Day 1 – Mead, Wine and Tea

Visit Wye Valley Meadery, the makers of unique, modern versions of traditional Mead. They offer talks and tastings as well as opportunities to buy. Visit could be to their tap room of maybe Caldicot Castle where they keep some of their bees or at their tap room in Caldicot - around £10 per person. They may also introduce you to other members of Wye Valley Producers.

Travel towards Newport - and then north to White Castle Vineyard - tour of vineyard and tasting - £17 per person. They offer other options - including a cheese platter.

Travel to Abergavenny - home of the Abergavenny Food Festival - could visit the Angel Hotel for afternoon tea - holder of The British Tea Guild Council’s Top City and Country Afternoon Tea Award and The Award of Excellence - £40 per person (maybe open to  a taster version for the group).

Maybe speakers after dinner - e.g. Abergavenny Food Festival Chief Executive, or Cheese tasting with Blaenafon Cheddar (£60 fee).

Hotel - maybe The Mercure, Newport.

Day 2 - Chocolate and Gin

Visit The Welsh Mining Experience  and Chocolate House - chocolate tasting  - £50 per person - they are not normally open on Mondays but it would be arranged.

Travel to Cowbridge and visit the Physic Garden (a tour can be arranged - £20 for group), a free attraction in the beautiful market town of Cowbridge (coaches can drop off at the Town Hall and park at the Leisure Centre). Lunch could be in the town or just outside at Forage Farm Shop - great lunch stop and lots of Welsh food to buy to take home.

End the tour with a visit to Hensol Castle Distillery - the Gin Tour and tasting costs £25 per person.

Alternatively, you could travel north to Hirwaun and visit Penderyn Distillery for a whisky tour and maybe stop for lunch at Zip World Tower, where the pithead has been converted into Cegin Glo, a wonderful cafe with great views.

Day 3 - Foodie tour of Cardiff

There is a great company, Loving Welsh Food, who organise foodie trips around the capital.

• Start off with a tour of Cardiff Castle, to set the scene.
• Meet Sian and start by crossing the road to Castle Arcade and explore the wonderful network of Edwardian and Victorian arcades, filled with independant shops and eateries - you will stop at some of these.
• Reach Cardiff Market - an imposing building that dates back to 1891, although markets have been held on this site since the 18th century. Here you will find local produce as well as tasty food from around the world, all made with a touch of Wales.
• End the tour by making some Welsh Cakes, in the Tabernacle Chapel, a master class to make our traditional flat cakes cooked on a bakestone. If you want to try at home - here is the recipe.

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Other ideas

Southern Wales has a host of great Food Festivals:

• Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival - each May.
• Cardiff Food and Drink Festival - each June.
• Abergavenny Food Festival - each September.
• Newport Food Festival - each October.

We also have lots of markets - from the indoor Cardiff Market and the newly renovated Newport Market with international food hall, to traditional markets like Pontypridd and Abergavenny.

Some other producers that you can visit include Tiny Rebel, near Newport, The Spirit of Wales Distillery (gin, rum and vodka tours and tastings), White Hare Distillery in Usk and Silver Circle Distillery in the Wye Valley.

And we have a number of vineyards to visit - Parva Farm Vineyard in the Wye Valley, Sugar Loaf Vineyard in Abergavenny and Llanerch Hotel and Vineyard.

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