It is not everyday you receive an envelope with a return address of 10 Downing Street, but happily that’s what happened a few weeks ago, when HM was invited by David Cameron to a reception there, to celebrate St. David’s Day.
Hot after Alison’s trip to DEFRA to meet the other 49 Rising Food Stars (blog to follow), we (HM’s Hamish and Jess) donned our finest and made our way to Westminster. A debate was had as to whether it would be ok to turn up in a full Welsh rugby supporters garb of daffodil hat and flag but we settled on a more understated real daffodil hastily bought from a shop round the corner.
The evening was a celebration of all things Welsh – wonderful food and drink, beautiful music and excellent company. Drinks were provided by old friends at Penderyn Whisky and new friends at Tiny Rebel Brewery, with a fantastic selection of food prepared by Graham Tinsley and his team in the kitchen.
Eschoir, a fantastic male voice choir, provided the entertainment with a number of rousing renditions of the classics. The guests were an interesting mix of large and small businesses, including our friends at Clogau Gold, academics, politicians and some very good looking celebrities!
We were lucky enough to grab a quick chat with our host, Mr David Cameron, who wished us well in our new Saltcote and reminded us that ‘now the hard work starts!’ Stephen Crab was also very welcoming and we look forward to showing him around when our tours are up and running.
Once we finally left (I think we were the last), we collected our mobiles and cheekily managed to squeeze in a selfie in front of the most famous door in the world. A brilliant night – thank you very much for the invitation.
To watch a video about the evening, see the BBC website, and for a transcript of the Prime Minister’s speech, visit the government website.