Hundreds of people made a special ‘cawl’ on Saundersfoot on Saturday to help judge an important culinary contest.

The Cawl Cooking Championship of the World…and Elsewhere has been a popular feature on the village’s calendar for a number of years.

This year, it was given its own special day by its organisers, Saundersfoot Chamber for Tourism, and the Saundersfoot Cawl Factor 2016 was a huge success.

Four-hundred commemorative cawl bowls were sold as the ticket to a taste-test around the six eating establishments in the village who had cooked up gallons of the Welsh delicacy in a bid to take the title.

For the third year in a row, the winner of the public vote was The Old Chemist Inn.

New owners Ollie and Rita Gibson took over the pub six months ago and were keen to keep the cawl trophy on the mantlepiece.

Their chef, Debbie Fisher, wowed diners with her own recipe feturing slow-roasted lamb, with Ollie fine-tuning the seasoning .

“I’m not Welsh and I’m not really a cawl person, so I am over the moon that we’ve won!” said Debbie.

Runner-up in the championship was Philly’s, with The Mulberry in third place.

The cawl served up by the Marina was the Chairmen’s Choice from Pembrokeshire County Council’s Wynne Evans; Saundersfoot Community’s Council’s Phil Baker and Saundersfoot Chamber for Tourism’s Phil Odley.

The Regency Hall and the Salvage Bar also contended the title.

Said Mr. Odley: “Every venue had lots of first place votes and the feedback was that all the cawl tasted was very good - many said they thought the quality was even higher than previous years.

“People also commented how much they enjoyed visiting all the venues and what a warm welcome they received.”

The event was centered on the Regency Hall, which featured artists and craftspeople showing their work and selling their wares; presentations by Ian of The Reptile Centre in Saundersfoot and live music.

Families enjoyed the Dragon Trail around the village and the winners - Jess Whiting, Megan King and Gracie - were delighted with their prizes of a cuddly dragon and an Easter egg.

Saundersfoot Chamber for Tourism’s new village map was the backdrop for a table-top treasure hunt, with Roy Barker locating the treasure in the Barbecue building to win a large hamper.

Added Mr. Odley: “It was a very successful day all round, and we are particularly grateful to the Regency Hall - all their staff and volunteers worked really hard to host the events, serving refreshments as well as cooking and serving their delicious cawl.”