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The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society proudly hosted the Royal Welsh Winter Fair Taste Awards, showcasing the finest native lamb breeds of Wales in a celebration of sustainability, flavour, and culinary excellence.
The awards, held in collaboration with Cambrian Training, the Culinary Association of Wales, and the Wales Culinary Team, spotlighted the exceptional quality of Welsh lamb and its unique characteristics.
The competition aimed to promote native Welsh lamb breeds and emphasise their distinct flavours, encouraging chefs, businesses, and consumers to consider Welsh lamb a premium product.
The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society places great importance on this competition. It serves as a vital platform to showcase the exceptional flavours of native Welsh lamb breeds while promoting sustainable farming practices.
These lambs are grass-fed, raised in Wales, and come with full traceability from farm to fork.
The initiative aims to highlight the story behind the meat and the dedicated efforts of farmers in preserving these breeds.
Breed societies representing seven native Welsh lamb breeds participated in the competition, held at the Cambrian Training building on the Monday of the Winter Fair.
Each breed’s lamb was expertly cooked by chefs and presented to a distinguished panel of judges, including:
• Dilwyn Evans BVM&S MRCVS, vet featured on TV series ‘Clarkson’s Farm’
• Steven Owen, Castell Howell Development Chef
• Mr Neil Fenn, MB BCh FRCSEd FRCS(Urol) & Professor Rhian Goodfellow OBE
• Alwyn Watkins OBE, Executive Chair Cambrian Training Group
The breeds showcased included:
• Badger Face Welsh Mountain (Torddu and Torwen)
• Balwen Welsh Mountain
• Black Welsh Mountain
• Clun Forest
• South Wales Mountain
• Llanwenog
• Pedigree Welsh Mountain
Each lamb had been bred, born, and reared in Wales, ensuring sustainable and traceable farming practices.
The awards highlighted the diversity among native Welsh lamb breeds, from the Torddu and Torwen’s hardy nature to the Llanwenog’s docile temperament and premium meat quality. Farmers and breed societies demonstrated the unique traits of their lambs, such as flavour, sustainability, and adaptability to diverse farming environments.
In an incredibly close contest, Arthur Davies (South Wales Mountain) and I.T. Davies & Son (Clun Forest) were declared joint winners of the Royal Welsh Winter Fair Taste Awards. Both breeds impressed the judges with their remarkable flavour, tenderness, and quality, showcasing the very best of Welsh lamb.
The event emphasised the importance of promoting the culinary excellence of Welsh lamb alongside its visual appeal in show rings.
Guest judge, Mr Dilwyn Evans said: "It has been an absolute honour to judge the Royal Welsh Winter Fair Taste Awards and experience first-hand the superior taste of native Welsh lamb.”
“This exceptional meat not only embodies the rich heritage and dedication of Welsh farming but also highlights the importance of preserving these unique breeds and the sustainable practices behind them,” he said.
The RWAS expressed gratitude to the judges and Cambrian Training Group for their continued support, helping ensure the lambs were cooked to perfection for the competition.
With the Royal Welsh Winter Fair Taste Awards, Wales has cemented its position as a leader in premium lamb production, bringing the exceptional flavours of its native breeds to the forefront of the culinary world.
The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society has played a leading role in the development of agriculture and the rural economy in Wales for more than a century.
The society was formed in 1904, and the first show was held in Aberystwyth in the same year.
The society has come a long way since those early days and the three society events; the Smallholding and Countryside Festival, the Royal Welsh Show and the Winter Fair, have become important events in the Welsh agricultural calendar.