TWO Gwent businesses are celebrating after scooping prizes at the True Taste Food and Drink Awards.

Trealy Farm Charcuterie, based in Mitchel Troy near Monmouth and The Chandlery Restaurant, Lower Dock Street, Newport, beat off competition from around 340 companies at last week’s award ceremony.

Trealy Farm came top in the True Taste meat and poultry product category with their fennel pork sausages.

Graham Waddington, a Trealy Farm director, said: “We’re very, very pleased to have won the award. It’s good for business and opens up all sorts of channels for us in London, which can only be good for us and good for Wales, putting Welsh food on the map.”

Mr Waddington said they entered three more of their best products into the competition - Merguez sausage, a north African-style lamb sausage, which received a commendation; Coppa, an air-dried pork shoulder and Monmouthshire air-dried ham.

The Chandlery Restaurant walked away with the True Tasting eating out in Wales award for the South East region. The restaurant is owned by Simon and Jane Newcombe, who have run the business for the past seven years.

Mr Newcombe said: “I am thrilled to win this award, not just for myself, but for my wife Jane who puts so much work and effort into our restaurant, as do the teams of chefs, kitchen and front-of-house staff we employ."

Managed by the Welsh Assembly, the awards are now in their seventh year, recognising quality, innovation and excellence in the Welsh food and drink industry.

Around 67 awards were handed out during the ceremony, which was held last week at The Vale Hotel and Spa in Cardiff.