Four Welsh towns identified as 'food towns' of the future

In line with the success of the rest of the UK food industry, food and drink businesses in Wales have also been performing well, even despite the recession. There has even been an upsurge of interest in certain areas of Wales in recent years, and it looks like four towns in particular are set to be singled out as 'food towns' of the future. These are:

• Montgomery, in Powys, Mid Wales
• Aberystwyth, Ceredigion
• Dolgellau, in Gywnedd, north-west Wales
• Brecon, southern Powys, Mid Wales

These four towns have been identified as burgeoning food areas by the Mid Wales Local Food Talks initiative, which has been impressed by the rapidly-growing development within the food and drink, retail and tourism sectors of each town. For example, in Dolgellau, nearly all local restaurants and half of the town's 120 tourism businesses source local produce to serve or sell, or are planning to do so in the future.

The area of Mid Wales itself is setting the example for the rest of the country, as shown by the growing number of local food and drink producers in the area, which has more than doubled in only a few years.

Not only is this good for the tourism industry in Wales, but it will also boost employment, creating hundreds if not thousands of new food jobs and career opportunities.