THE sweet taste of plum was celebrated at an annual food festival dedicated to Wales’ only native variety.

Thousands of people headed to the Denbigh Plum Feast to sample jams, vinegar, chocolate and even vodka made from the Vale of Clwyd Denbigh Plum, as well as other locally-sourced Welsh products.

In February the Denbigh plum was awarded protected food name status by the European Commission, ranking it alongside the likes of Caerphilly Cheese, Parma Ham and Welsh Lamb.

There were 80 stalls at the festival at Denbigh Town Hall on Saturday, October 5, rounding off a successful year for the Denbigh Plum Group in which it was invited to the Houses of Parliament and the Senedd.

Peter Jones, chair of the Denbigh Plum Group said: “We’re absolutely delighted with the turn out. The town was buzzing.

“Shops and cafes all benefitted from this event. Visitors came from all corners of Wales, Pembrokeshire, Abergavenny, London, Nantwich, Liverpool, Italy, Canada as well as all the local area in their cars, on bikes and by coach.”

The festival was also attended by Welsh producers such as Henllan Bread, Welsh Mountain Kefir, Bao Revolution and E&C. Meanwhile Harri Williams, head chef of Carden Park Hotel in Cheshire, who previously worked at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, discussed his experience alongside Mark Robertson, chef lecturer at Coleg Cambria.

Nia Williams, secretary of the Denbigh Plum Group, said the popularity of the event “has grown considerably over the years” with help from volunteers who want to share “what a wonderful fruit it is and how great a town Denbigh is”.

She added: "It's really put the plum and the area on the map. There are so many exciting possibilities for the whole of the Vale of Clwyd from a tourism, employment, educational, horticultural and food production perspective.”