ACCLAIMED chef Barry Tonks swapped London’s top restaurants for Ruthin Farmers Market recently where he attended the Clwyd Country Fair.

He was invited by the 2020 Royal Welsh Show sponsor county committee to work with locally sourced Welsh lamb as part of their festival of rural life.

Barry Tonks has been cooking in some of London’s finest kitchens for over 20 years, including the Dorchester Hotel, The Landmark, Les Deux Salons and Searcy’s at London’s ‘Gherkin’ skyscraper. Along the way, he has accumulated awards, accolades, press acclaim and a Michelin star.

He is passionate about sourcing British products for his dishes and incorporated Welsh brands into his cooking demonstrations at the event.

He served-up a spiced lamb neck dish served with rose harrisa kofta, fregola, pomegranate and tahini yogurt for hungry spectators in Ruthin.

The Welsh lamb was donated by Henllan farmer Daphne Tilley.

Barry Tonks said: “I was delighted to have been invited to North Wales by Daphne Tilley who is someone I've known for many years.

"It was my first visit and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where the delicious Welsh lamb is reared.

"Welsh Lamb is so versatile; the dishes I prepared in the wonderful demo kitchen had a North African influence to demonstrate this.”

Gwyn Edwards, chair of the Clwyd 2020 committee, said: “As a farmer myself, I was very pleased to see a London chef at the event showcasing his skills and expressing support for Welsh lamb.

"It was also great to see Coleg Cambria students in the demonstration kitchen and I’m sure that they will be great ambassadors for Welsh lamb in their careers.”

Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) headed to the region recently for Open Farm Saturday.

Held at Llysfasi, this was one of many open days across the country where farms offer the public a chance to discover real farming at first hand and see for themselves how their food is produced.

It is also a great way for farmers to shine a light on what they deliver and why supporting farming matters.

HCC’s communications executive Siwan Jones said: “It is so important to educate the public on how red meat is produced here in Wales, and ultimately, how it can be cooked to create delightful dishes.

"We were pleased to see the Clwyd 2020 committee addressing these issues.”