Asda celebrates all things Welsh with traditional Welsh dishes on the menu at in-store cafes across South Wales
A traditional taste of Wales is on the menu at 15 cafes across South Wales for St David’s Day, after supermarket Asda joined forces with one of Wales’ premier food producers, Authentic Curries and World Foods, to give its café customers a true flavour of Wales, using Welsh ingredients and products sourced from local suppliers.
The ‘Taste of Wales’ menu features a selection of Welsh meals across Asda Cafés, including:
- Welsh Beef Cottage Pie – Minced Welsh beef with carrots and onions packed with comforting flavours and topped with mashed potato.
- Macaroni Cheese – Finest pasta in a rich, mature cheese sauce made from a blend of Caerphilly cheeses.
- Traditional Faggots in Onion Gravy – Classic Welsh-Style Pork Meatballs (faggots) in thick onion gravy.
- Welsh Beef Lasagne – Handmade lasagne comprising the best Welsh beef Bolognese sauce layered between the finest Italian pasta and topped with a béchamel sauce.
- Lamb Cawl – Lamb, carrots, potato, leek and swede in a traditional style broth, finished with parsley.
- Chicken Cymru – Chicken, leeks and mushrooms in a cream and Caerphilly cheese sauce.
- Welsh Beef Chilli – A beautifully textured mix of lean minced Welsh Beef, chilli beans, peppers and onions. A classic made to perfection.
- Sws y ddraig – “the dragon's kiss” – chicken curry with Welsh leeks, peppers and fresh coriander in a mild to medium spiced sauce
- Cwtch y ddraig – “the dragon's cuddle” – a mildly spiced chicken curry.
- Tan y ddraig – “the dragon's fire” – chicken curry with peppers, chillies, Welsh Leeks and fresh coriander in a hot sauce.
Matt Trigg, Asda’s local sourcing and events manager for Wales, said: “We’re proud to champion Welsh produce and there’s no better day than to celebrate the best of Wales has to offer in our stores than around St David’s Day.
“Based in Hirwaun, Authentic Curries and World Foods has been cooking up meals using only the finest ingredients for over 20 years, with all of its beef farmed in the region through Celtic Pride.
“Since we introduced a selection into a handful of store cafes late last year, the feedback from customers has been fantastic and we’re hoping to extend the range even further in the future.”
About Authentic Curries and World Foods
Founded by David Smith and Paul Trotman, originally as The Authentic Curry Company, in 1995 when Paul became a resident at David’s motel, Roch Gate, in Pembrokeshire.
During his time at the motel, Paul watched with great interest how night after night customers came from far and wide to enjoy David’s curries.
He also saw how countless other licensees in the area approached David with a desire to purchase his curries for their own menu. It wasn’t long before David and Paul, who had become good friends, began thinking about the possibility of a curry sales company
The Authentic Curry Company initially operated out of the kitchen at Roch Gate Motel but within six months, it had outgrown the facilities. In September 1996, David and Paul moved the company into dedicated premises with storage, cooling and chilling facilities. After 12 months however, an even larger unit was required, so David and Paul acquired and fully equipped a 3,000 square foot unit to ensure production could match continued growth.
Over the following five years The Authentic Curry Company changed beyond recognition. Staff numbers grew from 5 to over 20, and the customer base and turnover increased year on year. In 2002, the company had once again outgrown its facilities and relocated to a 12,000 square foot unit, just a mile down the road.
Phenomenal growth in the catering, retail and foodservice markets has once again changed The Authentic Curry Company beyond recognition. Staff numbers have doubled and the company now manufactures over 100 products designed for staff and customer facing restaurants, foodservice clients, local authorities as well as an extensive retail range.
In 2010, a new product development department was created, including a fully equipped NPD kitchen, dedicated to creating new and exiting dishes and meeting bespoke briefs.
With so many dishes and markets to cater for, in 2011 The Authentic Curry Company and World Foods brand merged, being rebranded as Authentic Curries and World Foods. T
The Hirwaun-based business new employs over 40 staff and the company now makes over 100 products,