Food and so much more at The Big Welsh Bite

 
Earlier this month was the The Big Welsh Bite, an annual Welsh Food festival held in Pontypridd Park each year and while we of course expected loads of great food there was also a whole lot more on offer. So my eldest and I set off with our bikes on the Taff Trail to Ynysangharad Park to find out more and of course tastes a few local delights.

The last time we went to the Big Welsh Bite was when my eldest was a toddler and the new lido had yet to be built so I didn't really know what to expect this time around. Despite the on and off heavy showers in between moments of warm sunshine, it was wonderful to see such a good turn out for an event that helps showcase local and independent food and homemade goods.

As we had planned our day to arrive around lunchtime so our first thought was to find a bite to eat, after having perused what was on offer we started out with a Vegan Oreo milkshake made with almond ice-cream and it was amazing! We followed this up with a wood fired pizza from Ffwrnes and topped it off with some locally baked Welsh Cakes, fairly indulgent I must say but one must try things at a food festival.

Feeling a little fuller we decided to go and see what else was on offer and of course the first thing that caught my son's eye was the small farm animals on display including a very cheeky little Shetland pony who loved being fed apples, as well as some friendly sheep who seemed to enjoy all the attention from the children. There were also an array of chickens, ducks and even a turkey as well as rabbits and guinea pigs for children to gently hold.

Just a few meters away were birds of prey on display which we both found fascinating, there is something very interesting about seeing owls and hawks so close up and throughout the day they did falconry talks and displays. Dotted around the site were small fun fair rides for children as well as games, we enjoyed throwing rope hoops over the cut out farm animals and my son like racing through the mud on the go carts. Both the play park and Lido were also open making it a very family friendly event with loads for children of all ages to do.


On the other end of the festival was the wellness tent as well as information stands of local businesses and charities and there was a really great sense of community with lots of activities for children to do undercover when the rain would come in. We also had a chance to see some very impressive model planes, some of which were pretty big and I never knew there was a local group that builds and flies them.

As the day went on I went in search of coffee and was delighted to see Outpost had a small stall, one of my favorite independent coffee shops from Cardiff. Before heading off we decided to stay and watch the Lamas agility display which was fascinating because I really never knew Llamas could jump so high and it ea interesting learning all about them and their adopted home in North Wales. We easily spent a few hours here and both my son and I really enjoyed it, there was so much to see and do, the organisation was really good and it's great to see small towns put on such fantastic free events like The Big Welsh Bite, cannot wait for next year.