Meet the talented Welsh businesses supplying blas
Kate McIntyre
Service Quality and Experience Manager
What makes the delicious new food and drink served on our trains so good? It’s where it comes from. It’s the care, attention and passion that goes into crafting, baking, brewing and distilling it.
We’ve launched blas, our new food and drink brand with a commitment to using as much authentic, sustainable Welsh produce as we can. We want to help talented businesses to thrive, supporting skilled local jobs and flourishing local economies.
I was lucky enough to spend some time with a few of our suppliers recently. It was a privilege to witness the hard work, skill and dedication of the people who work in these businesses.
Glamorgan Brewing Company
Pontyclun-based Glamorgan Brewing Company brew classic ales and lagers with a Welsh accent. Possibly their most famous is the ‘Bale Ale’, brewed in partnership with football legend Gareth Bale.
The brewing process is fascinating to watch. Golden malt is placed in vats with hot water to extract the sugars. It then enters a vast hopper where it’s stored at 100 degrees for an hour. Hops are added to impart that crisp, refreshing flavour. Why not sample it on our trains?
Tregroes Waffles
The first thing you notice when visiting Llandysul-based Tregroes Waffles is the mouth-watering aroma of warm toffee. It hits you before you even enter the building.
It was a pleasure to meet the team and see freshly baked waffles rolling off their state-of the-art production line. They’re then filled with molten toffee before cooling and packaging. Final stop, our onboard trolley service.
Radnor Hills
Fancy something exceptionally fresh to quench your thirst on your journey? Try rock-filtered mineral water from the Mid Wales hills, bottled and brought to you by Knighton-based Radnor Hills.
The Radnor factory makes its own bottles on-site, reducing its transport costs and carbon footprint. Radnor Hills’ production line can create 32,000 bottles in an hour, ready to be filled. Whether that’s with pure spring water (still or sparkling) or perhaps a fruity infusion with 100% natural ingredients.
Penderyn Distillery
Penderyn Distillery are internationally recognised for their award-winning Single Malt Welsh Whisky. They’re pioneers in World Whisky and have three distilleries in Wales.
At their Brecon Beacons distillery, I watched malted barley being mashed in with water from the Brecon Beacons, before fermenting with yeast to convert the sugars to alcohol which is then distilled using their unique Faraday Still. The spirit is matured in ex-bourbon casks before spending time in a finishing cask, imparting a unique taste which you can savour from the comfort of your seat on our trains.
