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Get your free copy26 January 2026, 13:44 PM
- Discover some of Wales’ best bakers, condiment and preserve makers
The gentle, soothing, timeless act of baking (be it cakes, biscuits or bread), and preserving are traditions that have been upheld by generations of makers in Wales.
Across the country you’ll find a number of heritage brands in these categories, run often by second, third or even fourth generation family members, proud to continue the legacies that precede them.
Alongside these are innovative newcomers, taking premium Welsh ingredients, giving them bold new twists, bringing added excitement to the country’s growing portfolio of contemporary food and drink producers.
Read all about them, and dozens more, by downloading the free Celebrating Welsh Food & Drink 2026 publication, produced by Speciality Food in collaboration with Food & Drink Wales, here.
Here’s a taster of just some of the businesses to look out for.
From humble beginnings in his family home atop a hill, Hilltop has become the second largest honey business in the UK, stocked by retailers of all sizes, and enjoyed by honey lovers across Britain and beyond.
The passion of founder Scott Davies has shone through from 2011 when he was first gifted a beehive to today, when the growing team behind the business is dedicated to celebrating the art of beekeeping and the provenance of the products within the range.
Crafty Pickle founders Arthur and Madi are nutritionists and initially were interested in fermented foods for the associated gut health benefits, but when they started exploring the wild world of fermentation their eyes were opened to the preservation power of fermentation and its ability to create unique, tongue-tingling flavours.
They wanted to promote these benefits and do some good with their business, so use as much surplus or imperfect produce in their production as possible.
Do Goodly Foods was established in 2021 by Richard Abbey and Scott Davis, a Michelin trained chef.
At Do Goodly, they believe dips should do good too. That’s why they’ve created a range of deliciously different dips designed to bring something unique, fresh and better-for-you to the world of dips.
Their Great Taste Award-winning, 100% plant-based and gluten-free dips are packed with flavour, protein/fibre and goodness – perfect for today’s health-conscious customers.
Authentic Curry Company
When it comes to achieving an authentic homemade taste, Authentic Curry Company never cut corners. That’s why their chefs, not machines, cook their recipes.
The business’s production process is basically the same now as it was back at the start; they cook their products as you would at home, with in most cases the meat and sauce cooked as one, guaranteeing the flavours and textures on which they pride themselves.
The idea for award-winning Moose Maple was born when founder Farrah was at breakfast in New York, and seeking a healthy alternative from the conventional sweet spreads and preserves on offer decided to experiment by putting natural maple syrup on her toast. The flavour blew her away.
Back in London, she realised that there were no producers blending maple syrup with butter so she created it for herself, friends and family, and eventually families at the school gate.
Welsh Lady Preserves was established in 1966 in Pwllheli, North Wales. Founded by Dio and Marion Jones, the company is now run by the second and third generations of the family – son John and his wife Carol, and their daughter Hannah.
Taste and quality are the team’s number one priorities – so much so that they have won a number of awards for various different products that they produce.
From their base in Anglesey, Anglesey Foods is dedicated to providing food lovers with flavour-packed jars which will elevate their meals.
Run by Mark Scott and Kevin Moran, the business is focused on great taste – which is why every Anglesey Foods jar is packed with punchy flavour.
Cradoc’s bakes delicious savoury crackers and biscuits in the Bannau Brychieniog. Famed for innovative beautiful packaging, flavour combinations and cracker snacks, created with cheese in mind, Cradoc’s Crackers are perfect to place with cheeseboards, charcuterie, pickles and preserves.
The business began on the kitchen table, baking crackers from the kitchen island, working with a hand-woven French patisserie sheeter, and later in a mini bakery (converted garage) which enabled them to sell to farmers’ markets and festivals, and now operates with nine staff from two bakeries in Brecon.
Everything Siwgr a Sbeis prepares in their Llannwst bakery is traditionally baked from scratch in small quantities, using recipes that are mostly crafted by directors Rhian Williams and Rhian Owen.
They bake everything to order, and their motto is ‘baked today, delivered tomorrow’, meaning all their traditionally handmade produce arrives fresh, and is made with the utmost care and attention.
Popty Bakery is situated in Llanllechid on the outskirts of Bethesda. Set in the Snowdonia National Park, Bethesda has become a tourist attraction for climbers, ramblers and anymore looking to spend time surroundd by beautiful scenery and fresh air.
At the beginning of the 1900s, OJ Williams opened a small bakery in the hills of Llanllechid. It still stands today, only now it has a 3,000sq/ft steel structure extension. The business was passed on from OJ Williams to his son Arthur, who later sold it to his nephew and current managing director, Gwyn Williams.
Based in the Carmarthenshire countryside, Blasus Welshcakes is a family-run business, where the tradition of Welsh baking is at the heart of all they do. Blasus began in 2016, when founder Sarah began baking Welshcakes to sell at local markets.
Her small-batch, handmade approach quickly gained a following, and in 2022 Blasus introduced a fresh look that reflects the brand’s growing presence while staying true to its authentic roots.
George Brace began baking in Pontllanfraith in the Eastern valleys of Monmouthshire in 1902. With help from his family, he managed to build a bakery and deliver the bread while still working at the Cambrian Colliery in the nearby Rhondda valley.
Disaster struck at the colliery in 1905, and he vowed never to work at the pit again. Throughout the last century, the bakery continued to supply a growing number of wholesale and retail customers in the Welsh valleys.
Brace’s Bakery manufactures a wide variety of baked products, including tin loaves, Welsh Legends speciality breads including Tiger Loaf and High Protein Seeded Wholemeal Bread, rolls and bakery treats.
From a single kitchen table in South Wales, to the kitchens of some of the UK’s most prestigious venues, Terry’s Patisserie has grown into a leading name in handcrafted desserts.
What began as a small family business is now a team of pastry chefs from around the world, each bringing their own skills and creativity. Their combined experience shapes a range that’s thoughtful, flavour-driven and made with care.
The story of Tregroes Waffles is a unique blend of Dutch and Welsh heritage, beginning when Dutchman Kees Huysmans travelled to Tregroes in the Teifi Valley in 1983 and never left – bringing the art of stroop waffles to Wales.
The business began with Kees Huysmans making the waffles – two thin layers of baked dough with soft and chewy toffee between them – by hand in a local market, and sicne then it has grown its reach to be available to purchase around the world from independent and multiple retailers as well as coffee shops and on British Airways flights.
