Welsh flags will again be flying high from the business premises in Saundersfoot on the last weekend in February, as the village prepares to celebrate St. David's Day in style with the third St. David's Food and Craft Festival. Organised by the Saundersfoot Chamber of Tourism and sponsored by the WDA and Pembrokeshire County Council, the festival attracts a large number of food and craft producers from Pembrokeshire and other parts of Wales who will be displaying their goods in and around the large marquee erected on Saundersfoot harbour especially for the weekend event. The success of previous festivals (and the St. Nicholas Christmas Market also organised by the Chamber) has meant that there will be an even greater selection of Welsh themed items on the many stalls this year. The festival also incorporates the sixth annual Cawl Championship of the World and Elsewhere, and the local restaurants, hotels, cafés and pubs will be competing against each other to serve up their own specially developed cawl recipes. Last year's winners, Paul and Sue from the Strand Antiques Tea Rooms, will be hotly defending their title, but it will be the public vote that will once again decide whose chef will be crowned the 'Cawl Cooking Champion of the World and Elsewhere'. Special commemorative cawl cups have been commissioned for 2006 and visitors to the festival will be able to use them on the 'Cawl Trail' as they sample and vote their way around the village. The cups, purchased from the marquee (for a small fee), will contain the official 'Cawl Trail' voting form, which, when completed and returned to the marquee, will have the added bonus of being entered into a free draw for the festival grand prize. Once all the visitors' votes have been counted, the Chairman of Saundersfoot Chamber for Tourism, Mr. Andrew Evans, will announce the winner of the Cawl Cooking Championships on St. David's Day. Throughout the weekend, the festival will also celebrate Welsh music and song, kindly provided by local schools. It is hoped that a children's 'Design a Leek' competition will attract an abundance of the great Welsh vegetable in all shapes and sizes that will be displayed in the marquee and win one lucky school a donation from the Saundersfoot Chamber. So, however you intend to celebrate St. David's Day this year, a visit to Saundersfoot on February 25 or 26 will certainly put you in the Welsh mood. The festival stalls and marquee are open from 10 am - 6 pm on Saturday and 10 am - 5 pm on Sunday. The delicious delights of the 'Cawl Trail' can be sampled from 12 noon - 3 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. A tasty treat is guaranteed for all, so don't miss out on your chance to vote!
