Creating a Community Garden 6

In this blog strand, I am following the progress of Nightingale Community Garden in Dinas Powys, from the very first planning meeting to completion and beyond. I am doing this as a source of information for local residents, but also in the hope that it will be useful to those planning similar ventures in other areas. The contractors first arrived on site, at the time of my previous post, last month.

The first contractors on site were Acorn tree surgeons. They spent a couple of days cutting trees. These were cut into logs or turning into wood chips. A couple of larger logs were retained, to be made into benches.

The main contractor, Gerald Davies Ltd, started work on 22 January. The first job was to erect the security fence alongside the footpath, including the double gates that will provide the main access to the site. Work was delayed by poor weather conditions and was expected to last for about a month.

On 28 January, the contractors started taking up the rubber surface on the former play area. The rubber was, in places, up to 3 inches thick. Once removed, it revealed where the swings, roundabouts and other play equipment was fixed into the concrete.

 

The next day, Gerald Davies and his small team started breaking up the concrete. The concrete was piled up for removal by dumper truck at a later stage (down a temporary track to a skip on Sir Ivor Place).

They also removed the fence between the two parts of the site, so the full extent of the garden could be seen clearly for the first time. A new wooden fence was erected along the boundary with a neighbouring garden. This will be extended in front of the concrete shed and will eventually join the new metal fence by the footpath.
 

On 7 February, a drain was dug along the back of the site.

 

Today, a trench for the mains water pipe was being dug. The mains water will come from Sir Ivor Place and go across to a tap near the electrical sub-station (where a communal shed will be built).

The mounds of gravel currently on site will shortly be used to form a temporary track (above, after the water pipe trench is filled), for taking out the broken-up concrete and bringing in the topsoil. The topsoil is currently scheduled to arrive early next week.

 

A site meeting for those interested in having a plot in Nightingale Community Garden (which will also be opened at certain hours for general recreational use) has been scheduled for 10am on Saturday 2 March, when the layout of the garden should be clear.

Here is the Nightingale Community Garden logo, designed and painted by Merry Metcalf:

 

 

Previous posts:

Jan 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/creating-community-garden-5.html

Oct 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/creating-community-garden-4.html

Aug 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html

Feb 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html

Jan 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html
 

 

 

 

Pontcanna 1

We are in Pontcanna, Cardiff. Walk down Romilly Road, from its junction with Llandaff Road.

On you right:

The Romilly
69-71 Romilly Crescent CF11 9NQ (2025 6345)
The Romilly Hotel is a traditional Brains pub, with a strong sense of community. It’s family-friendly and has a pub garden. There’s bar snacks, classic pub meals, Sunday roast, and vegetarian options. The tricky Pub Quiz has its own website, where you can buy past questions to help you get up-to-speed before hitting the lounge on a Sunday evening.

Pass the junction with Conway Road. On your left:

Stefano's
14 Romilly Crescent CF11 9NR (2037 2768)
Family-run Stefano's Ristorante Italiano has been serving Italian food with a modern twist since it opened in April 2002. Stefano Caramella and his team must be doing plenty right, as this week they were voted Best Italian Restaurant in the South Wales Echo Food & Drink Awards 2012/13. Regional Italian cuisine gets highlighted, for example, earlier this week there was a “Taste of Sardinia” night. Notable dishes include Seared scallops on a bed of sweet potato, Italian meatballs, and fishcakes. You will also find numerous pasta and pizza options, with vegetarians being well catered for. There is also a children's menu. Tuesday is live music night.

On an enjoyable visit to Stefano's in November last year, I liked the Agnello (tender lamb fillet served with pesto) as a starter, followed by the excellent Cervo al vino rosso (wild Scottish venison in a rich red wine sauce, served with polenta mash and seasonal vegetables). My partner went for a vegetarian main, with courgette, ricotta, parmesan and salad. The dishes of seasonal vegetables, which we shared, included rosemary-flavoured sweetpotato, roast potato and mushrooms. There is a take-out menu, which includes a number of their distinctive restaurant dishes, available from Mon to Sat evenings.

Oscars
6-10 Romilly Crescent CF11 9NR (2034 1264)
Oscars of Cardiff opened in April 2011. Head Chef John Cook has assembled wide-ranging brunch, lunch and dinner menus. The international range lends itself to interesting fusion opportunities. On Wednesdays, Oscars put on a range of themed evenings (e.g., Vegetarian, Fish Supper, Sizzling Steak, and Burger Nights). Sundays feature roast dinners, although a range of other ‘lazy Sunday’ options are available during the afternoon. Oscars is family-friendly, and its dedicated children's menu is served until 7pm. The current evening menu includes Lamb confit, Chicken schnitzel, White bean and cauliflower curry, and Cornish crab cakes. There’s an extensive wine list. Oscars is located on the site previously occupied, from May 1998 to Feb 2011, by French restaurant Le Gallois.

I have not eaten at Oscars of Cardiff, but I have eaten recently at its older sibling - Oscars of Cowbridge. Much of the menu is the same, although the different clientele in the two places means that it is starting to diverge. My partner had one of the day’s specials: a beef and chorizo meatloaf with mashed potatoes containing feta. I had the Classic Oscars Burger, with aged beef, a popular menu item at both locations. It had a quality seeded bun, a thick moist patty, included bacon and cheese, and looked like this:

I don’t often go for the burger option, so if you want to know more about burgers in Cardiff then I recommend you seek out Gourmet Gorros’s blog. Ed Gilbert, for it is he, is looking for Cardiff’s best burger. He writes: “Oscars’ Burger is the epitome of tasteful… a burger for the refined individual.” He says he likes his burgers a little filthier, but with budget and fast-food burgers containing up to 85% meat filler and reconstituted meat slime, not to mention horsemeat additives, I’ll settle for refined!

The Fat Pig Deli
4 Romilly Crescent CF11 9NR
This café deli opened on 13 Dec 2012, next door to Oscars. In its day, La Gallois used to have a deli here; though Fat Pig Deli is a new company, owned and run by Barry Pickup and his partner Carys Simpson, so is not connected to Oscars of Cardiff. The Fat Pig serves breakfast and lunch. A range of home-made deli sandwiches, soups, stews and cakes are available to eat in or take-away. There is a Welsh and Spanish flavour to the food (e.g., Full Welsh or Spanish breakfast). You can get a Bloody Mary at 9am, croissants, or indulge yourself with American pancakes, maple syrup and bacon. I met a friend here for lunch this week. I had the Albondigas (Spanish meatballs in a roll) and he had Garlic mushrooms on toast; both no-thrills and substantial. There’s an eclectic range of tinned and bottled items at the back to browse, although I assume the impressive row of cookbooks are for their reference and not for sale.

Across the road:

Bully's
5 Romilly Crescent CF11 9NP (2022 1905)
With its distinctive modern French cooking, Bully’s has carved itself a unique and much-admired niche on the Cardiff food scene since it opened in 1996. Scallops and crayfish, more unusual fish such as black bream, Welsh beef, venison, Barbary duck, and a limited number of interesting vegetarian options, feature on the menu. There are popular Food and Wine Gourmet evenings (up to 7 courses), while a lunchtime Tasting Menu has been introduced. Owner Russell Bullimore previously wrote with intent on a 2012 menu that "you can have fried foie gras on anything". There is a notable wine list, with suggested wines for each dish on the menu. It’s small and intimate; you may need to book. The quality and originality of the food on offer has garnered Bully’s a number of awards, and it was Highly Commended  in the General Restaurants section on this week’s South Wales Echo Food and Drink Awards.

On the junction of Romilly Crescent with Severn Grove, Wyndham Road, Wyndham Crescent and Severn Road:

Monk’s Bakery Coffee Shop (90-92 Severn Road CF11 9EA) is currently closed. A notice on the door states that it will reopen in September, but I guess that was last September, so things don’t look promising. Next door:

Pete’s Plaice
89-98a Wyndham Crescent CF11 9EG
Traditional small fish and chip shop, concentrating on a small menu. Pete is keeping up the fine tradition of punning fish and chip shop names in Cardiff.

Across the road:

Philip Morgan Wine Merchant
126 Wyndham Crescent CF11 9EG (2023 1450)
Philip Morgan & Sons are an off-licence selling wine, beer and spirits. Beers from Untapped Brewing Co. and other local breweries can be purchased here.

Turn left up Severn Grove.

On your right:

Robin Hood
16 Severn Grove CF11 9EN (2037 8829)
The Robin Hood Hotel was originally built in 1901 and is a traditional, relatively small, but very lively pub; with bar, lounge, beer garden (rear) and terrace (front). Pub food is served at lunchtimes and in the evening; steak and chips and other pub classics, with a mid-week curry night. There’s live music at weekends, a quiz night and other community activities, including French boules in the garden. This former Hancocks pub was once run by Charlotte Church’s mother Maria; the current landlord is Paul Careless. Brains beers on draught.

Creating a Community Garden 5

I am chronicling the creation of a Community Garden on an area of derelict land (an abandoned play-area) between Sir Ivor Place and Nightingale Place in Dinas Powys.

Since the previous post, there has been a clearance day, the garden has been officially named, and contractors have started work on the site.

To recap, the project was initiated by Elizabeth Millard (Chairperson of the Dinas Powys Residents Group) and Councillor Keith Hatton, and is supported by Creative Rural Communities (through their Community Foodie project) with Rob McGhee being the Rural Regeneration Officer involved. Most of the funding for the project has come from Tidy Towns Wales.

On Saturday 10 Dec 2012, a group of volunteers assembled to do some clearing up. This provided the first opportunity for hands-on work at the Community Garden, as the land has now been officially leased by the Vale of Glamorgan Council to the Dinas Powys Residents Association (for an initial period of ten years). Here is a photo of some of those who took part.

 

At a meeting on Monday 7 January at Youldon House a name was agreed: Nightingale Community Garden. A number of details were discussed, at this and at a subsequent meeting on Monday 21 January, including plot size, site security and plot holder agreements. In addition to being an area were the community can grow its own food, the garden will include a recreational area with seating.

 

Merry Metcalf and Giles Metcalf, between them, have designing a logo for Nightingale Community Garden, conducted an information mail-drop to local residents, established a Facebook page and an email address for the project (see below), and helped adapt an existing Plot Holder Agreement (tabled by Rob at a meeting) for discussion.

 

On Monday 21 January, Acorn tree surgeons removed trees from part of the site. The logs and wood chips will be used in the garden; for instance, some of the larger logs will be used for benches.

 

 

Gerald Davies, the main contractor, arrived on site for the first time on Tuesday 22 January. They knocked down a wall to allow access to the site (the wall will be rebuilt) and today (23 Jan) started to erect fencing. This stage of the project will take about four weeks and will also involve the breaking up and removal of hard-core and rubber surfaces, the laying of paths, marking out plots and building deep beds, and the arrival of topsoil and compost.

 

 

There will be an opening day in the spring (further information to follow). I’ll post again soon, with more photos, as Nightingale Community Garden takes shape.

Nightingale Community Garden on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/nightingalecommunitygarden/

Email: enquiries@nightingalecommunitygarden.org.uk

Previous posts:

Oct 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/creating-community-garden-4.html

Aug 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html

Feb 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html

Jan 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html
 

 

Creating a Community Garden 4

In a series of posts (links below) I am following the creation of a Community Growing Area in Dinas Powys, on an abandoned play area between Sir Ivor Place and Nightingale Place.

This project was initiated by Elizabeth Millard (Chairperson of the Dinas Powys Residents Group) and Councillor Keith Hatton. The project is supported by Creative Rural Communities (Vale of Glamorgan Council), with Rob McGhee being the Rural Regeneration Officer involved. More specifically, the Dinas Powys Community Growing Area falls within the Community Foodie initiative, which aims to identify, develop and support community food growing activities.

Rob (pictured) came to Dinas Powys on Saturday (20 Oct) to give an update on progress. The meeting, in Youldon House, was attended by over 30 people. Keith outlined the history of the project and introduced Rob, who summarized achievements to date (see previous posts) that include identification of the site, fund-raising, community engagement, and an initial plan for the site that takes into account all skill levels and includes raised beds for those with restricted mobility. He also talked about successful community growing projects in other parts of Wales.

Funding is in place and a contractor (Gerald Davies) is due to start clearing the site later this month. Security fencing will be erected, top-soil put down, and water pipes extended into the site. A communal shed will be erected near the electrical sub-station.

A tour of the site was followed by a discussion back at Youldon House, in which everyone stuck post-it notes with ideas on the proposed plan (pictured below). Suggestions included a brick BBQ, the use of wood from the felled trees to make benches, water butts, communal compost, solar lighting, increasing the proportion of raised beds, establishing links with schools and the recently-established Food Bank in Dinas Powys, a play area for young children, and a skills database.

The meeting was used to identify those who want to serve on a Growing Group, which will help to drive the project forward. Further meet-ups, including a clearance day, will be held on-site in the coming months. I’ll keep you posted.

 

This well-attended meeting was a significant step forward in raising awareness and channelling enthusiasm for the project. Elizabeth’s vision of turning this ugly derelict area into an attractive community gathering and food-growing area, where she can come to sit in the sun and read a book, became a step closer to reality.

As a footnote, an upcoming date for your diary: Paul Mobbs (author of ‘Energy Beyond Oil’) will be speaking in Lee Hall Dinas Powys on Thursday 22 Nov (7pm). There will be a small entrance fee to cover costs. Greater community self-reliance, in which growing areas play a significant part, is a key theme of the Transition Town Movement that is planning for the post-oil future. Linda Ware, the organizer of this talk, has initiated another community growing project in the village - the Dinas Powys Orchard Project.

Previous posts on Dinas Powys Community Garden:

Aug 2012

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html
 

Feb 2012

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html

Jan 2012

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html

 

 

Wales on the Menu

Recently, I interviewed Simon Wright for a profile that was published in the Buzz Food & Drink Guide 2012 (link below).

In a wide-ranging career, Simon has been a food critic, author, restaurateur, consultant and broadcaster.  In May this year, Simon opened Wright’s Independent Food Emporium, with his wife Maryann. This shop in Nantgaredig sells a range of Welsh products, including meat, cheeses, and fresh fruit and vegetables, and has a café at the heart of the operation. Last year, Simon was involved in the planning stages of Sospan, a new restaurant in Llanelli.

Simon is currently presenting the fourth series of Wales on the Menu, which started on BBC Radio Wales last Saturday lunchtime (1pm). In the programme, he challenges home cooks to put their speciality dish on the menu of a top restaurant.

In the first show, amateur chef and food blogger Bill King tried to get his salmon quiche up to standard for the menu of Y Polyn, a restaurant near Carmarthen that the Wrights at one time co-owned. Among the judges was food blogger Ed Gilbert (a.k.a. Gourmet Gorro). The quiche sounded good, but was judged not quite good enough to meet Y Polyn’s high standards.

The Wales on the Menu team are looking for keen cooks from across Wales who would like to participate in future challenges. If you are interested you can email them on walesonthemenu@presentable.co.uk

There is also a Wales on the Menu Facebook page, where you can find recipes, behind the scenes photographs, and further details of how to apply to take part in the series either as a novice cook or a judge: https://www.facebook.com/WalesOnTheMenuBBCRadioWales?ref=hl

If you miss the programmes themselves, you can find them on the BBC iplayer.

Buzz Food & Drink Guide 2012. The Wright Taste (pp. 28-29):

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1y455/FoodandDringGuide201/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffree.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F577403%2FFood-and-Dring-Guide-2012

 

Y Polyn:

http://www.ypolynrestaurant.co.uk/

 

Fellow Bloggers on Twitter:

Bill King @billking

Ed Gilbert @gourmetgorro

Vale Foodbank in Dinas Powys

One of the big under-reported stories of the summer has been the impact of government austerity measures on individuals, families and communities. The recent figures have been shocking. For instance, 13 million people live below the poverty line in the UK; while here in Wales over one in ten people of working age are now out of work, a level of unemployment not seen for almost twenty years.

Communities can act to combat local poverty and hidden hunger by supporting schemes such as foodbanks. The Trussell Trust acts as an umbrella organization for foodbanks across the UK. The Vale Foodbank was established under this umbrella in October 2011. It is based at Coastlands Family Church in Barry, and aims to open food distribution centres around the Vale of Glamorgan to help people who are struggling to make ends meet.

A Vale Foodbank distribution centre opened today in Dinas Powys, in the Bethesda Chapel. It will open for an hour every Wednesday. Free emergency food supplies will be exchanged for vouchers given to people particularly identified as being in need by social workers, doctors, police and other community groups (in total 40 partners across the Vale). One voucher can be exchanged for enough food for three days.

Mike Grove from Bethesda Chapel welcomed people to the official opening this afternoon. Susan Lloyd-Selby, the Vale Foodbank co-ordinator, then talked about the success of their first year, in which they have managed to feed everyone who has been referred to them. When they started they expected to feed 800, but in fact have fed 1,643 people since October 2011.

Of those referred, 30% have been plunged into crisis due to delays in benefit payments. Others are referred due to low income, while there has been a dramatic rise in the number in debt. 68% of the food distributed has gone to feed children under the age of 16.

Sue related some stories of the real people behind the statistics: a man who hadn't eaten for two days, a woman homeless after leaving home due to domestic violence, a couple suddenly plunged into debt after an accident. She stressed that it was not just about giving food, but providing wider support and advice through contact with the regular volunteers. Sue thanked these “lifechangers” (with reference to Olympic “gamesmakers”), and also thanked all the people who donated over 115 kg of food during the past year. Future Vale Foodbank plans include free money management courses.

Photo: Councillor Val Hartrey (Chair of Dinas Powys Community Council), Jane Hutt AM, Mike Grove and Susan Lloyd-Selby (the cakes spell "Vale Food Bank").

Jane Hutt AM opened the Dinas Powys distribution centre today, just as she opened the first Vale Foodbank in Barry last year. An active supporter, she noted that action needs to be taken to stop so many people falling into poverty, especially through reasons such as delays in benefit payments and loss of tax credits. Jane also stressed that Foodbanks provide a framework for offering wider help and support, to give people back some dignity and restore hope.

The food given out at the Vale Foodbank is donated by businesses and individuals. You can donate to the Bethesda Chapel during Foodbank opening hours. Individuals are asked to give dried and tinned foods (see contact details below).

In addition to making donations of tins and packaged food, Jan and Tony Mapstone of Valley View Fruit Stores in Dinas Powys also donate fresh fruit and vegetables (they wear dark blue in the photo below).

To those who have questioned why a relatively prosperous community in the Vale of Glamorgan needs a foodbank: wake up, this is the reality of life today.

The Vale Foodbank

Coastlands Family Church, Tennyson Road, Colcot, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan CF62 9TN

admin@valefoodbank.org.uk

The Trussell Trust:

http://www.trusselltrust.org/

Reference for Welsh Unemployment:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2012/09/04/welsh-unemployment-much-worse-than-official-stats-claims-new-report-91466-31758526/

 

We noted the Olympics earlier. Therefore, just room to note that ATOS, partners for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, are the firm charged with assessing disability benefit payments in a government money-saving operation. Removal of benefits is fuelling the need for foodbanks. Currently, at least one new foodback opens every week in the UK.

An Olympic Diet: Final Part

One of the ironies evident on visiting the Olympic Park during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was that sponsorship restrictions helped create an environment largely devoid of branding. It was very refreshing to see such a brandless environment at a major sporting event, both inside the venues and around the food areas (e.g., World Square, Britannia Row, Orbit Circus).

The Locog catering operation, headed by Jan Matthews, was said to have been the largest attempted in the UK during peacetime. They succeeded in offering a dizzying range of dishes to competitors and visitors.

 

Outside the obvious sponsor outlets, all the food stores were labelled generically (and usually offered three simple menu choices). This “calling-a-spade-a-spade” catering had a certain charm.

 

Among the outlets were: Fish and Chips, Pies, Pasties, Cornish Pasties, Deli, Traditional Roast, British Bakery, Gourmet Sausage, Hog Roast, Jacket Potatoes, Fresh Salad Bar, Speciality Coffee, Bar, Ice Cream, and the Champagne and Seafood Pavilion.

 

World cuisine was represented, for example, by Asian, a French-style Brasserie, Indian, Italian, Mexican and much more besides.

The three Asian options, for example, were Thai curries, Singapore noodles and Vegetarian stir fry. Our Thai Curry was pretty good. Other things we sampled (e.g., bacon roll) were basic. Most of the food we ate was from the Deli outlets, where reasonably-priced sandwiches could be obtained with minimal queuing.

 

Some feared that it would be branded burgers and fizzy drinks, and little else, for sale on site. In reality, there was plenty of no-nonsense food and drink choices; even some healthy salads if you sought them out!

Finally, what a great atmosphere there was on the Olympic Park and I am sure everyone who visited will remember the experience for a long time to come.

See also:
An Olympic Diet: Part Two
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/an-olympic-diet-part-two.html

An Olympic Diet: Part One
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/olympic-diet-part-one.html

 

 

Welsh Wines: Ancre Hill Estates

We are drinking Welsh wines on the Food Blog. That is more of a challenge than you might think, because there are now around twenty Welsh vineyards producing a range of different wines.
 
Only about 1% of wine consumed in the UK is home-produced. However, climate change (milder winters and extended summers) is favouring wine production. Meanwhile, in Wales at least, local and regional produce is increasingly sought-after in restaurants and shops. Therefore, the market for Welsh wines could significantly expand in the future.

This week, we have been drinking White and Rosé wine (both 2010) from the Ancre Hill Estates vineyard, supplied by Fine Wines Direct (Penarth Road, Cardiff).

 

Ancre Hill Estates was the first wine to be recognized in the Wales the True Taste Awards. In 2010-2011 (Wine, Spirit and Other Alcohol category), Ancre Hill won a Gold Award for their 2009 Medium Dry White and a Bronze Award for their Rosé.

The White (11% ABV) is made using Seyval Blanc and Madeleine Angevine grapes. We found it to be dry, sharp and crisp. The taste was particularly clean, with pleasing citrus (limey) and elderflower notes. A good wine to pair with fish.

The Rosé (11% ABV, £12.79) is made from Seyval blanc and Triomphe grapes. We found it sharp and very fruity. I detected lots of strawberry. There were also floral and citrus notes. This was particularly refreshing when well-chilled. I usually consider rosé to be almost an aperitif, but this one stood up very well to mildly spicy food.

Both the White and Rosé sell for £12.79 a bottle.

Ancre Hill Estates also produce Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sparkling White and Sparkling Rosé wines, on a south-facing slopes in the Wye Valley just outside Monmouth. You can visit the vineyard during the summer months for lunch and tours.

The high quality of Welsh wines, such as Ancre Hill Estates, may surprise you if you've not tasted them before. Now is a good time to start checking out what the emerging wine nation of Wales has to offer.

Ancre Hill Estates

Richard and Joy Morris, Ancre Hill Vineyard, Monmouth NP25 5HS
01600 714151
http://www.ancrehillestates.co.uk
 

Fine Wines Direct

242 Penarth Road, Cardiff CF11 8TU
029 2078 7500
http://finewinesdirectuk.com/
Welsh wine:
http://finewinesdirectuk.com/wines/welsh-wines

Previously, on the Food Blog

Cock Hill from Bryn Ceiliog Vineyard, Vale of Glamorgan:
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/winde-from-dinas-powys-cock-hill.html

The Ancre Hill Estates wines reviewed here were supplied free of charge by Fine Wines Direct.

The Welsh Menu Live, Swansea

The Welsh Menu Live (25-27 August 2012) is the first food festival to be staged in Swansea for many years. Swansea Market ("established 800 years") used to hold a food festival. This modern revival similarly champions local produce and independent local traders. I attended this afternoon (Sunday).

The Welsh Menu Food Theatre is located in The Dragon Hotel. Here, I saw Luke Thomas cook Welsh lamb with summer vegetable fricasse, braised lettuce and goats cheese. For the past six months Luke has been Head Chef at Sanctum on the Green in Berkshire; at 18 he's the youngest Head Chef in Britain. He passed on some useful tips. Wine Merchant N.D. John paired his food with a Martinez Lacuesta Rioja Crianza (plenty of oak, I do like a good Rioja).

A late addition to the programme proved to be my highlight of the day: Andrew Hanson (pictured) from the nearby Chelsea Café cooked poached salmon, risotto, scallops, asparagus and buerre blanc. Fish is a key feature of his restaurant's menu. There were generous portions for the audience afterwards; it tasted great. I'll definitely be cooking my salmon and scallops more delicately in the future.

The programme of chef demonstrations tomorrow (Monday) includes Bryan Williams and Anand George (from Cardiff's Purple Poppadom).

Elsewhere, the event centred on Castle Square (pictured). There was live music of a nostalgic variety (below the big screen showing the Aviva Athletics from Birmingham) and several food stalls.

 

I had a gourmet burger from the Got Beef bus: a Soprano (with chorizo, bacon, jalapeno mayo and mozzarella cheese). Some of the ingredients in their burgers (e.g., pesto, beetroot puree) seemed a bit "out there" (although fried onions and relish usually does it for me), but there was no doubting the quality of their Welsh black beef. Other "Live Street Feast" caterers offered hog roasts, a Taste of Persia, and ice cream.

The relatively small number of producers in the festival's pavilions was a little disappointing. However, there are lots of competing events and markets this weekend. The meats, seafood, cakes, cider and wines that were on offer looked good. Wales’ largest indoor market is nearby.

The Welsh Menu Live food festival marks the launch in June of the Welsh Menu Website, which promotes local and regional food and drink within Wales.

 

The Welsh Menu

http://www.thewelshmenu.com

 

Swansea Market / Marchnad Abertawe

http://www.swanseaindoormarket.co.uk

 

Hanson at the Chelsea

http://hansonatthechelsea.co.uk/

Got Beef

http://www.got-beef.co.uk

 

 

Creating a Community Garden 3

In a couple of previous posts (links below) I outlined how to go about turning an area of wasteland into a Community Garden. In particular, our project involves taking an abandoned play area in Dinas Powys (between Nightingale Place and Sir Ivor Place) and turning it into the Dinas Powys Community Growing Area.

The project was initiated and is being steered by Elizabeth Millard, Chair of the Dinas Powys Residents’ Group, and Councillor Keith Hatton (Plaid Cymru). Rob McGhee of Creative Rural Communities (Vale of Glamorgan Council) is project-managing:  that’s him on the left in this picture of the trio photographed on the site this week.

I previously reviewed the type of grants available in the Vale of Glamorgan for this type of project (they may be similar in other parts of the UK). A couple of weeks ago the project was awarded £28,000 by Tidy Towns Wales, a Welsh Assembly government initiative that funds community projects aiming to improve the quality of the environment.

Earlier this week, Emma Hancock met Rob, Elizabeth, Keith and I on the site. Emma is a Landscape Architect working within the Planning and Transportation Department of the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Among her tasks will be to look at Utility Plans (e.g., to decide on the best route to bring water pipes to the site) and to oversee the work of contractors.

A contractor - Gerald Davies - has been chosen from among those who put in estimates/bids for the work. The company has experience of similar work around the Vale.  Work can start after the bird nesting season, and the contractors are expected to be on the site by the end of October. Firstly, part of a wall will be taken down to allow vehicle access from Sir Ivor Place (the wall will be rebuilt afterwards). The rubber and concrete surfaces will then be broken up and removed, topsoil will be put down, and a security fence erected around the site.

Before the contractors start work, however, there will be an initial clearance day to cut back overgrown hedges etc. This will be held on Saturday 20 October, starting at nearby Youldon House around 10.30 am. Everyone is welcome (bring tools!); it will be an opportunity for those interesting in having a plot on the community garden to meet and find out more. Creative Rural Communities will be there with plans of the garden, which will include communal areas and individual plots. It will also be the first step in forming a Management Committee for the long-term maintenance of the community garden.

The Dinas Powys Community Garden has the backing of Community Foodie, a project under the umbrella of Creative Rural Communities and the Vale of Glamorgan Council, to identify, develop and support community food growing. Their aim is to strengthen communities by increasing the amount of food produce grown and consumed locally, to develop skills (e.g., local schools will be invited to participate in the project), to promote healthy lifestyles, and to bring people together. With a bit of luck, the Dinas Powys Community Growing Area will achieve all these things.

I will post again shortly, with a more detailed look at the plans for the site.

Previous Dinas Powys Community Garden posts:

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html