Coleg Cambria resturant Iâl praised in Senedd debate

Wrexham’s Iâl restaurant at Coleg Cambria has been highlighted in the Senedd for use of Welsh food and drink, as well as building the skills of young people.

The comments came as the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, also Wrexham’s MS Lesley Griffiths, updated Senedd Members on BlasCymru/TasteWales 2023 – a flagship trade event of the Welsh food and drink industry.

An anecdote around Wrexham Lager was shared first, “I know we had a discussion in the Chamber about the Rugby World Cup that was held in Japan and how you couldn’t buy Wrexham Lager in Wrexham—you could only buy it in Japan, because they couldn’t fly it out quickly enough. And it’s really important that we look at those events that have that global coverage and be part of that. Certainly, as we grow our food and drink sector, there are more and more companies who want to be part of those global events and we’ll be very happy to support them. ”

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates raised Coleg Cambria’s offer in a question, “First of all, have you noticed any emerging trends regarding tastes in food? Secondly, would you agree that with, every day, a new restaurant receiving awards in Wales, the restaurants of Wales, the hospitality sector, have a vital role to play in promoting food production and highlighting the quality of food produced here in Wales?

“And finally, in this area Coleg Cambria do a magnificent job in providing skills training for young people in food preparation and hygiene. Would you take this opportunity to congratulate and thank all of those skills providers who do such a magnificent job to give opportunities to young people in this sector?.”

The Minister replied, “I absolutely agree with you, and, again, going back to the culinary awards I was at last Wednesday, which was run by one of the providers of skills here in Wales, Arwyn Watkins said that restaurants now in Wales are probably missing a trick if they’re not using Welsh food and drink and displaying it very clearly on the menus that they’re using Welsh food and drink, because it is such an important sector, and the provenance of the food and drink is becoming so much more important.

“Consumers want it, people visiting restaurants want it, so it’s really important that they don’t miss that trick.”

Previously the Minister said, “I attended the Culinary Association of Wales awards last Wednesday night back in the International Convention Centre Wales, and it was really good. There, you have the senior chef of Wales, the junior chef of Wales and other skills as well, but to see the work that they’re doing with our young people—. Some of them are very, very young and it’s not an easy job working in the kitchens and producing this amazing food. But it was so good to see the enthusiasm and we want to do all we can to encourage. This is one of the biggest sectors, obviously, in Wales. It employs 0.25 million people from farm to fork, as you know, and our restaurants and hospitality sector. So, it is really important that we do continue, and, while at BlasCymru, there was a group of apprentices who came along to see what was on offer, and I managed to grab 10 minutes with them, and just the enthusiasm they had for the sector was great. And again, it’s part of that vision for the food and drink industry that we have.

Speaking of a local lunch the Minister later added, “It is really important that our young people, or all people, have those skills as well in preparation for when they go into the sector.

“I had lunch at Coleg Cambria, at the restaurant at Coleg Cambria in my own constituency of Wrexham, just before Christmas, where, as you say, the students serve the food, they wait on the tables, they cook the food, they do everything, and it was so good to see the amount of Welsh food and drink that was on display.

“The manager was very proud. He took me round the back to make sure I could see just how much Welsh food and drink was on display, which was just brilliant. And as you say, there are lots of providers across Wales who do that, and I’d like to congratulate them all.”