Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Four teams of local bards, two famous adjudicators and an intelligent but nervous audience. That was the recipe for a night to remember at Carmarthen Town Football Club. The evening’s proceeds – together with money from another event this Friday – will raise money towards the club’s chosen charity for this year, namely Wales Speaking Books. Thanks go to Jeff Thomas and club officers and to Peter Hughes Griffiths for arranging the evening. The adjudicators were none other than Mererid Hopwood and Tudur Dylan Jones – two of Wales’s most prominent chaired bards. The audience members were entertained as they weighed up the four teams’ works – three from Carmarthen Bard School and one from Priory Church. The winning team on this occasion was ‘The Priory’. Congratulations to them on their achievement.

The support of funding from Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking has helped the Llanelli-based Jenkins Bakery open its new production facility and coffee shop in the town. The Jenkins Bakery, founded 91 years ago, now operates 26 outlets from Carmarthen to Bridgend. It is run by members of the third generation of the Jenkins family in Llanelli. The support of a finance package from Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking was crucial to the opening of the latest venture in the new East Gate shopping development in Llanelli. The Jenkins family business has been banking with 'Lloyds' since the bakery was founded. The funding was provided through the Government-backed Funding for Lending scheme, which means the company was able to benefit from a one per cent interest rate reduction. The Jenkins Bakery currently employs 280 people across its outlets throughout South and West Wales. David Jenkins, Commercial Director at the business, said: “This new venture in Llanelli represents a significan...

Brynwgyn Comprehensive School pupil Tegan Andrews was the winner of the first ever Young Chef competition to be staged by Llanelli Rotary Club. Tegan Andrews, 13, scooped the prize with her three course menu of Welsh leek and sweet potato soup; sugar crusted lamb; raspberry and Caerphilly chocolate pots. She is pictured above being presented with her prizes, a shield, certificate and an autographed Simon Wright book, by Llanelli Rotary Club president Alan Owen. The event was part of a national competition which offers a host of prizes, including a trip to Tuscany, a day’s tuition with a Michelin-star chef in the UK and a cash prize. One of the organisers of the Llanelli heat of the competition was Rotarian Alison Evans. She said: "Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland believes it is highly important to encourage and develop creativity in young people, and this includes creativity in the kitchen. "Cooking among young people is a growing interest and a v...

Members of Llanelli Sea Cadets will be attending a meeting of Llanelli Rotary Club on Wednesday evening to give a special presentation on their work. The sea cadets will be led by their president, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed Lt Col David Mathias. The Rotary meeting starts at 7.30pm at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. Weblink - h ttp://www.sea-cadets.org/llanelli/who-we-are.aspx

Latest special offers from the Jenkins Bakery - WEEK COMMENCING 11/02/13 Half Term Week – Shrove Tuesday 12/02/13 3 MEDIUM CORNED BEEF PASTIES £1.60 2 MINCED BEEF & ONION PIES £2.10 2 LARGE CORNED BEEF PASTIES £1.90 2 CUSTARD SLICES (85p each) £1.60 2 FRESH CREAM DOUGHNUTS £1.70 SANDWICH OF THE WEEK – SALMON & CUCUMBER £2.10 BAGUETTE OF THE WEEK – CHICKEN TIKKA £2.30 ROLLS OF THE WEEK – FLOURED BAPS PACK OF 4 90p LOAF OF THE WEEK - SMALL MULTISEED £1.40 4 PANCAKES £1.70 Website - http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/

Tuesday (February 12) is the day when people go flipping mad for pancakes. And Llanelli’s biggest bakery (the Jenkins Bakery) will be doing their bit to mark Shrove Tuesday. “Pancakes are popular all the year around,” said Jenkins Bakery director and company secretary David Jenkins. “But all our shops will be making a special effort with pancakes this week and on Tuesday, in particular. “We hope to sell something like 20,000 pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, so you can see how popular they are. “In fact, we sell a number of varieties – a plain pancake, a chocolate chip one and a fruit (currant) version. “This year, we are launching a new pancake - the cranberry pancake (pictured below). Early signs are it’s proving very popular with our customers.” Mr Jenkins added: “This is a busy time of year for us as we recently put out a special range of Valentine’s Day products. “We pride ourselves as being a bakery business which knows its customers and we know how people love to celebrate differen...

The Carmarthen Journal 'Iechyd Da' beer column by Simon Buckley, chief executive of the Llandeilo-based Evan-Evans Brewery.  My brewing boots are back on the rack and the beers are ready to go to the International Brewing Awards. Now the nervous wait begins . . . For the last two weeks there have been late nights and long brewing days, preparing the beers for the competition. Hours have been spent in the lab checking and rechecking the beers to see that they fit the specification, and then tasting them as they mature. We have been blighted by freezing weather, which has kept the ambient temperature at freezing or marginally above, which is hopeless for maturing beer. So ‘Space’ heaters and lots of gas supplies were needed to bring the temperature back to eight degrees. The beers seem to be maturing well. Some of you may ask why we bother? After all, it is only a competition. The simple fact is that the International Brewing awards are the Oscars of the brewing industry. T...