Archive for September, 2011
At Home on the Farm
Concerns about mass produced food was one of the main spurs behind Alison Everett and her husband Dave moving to Home Farm, Overton-on-Dee from Liverpool just over 2 years ago. Having decided to rear their own, the pair started out with half a dozen chickens and a few pigs.
After sending their first pigs to slaughter, Alison and Dave realised that to do their meat justice they needed to butcher it themselves. Since November 2009, all Home Farm’s pigs have been skillfully butchered on the farm by the husband and wife duo.
According to Alison, “We started supplying our pork to family and friends but soon locals became interested in what we were doing and so just over 18 months ago we started selling our products to the public.”
Home Farm’s traditional rare breed pedigree pig herd now consists of over 60 free range pigs, with breeds including Gloucestershire Old Spot, Oxford Sandy and Black, Middle Whites and Saddle Back.
Their 14 varieties of sausages, from Shropshire Blue Cheese & Leek to their Mediterranean Sausage are all lovingly hand made on site using only the very best, freshest ingredients.
Alison explains, “We aim to produce unusual sausages and burgers, all freshly made to order. We introduce new and exciting flavours regularly as well as offering the more traditional ones. Last year we were delighted to have won gold and silver for our sausages at the Wrexham Champion Sausage Competition.”
According to Alison, “We also keep flocks of traditional rare breed hens, turkeys, ducks and geese for eggs and eating. Our latest addition is a small herd of sheep.”
Home Farm’s products are available from the farm itself or at Garden Village Farmers’ Market, Wrexham on the first Saturday of each month.
Alison notes, “We are very excited to be launching our own website this month, allowing our customers to buy our products online.”
According to Alison, “People are welcome to come and visit the farm. From an educational background myself, I think it’s especially important that the younger generation understand where their food comes from. We regularly have visits from local schools and after a tour of the farm allow the children to have a go at making sausages – a real field to fork experience.”
For more details call 01978 710141 or from September 2011 onwards visit their new website: www.homefarmoverton.co.uk
CAMRA Regional Winners – Bridge End Inn, Ruabon
Congratulations to Bridge End Inn, Ruabon who have recently been awarded the title of CAMRA Regional Winners Merseyside/Cheshire/North Wales. For opening times visit: http://www.mcgivernales.co.uk/index.html.
The Welsh Food & Drink Skills Conference
The Welsh Food & Drink Skills Conference
Food: Growing it, making it, selling it, serving it!
Venue Cymru, Llandudno
11:30am – 3:00pm, 20 October 2011
It’s time we thought of the Welsh food and drink supply network as one interdependent industry, employing 18% of the Welsh workforce and generating around £6.5bn of sales revenue annually. In fact, the industry is now the largest combined industry of employment in Wales.
As one of the key links in that chain, project partners are delighted to invite you to this free conference organised on the day of the True Taste Awards in Llandudno. Key activity over the conference day will include the reporting back of our key findings and recommendations following one of the most comprehensive research projects ever carried out to assess the skills needs of the Welsh Food & Drink Supply Network for the coming decade.
Crammed with expert speakers and discussions on the needs of the industry key reasons to attend on the day include:
If you’re an employer in the Welsh food and drink industry the conference will explore how you can release profit through up skilling the workforce.
If you’re a training provider or educational institution the project’s key report findings will be crucial in order to prepare your future work plans
Of course, if you’re one of the 3000 businesses surveyed during the report’s creation then come along to see how your input fits into this larger picture.
Led by Lantra, the land-based and environmental industries Sector Skills Council, the project is supported by the food and drink manufacturing (Improve Ltd), hospitality and tourism (People 1st Cymru) and retail (Skillsmart Retail) Sector Skills Councils. This project is supported by the Welsh Government’s Sector Priorities Fund Pilot (SPFP) that also received additional support from the European Social Fund (ESF).
Whether you are attending, or not, the True Taste Awards that evening in Llandudno, we do hope that you can join us on the day and I look forward to meeting you there. Please confirm your attendance at the conference to delyth@fbagroup.co.uk or 01970 636404 as soon as possible in order to reserve your place.
