Disclosure – This post is about an event to which I was invited but didn't pay to attend. MrsA also attended by I paid in full for her ticket.The problem with being busy and also a bit lazy, is that when you are at an event with other bloggers they will invariably write things up before you do.
That is exactly what happened when I and a number of other food bloggers got invited to attend the second birthday celebrations at ffresh Restaurant in the Wales Millennium Centre.
Recently ffresh as been inviting some of Wales' top chefs to come and do guest chef evenings there. To date they have had Bryn Williams from Oddette's in Primrose Hill and Bryan Webb from Tyddyn Llan in Llandrillo. For their birthday celebrations they invited Shaun Hill from The Walnut Tree nr. Abergavenny. Highly fitting I thought as Shaun has been their consultant chef since they opened and has worked with Executive Chef, Kurt Fleming, and his team to develop the ffresh menu.
I've eaten at ffresh before, but only from their pre-theatre menu which I've found to be one of the better early evening offerings in the Bay.
Now onto the birthday event itself. My fellow food bloggers have already written about how the Red Mullet was the undoubted star of the show, how the Roasted Partridge was a bit hit and miss, and that the Hot Chocolate Fondant was a delicious delight. Matching wine for the evening was supplied by Ancre Hill Estates, nr Monmouth. Everyone was surprised by just how good the wine from this British vineyard actually was.
With this in mind there's really no point in my re-iterating more of the same. Instead I thought I'd mention the fact that ffresh is a True Taste Partner. I was fortunate enough to attend the 2011 True Taste of Wales Awards in Llandudno (more of which soon) and now realise what a huge deal this is for the people involved.
ffresh has been working to create a menu that maximises use of ingredients from many of Wales' award-winning producers.
Some 80 per cent of the food on the new menu is sourced from Wales and nearly a third (30 per cent) of those suppliers have won the Welsh food and drink industry's highest accolade – the True Taste award.
ffresh has become the first venue in the country to pilot a 'Wales, The True Taste Partnership', recognising its commitment to sourcing and serving the best food and drink from Wales.
As someone who is passionate about the use of seasonal, local produce I'm very pleased that the Wales Millennium Centre have chosen to take this approach. It is incredibly important that restaurants support their local producers and the fact that a flagship venue like ffresh at the WMC has chosen this route should be applauded. Hopefully their inclusion in the 2012 Good Food Guide will help ensure their continued success and wisdom of their ethos.
ffresh
Wales Millennium Centre
Bute Place
Cardiff Bay
CF10 5AL
Tel: 029 2063 6465
Email: ffresh@wmc.org.uk
