or go outside and find an area of grass to camp down. People resorted to sitting on the concrete steps outside and because the weather was lovely and warm, I guess that was better than nothing for them. But this area was not cleaned on a regular basis, not sure that I actually saw that many cleaners on my travels. But surely the infamous Food Hall should be a priority for cleanliness. I did find around one corner of the Hall just a few tables and chairs, but there was no bin sited there, just a few plastic bags tied to railings and the floor was nothing short of a disgrace. The demo kitchen, which ran last year in the Food Hall wasn’t there this year, but even that extra space didn’t spur Wag to provide a seating area. I would have thought that the longer we can keep people interested in the Food Hall the more opportunities for our producers to sell to them – but what do I know? Answers by email only please!!!!!!

So Wag; if that’s your showcase of Welsh Food, your standards need to rise. There were some outstanding producers in the Food Hall and many of them were our Best Of Welsh & Borders and I was delighted to be associated with them. What a choice of food on offer but what a dreadful shame I felt that they were let down by Wag once again.

I was told that Horeb Food Centre was having some sort of event in the room above the Food Hall, but think my invite got lost in the post, unless Horeb Food Centre had nothing to tell the press.

I was told by one producer that it cost £750 for a single fronted stand and £900 for a corner stand; this includes a table and two chairs and two tickets per day. Well although this is for four days, it’s still a huge amount of money bearing in mind if you want an extra table, that’s another twenty pounds, there was no chiller area this year, but of course if you wished to hire a fridge from them they could do that – for another fee. Last year the traders had a coffee and tea machine and water provided, this year they only had water, but no explanation for the change this year, maybe they are expected to just be grateful they got water included for their £750 fee. I’ve just checked my old records for RWAS 2008. According to the letter I have it says that it costs Wag £50k plus vat to hire the old Food Hall for the summer show alone and an additional £180k plus vat for stand build, graphics and dressing. In 2010 my info states a single fronted stand £355 plus vat and £405 plus vat for a corner stand. In 2011 prices I have show £600 plus vat which is £750 for a single fronted stand and £700 plus vat for a corner stand which is £875.

Every time I go into this new Food Hall, I cannot forget that this building was designed by a food expert, no doubt at huge cost, bearing in mind the bill was £1.6m, but on the plus side at least after the first shambolic opening in 2010, the stands are no longer in long straight runs, so it does work better and allows much easier traffic flow. But that is really my only plus point. Wag Food pay the RWAS £100k per year so that they have this building for the Royal and the Winter Fair, which is a lot of money to then fail to showcase the Best Of Welsh food – and of course that figure is only the start of the costs. For the old Food Hall, Wag paid £50k per year to RWAS, so a 50% increase is not a bad earner for the RWAS is it?

Farmers’ Market
The warm weather certainly played into the hands of the Farmers’ Market which had about 10 quality stands and wooden tables and benches so people could buy and eat and drink. It proved a popular area and I hope that it is a good four days trading for our producers.

HCC -Hybu Cig Cymru

Sorry guys, I’d forgotten I’d been invited to an HCC breakfast and press conference and listened to the HCC Chairman and the Deputy Food Minister each give an address, both delighted with the export sales they have achieved this year and that they had invited a party of Italians over in an effort to win our trade for that market. I just wished I’d had both those men with me at a Slow Food Movement lunch I was invited to last week. A lady who had recently moved to Wales complained to me that she struggled to find Welsh meat in her local supermarket and why was that considering all around her cottage she’s surrounded by sheep. I suggested she rang HCC, but there was no hope that would happen, she was just so annoyed that buying Welsh meat should be a challenge. So I gave her a copy of Welsh Country magazine – highlighted her nearest butchers and she was happy.

Over the years we’ve talked to HCC endlessly by phoning, hoping we could find a way to work together and obviously help our local butchers especially those already with us on Best Of Welsh & Borders listing, but also to help local butchers in their battle against the supermarkets. We’ve even had a meeting with them, which was not fruitful and we’ve talked regularly with their PR Agency, who did tell one of my team she ‘was too passionate about Welsh food’ – can you believe that? So there’s no point me mentioning this issue again with HCC because they don’t believe what I’m saying. So no progress there for, whilst they are busy bragging about their exports.

Stubbins Marketing and Puffin Produce both had stands there, generously giving away samples and encouraging people to buy in their local supermarket – great. So this raises my next question, what’s the point of the Royal Welsh Food Hall?

It appears to me that Wag focus the food hall to help promote Welsh food to the supermarkets. Indeed the Royal Welsh has to be the show where all the UK food buyers for the bigger supermarkets and wholesalers are all present. So it follows that the larger food producers should be in attendance and presenting their produce in the most professional manner. For these companies the restrictions of the food hall maybe isn’t quite right for their companies. Perhaps a corner stand isn’t big enough for them. They might want more space, they might want more raz ma taz and to be able to offer a little hospitality on their stand. On the other hand in the promotion from the Royal Welsh, it highlights the Food Hall as a fantastic place for the farmer’s wife and the family to go and find excellent Welsh food; it doesn’t say you’ll then struggle to eat it. This is a wonderful concept and should be applauded, but the two do not really go together. Indeed by putting the two together in my view spoil both sides of this coin. This hinders supplies to the supermarkets because the buyers are not treated with true VIP hospitality as they are at some speciality wholesale shows, but for the smaller producers selling to the general public, they are hindered with supposed restrictions on sales and not good facilities for the public to enjoy the food that they purchase. I do accept that some smaller producers do wish to go the supermarket route too but this is not difficult to sort out – simply ask them!!!! There must be a better way to make more out of what should be an amazing showcase for our artisan producers and they have never needed Wag’s support more to fight the recession and for many the supermarkets too, but if only they could get that support.

I do understand that it will not be easy answer, but please WAG bring your head out of the sand and face facts, actually engage with producers and just to be clear, I mean talk to them and then listen carefully to what they say – do realise that this will not be a simple task for you because many producers simply don’t trust you as civil servants, they don’t believe you have their best interests at heart in fact many don’t think you are interested ion tghem at all. But as some members of the food team can’t even say hello to producers at these types of events, you have a long hard road to climb, but it is of your own making.

Things can be improved to the benefit of all, to the reputation of Wales as a whole and more importantly for Welsh food to all sectors of society.

The speech made by the Deputy Food Minister at the HCC breakfast was very full, and from industry people I spoke to later in the day, their view was it was very full of hot air and Bet Fred could have taken good money on the number of times that the Deputy Minister said talk. Talking is good, but only good if it is linked with listening, that is why we have one mouth and two ears. It has been said by the Deputy Minister and others from the Welsh Food Department and its many institutional offshoots, that there is very little wrong and they hear very few complaints from food producers.

All businesses know that it is looking at the weaker areas of their business and it is by improving these areas that good businesses succeed and grow, i.e. by being self critical. May be we can all learn from one of the best and brightest business men to walk the planet – Bill Gates who once said “I am self-critical … I’m always searching for things I’m NOT perfect in.”

 
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Pembrokeshire County Council Not Consistent With Support Of Local Businesses

13 Jul

Had an interesting telephone call into us which I thought you’d find of interest. On 28th July, Narberth, Pembrokeshire are again holding a Carnival & Civic Week which is organised by the Civic Society. I must confess to having a soft spot for Narbeth and often use it as an example to others of a small town that has made huge efforts to improve its High Street. For some years now Narbeth has been able to boast of a real variety of individual quality shops, some good eating places and coffee shops. One black mark is a recent rush of planning applications for even more coffee shops that the council has allowed. Can’t understand this as Narbeth can’t attract huge masses of visitors because there isn’t massive parking for them – personally I’m not happy that their free car park is now a pay and display – but too many coffee shops dilute the trade for those that are already having to work very hard to make a living. Can’t councils ask themselves, ‘does the town really need this’ or is it more important to the council that we don’t have an empty shops?

Sorry, I got distracted, so back to it. I congratulate Narbeth for their Carnival & Civic Week, what a great idea, local businesses getting together to help promote their town. They are not asking the council for help, just using their own initiative to boost Narbeth. Of course Narbeth has not escaped the recession, there were empty shops on my last visit, but give them credit for doing something to change things. They are trying to promote their town and add to the atmosphere of the town – well done guys.

Traditionally traders, for the few hours of the carnival itself, have spilled out onto the pavement, to show not only their support for the event, but of course to help promote themselves. Running a business myself, I can’t see what’s wrong with that and admire their efforts and enterprise.

Narberth has for a long time been a hive of small independent businesses offering a huge choice of shopping and refreshment and has been held by many as an example to follow. Indeed the chair of the Welsh Sustainability Committee visited earlier this spring and holds Narberth as an example of how a town should work. As you can see by my lead-in to this post, I totally agree.

However, Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) in their infinite wisdom, has decided that if the traders spill out onto the pavement, they need to have a Street Traders License. Now of course this has a cost implication £15.90 for each business, plus of course the bureaucratic, compulsory form filling, along with the fact that the license has to be applied for 14 days (I assume working days), before the event.

Earlier in the year, Mary Portas was commissioned by the UK Government to report and make her suggestions for improving High Streets. She referred to Street Trading becoming easier for communities and business rates being set at sensible levels to revive the High Streets, yet 8 months on, this does not appear to be the case. It’s not just Pembrokeshire County Council that appears to revel in bureaucracy, reports into me show that most of our 22 councils do just that, but that does make it acceptable in my book.

So my question posed to PCC was:

What is Pembrokeshire County Council’s policy to local events that promote not only the town or village, but also the businesses within it?

This question assumes that the event conforms to the prerequisite notification to both the local authority and police etc and has full consent from all necessary authorities.

Their official response was:

We do not have a fixed approach on this issue. We support events on a case by case basis.

Well Narbeth, I’m not sure what you’ll make of that unhelpful, unsupportive response from people who are assured of their monthly salary in the bank each month. After all these years, it’s the typical response that we get time after time and simply fails to provide a true answer. However, what is does do is confirm what many businesses have already felt, that PCC do not have a consistent support for all businesses across the county.

I’ll not name this person, but I was asked recently – “Kath, why are you always picking on Pembrokeshire?”  Well actually I don’t feel I am ‘picking’ on PCC; I’m simply putting up stories or complaints that have been brought to me by unhappy people. I’ve no idea why I get more on PCC than many other counties. But let’s get back to basics; I wouldn’t have any stories to report on PCC if people were happy with the job you as a council are doing. The reality is that people in Pembrokeshire aren’t. I suggested that PCC put their own comments up, but this suggestion didn’t go down to well as the person didn’t wish to get into an argument. Well that’s their choice, comments are not restricted unless rude or abusive, however I don’t see welshfoodbites as a source of arguments – it’s just points of view. It’s a means of getting issues out into the open, airing them and with a little bit of luck and co-operation – get them solved.

We have contacted PCC and have their response, which doesn’t solve the problem for Narbeth does it? But you still have that opportunity PCC, give them some leeway for a day. Or maybe you’d like Narbeth traders simply to give up trading altogether instead of trying to help themselves.

Maybe PCC is not concerned about losing more business rates. The people and businesses in Narbeth have always been supportive of Welsh Country magazine and welshfoodbites  so don’t expect to accept this Pembrokeshire red tape………

HAVE YOU ANY COMMENTS TO MAKE?

You have nothing to fear by leaving your comments. I and many others too, enjoy reading them, even if you disagree with me – that’s still allowed! You can be certain your details will only be known to me and that’s where they’ll stay – you have my word. You don’t even have to put your name, a pen name or nickname will suffice, we do have a large number of traders signed in – but that’s fine, it’s the content that matters, what you’re happy with, what you are cross about, what in your view needs changing, etc.

 

 
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Seafood Festival At Aberaeron

09 Jul

Held on Sunday down by the Harbour which is a perfect setting in many respects for a fishy festival but as I said last year the popularity of this event has now beaten the setting. It was busy, busy, busy, and difficult to get close to many stands let alone understand what they were trying to sell. But I know I’m again wasting my time commenting on that because it’s basically run by The Harbourmaster and obviously this shop-window is very convenient  for them and certainly good for their trade.

Anyway the organisers must be congratulating themselves that they were one of the favoured festivals to ask Wag for £9,500 and get just that!!!

The chefs had a busy time and it was lovely for me to be able to catch up with our Chef in Welsh Country, the irascible Mary Ann Gilchrist and the delightful Gareth Johns from The Wynnstay in Machynlleth. You rarely see much of Mary Ann and Gareth on
the food circuit, unlike Steve Terry and Dudley who seem to be everywhere. It is quite a few years ago since I was invited to assist ‘judge’ Steve at the Great British Menu, but I’m pleased with his ongoing success. But Mary Ann and Gareth are superb chefs and two of my favourites, now pleased don’t moan, I’m allowed some favourites…………I was sad to learn this was Mary Ann’s last visit here as she feels it’s time to move out and let a younger chef in, but can understand. I think there were about ten chefs in attendance and they did a wonderful and varied selection of fishy food. It was a superb opportunity for visitors and locals alike to taste food cooked by some ofWales’ top chefs.

I did a rough count of tradestands and got to 42 food stands, 17 of them doing hot food, a couple of mobile vans, and about 7 craft/charity stands. There was a mobile fish van and then the only other was the super Gill’s Plaice from Gwynedd and what great range of fish they had and pleased to report they seemed very busy too. You’ll also ‘catch’ them at Aber. farmer’s market too. Bearing in mind this even always clashes with Cardiff it did well to have some brilliant traders there. A few sold out and were cross
with themselves for thinking they wouldn’t be too busy!!! But not easy with such a poor season so far and of you have fresh produce a real gamble for them and so often they come unstuck. It was also good to see so many of our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers in attendance and hope they came back home after selling well and with plenty of cash in their tills.

On the plus side, many traders said how they enjoy this festival, many like it in the street, there was a good atmosphere and although it was at times chilly, the rain stayed away!! I was surprised to see Mr Miller there, of Miller Research. He appeared to be very busy with his camera, but no-one I spoke to seemed to know what he was doing there.  Do you think he’s got another Wag job???

I am, well it seems as usual really, after visiting so many festivals over the last few years, cross once more, when the first sign I saw was when I approached the council offices, maybe half a mile out of town. I’d gone onto the web to find which traders were attending but couldn’t find a list of traders. That’s pathetic. Surely this is basic stuff. Then, when I’d walked down the entire run of nearly fifty food stands, I found a table with a few leaflets on it and too my amazement that is where I found a programme. I’m not sure how many people did ‘do’ the festival that way around, but I was not impressed with that.

I did hear complaints from visitors, about too many people so they couldn’t see the stands, too many buggies, wheelchairs, dogs and kids, but those streets are narrow and it’s always like this and, as I said at the beginning, I guess it always will be. Actually I didn’t think there were as many people there as normal, for me it wasn’t quite as crowded, but those there seemed to be spending and that is just what was needed. Two hundred people spending is better than two thousand just browsing. One of my regular concerns is that there are few places to sit down and eat the lovely food the chefs had prepared - people had to stand and eat, not an ieal way to do justice to such good food in my view. Ok if you’re fit adults, ut difficult if you have kids or elderly people with you or worst still oth!!!!!

Following on from a recent post about Milford Haven and the Fish Week food festival which had nowhere near the prerequisite 80% of food stands required by Wag in their criteria for obtaining  funding – not so here. Although at Aberaeron it is wonderful that they have so many chefs, hotels and restaurants preparing food which really does make this event –  but these stands are not food producers either primary or secondary. So my question is  whether Aberaeron falls foul of not complying with the minimum number of food stands required by Wag.

It is vital that Wag support food festivals, but I’ve constantly  queried which ones Wag support and by how much, often allowing those favoured with funding to  ignore the basics. Wag’s festival funding playing field is about as level asSnowdon……..

The National Assembly in their Code Of Conduct For Assembly Members say:

(b) to provide the openness and accountability necessary to reinforce public confidence in the way in which Members of the National Assembly perform their Assembly and public duties.

It is now way past the time that this should also apply to The Welsh Governments’ Civil Servants and their departments too.

Well sorry guys, apology, it appears there already is one! To see the full code follow the link below but I extract just
one clause:

the duty to give Parliament or the Assembly and the public as full information as possible about their policies, decisions and actions, and not to deceive or knowingly mislead them;

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-03924.pdf

 
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Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival

21 Jun

The team at Cardiff have kindly taken the time to send through to me their festival application criteria which I hope you will find helpful. It is shown in full below.
Cardiff International Food And Drink Festival has always strived to present an eclectic mix of quality produce showcasing the best from Wales along side great food and drink from elsewhere. We have always been proud of our links to our twin cities of Nantes, Stuttgart and Horderland and welcomed their involvement in the event from it’s inception in 1999.

The event’s popularity has grown and grown and we now have some 800 producers on our database. Each January we mailout all producers with details of all food and drink events taking place that year. This currently comprises of The RHS Show in April, Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival in July and The Great British Cheese Festival in September. Each event has a deadline for return and applications are dated they come in. Applications returned after the deadlines are not considered
until all other applications have been assessed.

All of our events are regularly oversubscribed with certain areas such as the Food Piazza at the Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival oversubscribed by over 200%.  We ensure that Welsh producers make up the majority of exhibitors at all our events and for the Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival Welsh producers make up over 75% of exhibitors. We try to ensure that there are 10-15% of new exhibitors each year in the different areas of the site to keep them feeling fresh but this
can sometimes be achieved by exhibitors who have chosen to move from one part of the site from another. We have always welcomed applications from exhibitors from outside of Wales and believe that including producers from beyond Wales adds to the vibrancy of the event. We look to achieve a balance across product categories but like many festivals are inundated with applications for preserves and baked goods and so producers in these categories are more likely to be disappointed. In short, in selecting exhibitors for our events we focus on quality produce, aim to showcase new and innovative exhibitors and look to achieve the broadest range of produce for our visitors.

One final but very important criteria is that each exhibitor must be able to demonstrate that they are ‘Broadly Compliant’ with food hygiene legislation. In response to the Pennington Inquiry on the South Wales E.Coli outbreak in 2005, Cardiff Council has introduced a ‘Broadly Compliant’ policy across all of the authority’s business activities. This means that any third party providing goods for consumption by the public be they wedding caterers, suppliers to school or exhibitors at our events must achieve a rating of 3* or above under the scheme operated by the FSA. An additional food safety questionnaire is included with our application forms with the instruction that it is mandatory that this is filled in and returned. Our Environmental Health Officers have been working with counterparts across the UK on behalf on producers in counties who do not currently operate this system to establish compliance via alternative reports but some producers have been excluded from the selection process this year if they have not been able to produce satisfactory documentation.

We welcome the input of producers and try to accommodate requests regarding positions, neighbours, access etc wherever possible. When our internal funding was significantly reduced we consulted with them via event feedback forms as to whether we should increase stand fees significantly or introduce an entry price for the event. The response was overwhelmingly in favour of increased fees and so The Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival remains free of charge to the public thus increasing attendance and spend.

Follows are my views, a version of which has been sent back to Cardiff.

Knowing how organisers select stands should be helpful, even if I don’t always agree with the criteria.

Although I can appreciate how from Cardiff’s side supporting your twin cities of Nantes, Stuttgart and Horderland, but does it really do anything for Welsh producers, apart from preventing some of them getting a stand at Cardiff International? Do festivals in Nantes, Stuttgart and Horderland give preference for Cardiff based food producers? You’re turning away Welsh producers because you are over subscribed, but allowing in traders from these three areas……..

Just to give you some background. I’ve asked Abergavenny, Cowbridge and Cardiff, as you all have a fair chunk of WG festival funding, about their selection criteria. This is because our Best Of Welsh & Border producers in Welsh Country magazine, certainly let me know if they’ve been bumped out of an event and it is important producers recognize why organisers have made these selection decisions.
I’m sure you’ll understand, especially with these three popular events, that getting stands there is vital for our producers. It has a dramatic effect on their businesses if they get thrown out of three of the busiest and lucrative food events in Wales, even losing one stand is a financial nightmare for them. These are tough trading times for our producers, and it can be easy for some organisers to forget that traders don’t have the luxury of a guaranteed monthly salary going in the bank – festivals and markets are often their livelihood, which explains why I’m following this through for them.

I’m puzzled that quite a few events appear so concerned about having a ‘%’ of new stalls, ‘for variety’, when they are all oversubscribed. This  must mean that you are forced to ditch some Welsh traders that have been supporting you for years. Do visitors make a point of asking why their particular favourites are no longer there? I’m totally unconvinced that variety is an issue with visitors and I was certainly asked why certain stall weren’t at Abergavenny last year. It does though serve me right going around with a press badge on!!! I also disagree with English stands adding variety, are we really so low on producers that our Welsh producers are not varied enough? It will not pacify Welsh producers that have been thrown out and English stands allowed in, when this is funded by the Welsh Government.

This is from feedback I’m getting from our BOW producers and we do have over 100 of them with us in Welsh Country magazine. Of course I’m loyal and supportive of them, because I want them to stay trading and our food industry to grow.

Final thought, is the same application form used for RHS Show, Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival, and The Great British Cheese Festival? If not is there any chance this can be changed? My thinking on this is it means traders can just fill in the form once, copy or scan it and save themselves some time. Ideally I’d like all festivals to use the same basic form so that this can make life a touch easier for traders, but that might not be easy to achieve!!

I appreciate organisers have a tough job, but so do producers. Obviously you can’t please everybody, and I do understand that, but I’m horrified to be told by ‘professional’ Welsh producers that they have been rejected this year after supporting our top events for years.

On 21/6 I got a speedy response back saying basically that they doubt you and I will ever reach a point of agreement, but Im thanked for my comments!!!! Well so much for ‘welcoming the input of traders’ it appears that this is only words from Cardiff. Cardiff are have their criteria right, in their view anyway, and traders can only hope they’ll still get in.

I’m so sorry for those of our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers who have either been thrown out or have had to move from their regular favourite spot to get a stand. I know that few of you have the confidence to argue your case for fear of repurcussions in the future. Without a doubt I have wasted my time once again and achieved no changes for you.  My feedback from you is that you think that getting a stand at festivals is akin to winning the lottery and I cannot disagree. But the frustrations still remain.

.

 
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