Local Food Heroes

As part of our 150th anniversary year, the Cambrian News is this week launching a quest to find the Cambrian News Local Food Heroes for 2010. We are calling on all food lovers to nominate and vote for their local food heroes over the coming year.

Nominations open this week and the winning Cambrian News Local Food Heroes will be chosen by an expert panel in December.

And each month throughout the year we will be featuring two of the Local Food Heroes who have been nominated by our good-food-loving readers.

Who are the heroes we are looking for? We want to hear from you, our readers, about who you believe deserves recognition for their hard work and imagination in bringing quality regional food to the fore.

The Cambrian News Local Food Heroes award is about rewarding the producers of Ceredigion, North Carmarthenshire, Montgomeryshire, Meirionnydd, Arfon and Dwyfor - the individuals and businesses that grow, make and sell the region’s best local produce.

The Cambrian News Local Food Hero award will be split into two categories – 2010 Direct Sales Champion and Local Retailer of the year.

The Direct Sales Champion category is sponsored by the Bwyd Blasus gan Bobl Go Iawn - Real Food from Real People campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness across Wales of the opportunities to buy local produce direct from producers.

The Direct Sales category is open to individual producers, farm shop owners, local farmers’ markets and market organisers, online retailers, vegetable co-operatives, box schemes co-ordinators to farm-gate sellers.

This category is about giving recognition to the region’s producers who bring great local food direct to the general public.

Our Local Food Retailer of the year category is open to independent local retail outlets from across the Cambrian News area which promote and showcase local foods.

From your local high street butchers, delicatessens, bakers, to village shops and fishmongers, this category is about celebrating the achievements of local independent businesses who champion local food.

As well as the category winners in the Cambrian News Local Food Heroes 2010 competition, readers who nominate the winners will also win a huge luxury local food hamper containing some of the best local food produce the region has to offer.

The Local Food Hero Awards have been welcomed by Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Rural Affairs, Elin Jones, who said: “The food scene in Wales is thriving and we have such a wide range of high-quality produce available.

“Regions such as Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Arfon Dwyfor, Montgomeryshire and Meirionnydd are producing a wealth of great local produce and the awards will highlight and showcase the vast array of products available to local people.

“The awards also underline the benefits of buying local, which is one of the priorities of the Welsh Assembly Government.

“Our aim is to make it easier for consumers to buy food and drink produced locally, to support local producers and assist them in their efforts to access local markets as set out in One Wales and the Local Sourcing Action Plan.”

As we go through the year, nominated food heroes will be showcased in the Cambrian News on the last week of the month.

The winners will be announced in December 2010.

This Competition is now CLOSED 

Online Nomination Form: