The North East Wales Tourism Team is once again launching a new culinary challenge to celebrate the start of the Welsh Year of the Outdoors.
In a new approach to the competition, the 2020 challenge will see restaurants and cafés, coffee shops or tearooms take part in some friendly competition to showcase the best local produce within North East Wales!
The Challenge
Taking place between 6th -27th March, just eight eateries across the region will have their entry available each day (during normal hours) whilst they also will receive two mystery dining visits that will score their entry, how it is promoted and how it matches the entry criteria.
The three highest scoring bbq / grill dishes will then be invited to a cook-off at the start of April with prizes including the associated publicity, plus a live cooking demo at the Llangollen Food & Drink Festival later this year – whilst the cafes with the most intriguing picnic / walk combinations will have the ingredients and walks published in some North East Wales literature ahead of the busy summer period.
Speaking about the event, Sam Regan, Chair of the This Is Wrexham Tourism Partnership said; “With the Visit Wales Year of Outdoors launching last month, it’s great to see our tourism partners from North East Wales running another food competition which is always well received – and crucially fosters new relationships between producers and ourselves in the restaurant trade. The two new competitions offer a chance for both restaurants and café / tearooms to compete on an even platform whilst creating a new product for visitors to this region.”
Dish Details
The dishes entered into this year’s challenge are;
BBQ / GRILL DISHES
Craft & Kitchen, Glyn Ceiriog
48 hour cooked Welsh Wagyu beef rib, lobster tail, beer fries and wild garlic mayo. The beef is slow cooked and finished on an indoor charcoal BBQ along with the lobster tail, both are glazed in their own cooking juices on the BBQ. The beef is then garnished with pickled mushrooms and crisp rice flakes. The chips are cooked four times and left to marinate in beer before their final fry and seasoned with burnt onion salt.
The White House, Rhuallt Welsh Burger
Homemade grilled Welsh beef and leek burger topped with Y Fenni and Purple Moose rarebit, smoked streaky bacon served on a toasted bun with Welsh ale and red onion chutney, served with light salad and hand cut chunky chips.
The Shippon, Plassey Holiday Park
Smokin Dragon’s Nest – A trio of BBQ meats, Stanley Jones grass-fed short rib of beef smothered in a Penderyn bourbon whiskey sauce, outdoor reared Pen-Y-Lan half baby back ribs marinated with a Rosie’s apple cider BBQ sauce, Two Stanley Jones grass-fed lamb & leek slider burgers topped with Pen-Y-Lan smoked streaky bacon, melted Knolton cheddar cheese & served in a mini brioche bun.
Accompanied with a Jacket Potato filled with a Traditional Welsh rarebit on top of a smoking dragon’s nest and sides of chargrilled savoy cabbage & leeks & a seasonal spicy slaw. Served on a Snowdonia slate board. Onsite Magic Dragon Brewery have created a bespoke cask & bottled beer named (Smokin Dragon) especially to complement our BBQ dish.
The Arches Restaurant, Beaufort Park Hotel, Mold
Chargrilled and served on a sourdough bun with salad garnish topped with Y Fenni cheese and smoked cured bacon, served with cajun fries.
The Fat Boar Wrexham
Cariad a Rhannu – Whole spatchcock chicken, leek & mature cheddar macaroni, rainbow slaw, buttered corn, served with soft tacos.
The Fat Boar Mold
Gwledd Deuluol – Cajun Chicken Skewers, rack of cola infused pork ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork, homemade corn bread, cajun slaw, bbq beans, buttered corn on the cob, skinny fries.
Hafod Restaurant, Bangor on Dee Racecourse
Summerhill Honey and lemon thyme glazed grilled Celtica lamb cutlets, Herbed mini faggot, Laverbread and leek potato cake, Oak smoked tomatoes, Root vegetable slaw, Wild garlic oil.
The Holt Lodge Hotel
Inspired by Kansas, born in Wrexham….A stacked meat feast of a burger. Locally sourced mince beef, with pulled pork innovatively bound together with Snowdonia Bomber and then expertly crafted to become centre of the burger patty! On top of this, tender strips of locally sourced lamb, rolled with coriander and basil to create Chef’s own “Donner kebab meat”, serving as the perfect topping.
This fine combination is then set on a bed of lettuce, before being drizzled in our Holt Lodge special “Kansas Style” Juniper BBQ bacon sauce, made with Aber Falls Gin and stuffed into a large burger bun. Served with home cut chips and coleslaw on the side.
PICNIC’S
Caffi Cyfle, Alyn Waters
A choice of sandwiches on Village Bakery Bread, fillings sourced from Jones Brothers Farm Shop, Mold Rd, served with Anglesey Sea Salt hand cooked crisps from Jones Crisps. Add homemade scones or Welsh Cakes hand made by the Caffi Cyfle work opportunities volunteers and homemade cake from local Gresford producer Tealightful & a pot of Welsh Brew Tea for two!
Ffynnon Beuno also has its very own Tea Hut – a locally built shepherd’s hut selling drinks and snacks, plus you can try homemade soup and a sandwich washed down with a Dwyfor Coffee or Welsh Brew tea whilst sitting at benches set at the side of the babbling Beuno’s brook. If you want to make the most of the views from the summit, for a small deposit we can supply a fully packed picnic hamper complete with flask, blanket and your choice of delicious Welsh produce!
As well as our sandwiches made from tasty Henllan bread with a great choice of fillings, you can enjoy homemade cakes, Chilly Cow ice cream, Jones crisps and a range of sumptuous pork pies from Award Winning butcher JH Jones. Round off the feast with an alfresco cream tea made up of scones baked on site, Welsh double cream and a pot of our very own Ffynnon Beuno jam made from fruit grown on the small holding.
Bellis Brothers, Holt
Enjoy a slice of extremely tasty homemade ‘Black Bomber’ quiche using Snowdonia Cheese Companies fabulous mouth tingling strong Black Bomber cheese, Bellis’ home-grown onions and free range Nant Ucha Farm eggs. Accompanied by half a delicious homemade Pork Pie and Scotch egg made by Jamie Wards our in-house butchers. Lovingly put together and baked using pork reared on Jamie’s farm and free range Nant Ucha Farm eggs.
To accompany, a portion of homemade coleslaw made with Bellis’ home-grown onions, white cabbage and carrots and a little pot of homemade red onion chutney made with Bellis’ home-grown red onions. All finished off with a chunky slice of Village Bakery doorstep bread and butter.
Details of all dishes entered into the challenge will be published on 5th March and be available to view at www.northeastwales.wales and on the @NthEastWales tourism social media channels on the same date.
North East Wales Tourism is kicking off the Year of Outdoors with a thrilling culinary challenge, spotlighting local eateries' best BBQ and grill creations alongside innovative picnic options. From Craft & Kitchen's Wagyu beef rib to The White House's Welsh burger, each entry promises to showcase the region's culinary diversity. I'm particularly excited to see how argentine asado influences these dishes, offering a unique twist that adds to the vibrant food scene of North East Wales. It's a fantastic initiative to celebrate local produce and culinary talent in a picturesque setting!