Young farmers who are looking to diversify will show off their cookery skills at the Royal Welsh Show by providing special dishes with a connection to their family farms.
Members of the Wales Young Farmers' Clubs (YFCs) will prepare a feast of local produce based on the theme ‘Street Food’ at this week's show.
The farmers taking part include Luke Watts, who will be cooking up lamb burgers; Elin Haf Jones will be serving her own pork sausages and Ben Williams will be producing the cured meat biltong.
All three farmers have their sights set on developing their own primary produce business.
Luke is a 24-year-old who farms within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, with a passion for producing high quality red meat.
Starting with a nucleus flock of Llanwenog sheep when he was just 12, he now runs both pedigree and commercial livestock on a forage-based system.
Elin farms at Bodennog farm in Bryngwran, Anglesey. She comes from a beef and sheep farming family, and has decided to diversify by breeding and pig farming.
Her produce has been born and bred on the farm, before being produced by a local butcher - a stone’s throw away from the farm on Anglesey.
Her bacon is also used by local restaurants such as a tapas restaurant in Beaumaris.
Ben, a hill farmer from Cardiff, farms Welsh Black cattle and South Welsh mountain sheep.
At the show he will be selling biltong from the Welsh Black cattle reared on farm, or supplied locally.
The cookery sessions are commencing thanks to a partnership between the projects Agora, Agrisgôp, Menter Moch Cymru and Wales Young Farmers’ Clubs.
Nia Lloyd, Director of Wales YFCs, said: “We are very proud of this new partnership, and it has enabled us to offer a special opportunity for our members who have set their sights on developing their careers.
“We are proud that we have been able to offer them various experiences, and it’s great to see them using their skills at the show”.
The aim of the projects are to encourage farmers and producers to venture, collaborate and find opportunities for new and small businesses involved with land-based produce.
The cookery sessions will be located at the Wales YFC Centre near the cattle ring on the show ground.
