Top TV celebrity chef Gary Rhodes has joined forces with Anglesey-based drinks company Toffoc, starting at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair at London's Olympia (5 - 7 September 2010).

Toffee-flavoured vodka makers Toffoc are amongst the Welsh food and drink companies attending the Speciality and Fine Food Fair under the Welsh Assembly Government's True Taste banner.

The Wales True Taste award-winning companies will be attending what is one of the most important trade exhibitions in the food industry calendar which is an essential date for restaurateurs, chefs, delicatessen owners, retailers, wholesalers and distributors.

Michelin-starred chef Gary Rhodes is to be announced as the business partner in Toffoc and will promote the brand in a bid to achieve national distribution. He is using Toffoc in desserts and cocktails at his seven restaurants which include venues in Dubai and Grenada, and three on P&O cruise ships.

Says Dewi Roberts, who founded Toffoc with business partner Padrig Huws: "We are thrilled to have Gary Rhodes on board. With 17 cook books and 16 TV series to his name his endorsement will be a huge boost. He loves our toffee vodka and we hope that with his backing, Toffoc will soon be on everyone's lips."

Another company making the long trip from Anglesey to London's Olympia for the Speciality and Fine Food Fair will be The Anglesey Sea Salt Company/Halen M�n. They will be giving visitors a preview of the company's new packaging which will be launched in the autumn.

Winner of the inaugural True Taste Export Achievement Award, Halen M�n produces a range of salt harvested from the Menai Straits. The range includes pure white sea salt, oak smoked sea salt, spiced sea salt, Taha'a vanilla sea salt, organic celery sea salt, finer flake sea salt, which are available in a variety of sizes including 10g gift tubes.

The Snowdonia Cheese Company will be taking its popular range of award-winning cheeses: Black Bomber - which won a Silver medal at the International Cheese Awards last month - Green Thunder, Red Devil, Pickle Power, Ginger Spice, Amber Mist and Bouncing Berry, which are available in 200g truckles and 3kg cutting wheels for delicatessen counters.

With the festive season in mind the company is launching a new pack for Christmas, the Chutney Duo Pack which includes a 200g truckle of Black Bomber with Orchard Apple Chutney.

It complements their traditional gift packs, the Duo Pack of Black Bomber and Bouncing Berry and the Trio Pack of Red Devil, Black Bomber and Green Thunder.

There is a long association between Wales and Italy and bringing a flavour of the Mediterranean to the event will be Merthyr Tydfil based The Fresh Pasta Company.

The company will be launching an Italian "00" flour for pasta and pizza and exhibiting a range of its products.

At the event will be a number of the company's award-winning pre-packed pastas and sauces including: fresh filled pasta, premium fresh unfilled pasta (lasagne, tagliatelle, tagliolini), Gnocchi, Pesto Genovese di Pr� and Cinghiale (Wild Boar sauce). Also on show will be its Everday fresh filled pasta made from Italian "00" flour and high egg content, as well as the company's, Flour Mix to make pasta dough by adding water only. While loose products being exhibited include award-winning premium fresh filled and unfilled pasta.

For something a little sweeter, Clam's Hand Made Cakes will be getting ready for Christmas with their new muffins, cupcakes, shortbread, cupcakes, Christmas trees, mince pies and macaroon slices.

The Crickhowell based company has won numerous awards for its delicious bakes, which are made with non hydrogenated fats and free range eggs, and are made and decorated by hand in small batches. Also new for the show is a pre-packaged Bara Brith for its retail customers.

The Speciality and Fine Food Fair will be the first trade show at which Glasfryn Farm Shop has exhibited outside of Wales. The shop, based near Pwllheli, North Wales, will be offering tastings and samples of its products which include its Great Taste Gold Star-winning Welsh Black Beef burgers.

The shop will also be promoting its lamb and mint burgers; leek and laverbread sausages and the traditionally cured Cig Moch Pen Llyn bacon.

Glasfryn Farm Shop currently supplies hotels, restaurants and independent retailers throughout North Wales with Welsh Black Beef and Llyn lamb raised naturally on the Farm at Glasfryn Estate.

Blue Whole Blueberries from Bettisfield, near Whitchurch, Shropshire will be making their first foray outside Wales to exhibit at the Speciality and Fine Food Show.

Blue Whole Blueberries is a small family fruit farm where a range of both sweet and savoury sauces made from their own home grown blueberries are produced in a purpose built kitchen on the farm.

The Blue Festive Drink Mixer, a mulled wine made from blueberries, is being launched at the Speciality Fine Food Show, ready for Christmas. Blue will also be exhibiting their entire range of blueberry sauces, syrups, salad dressings and drink mixers, including the Great Taste award-winning Spicy Sauce.

They will be exhibiting on the Welsh Deli Showcase, run by Menter a Busnes, along with a number of small food and drink businesses that will take turns to exhibit throughout the three day event. Mentors will be present to help them promote their products and guide them through the event process through the Channel Clusters project which is part funded by the Food, Fisheries and Market Development Division of the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Ireland Wales Programme (INTERREG 4A)".

The companies on this stand will be Gower Cottage Brownies; Pontyclun-based Sims Food Ltd that make samosas; cake maker Sigwr a Sbeis Cyf from Conwy; Anne's Patisserie that make cakes and desserts in Flint; Pwllheli-based Aerona Liqueur; Anglesey-based goats' cheesemaker Cwt Caws; and Bubbling Stove from Welshpool who make vegetarian ready meals.

In addition a number of other food and drink companies will be exhibiting at the event under the auspices of Carmarthenshire County Council: Cafe Fair Trade,

Calon Wen, Carmarthenshire Cheese Company, Caws Cenarth, Parsons Pickles, Prima Foods and Sancl�r Organic.

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Notes To Editors

For more information about the companies and products please contact:

Toffoc Dewi Roberts 01248 852159 www.toffoc.com

The Anglesey Sea Salt Company Alison Lea-Wilson 01248 430871 www.seasalt.co.uk

Snowdonia Cheese Company Ltd Michael Mort 01745 913388 www.snowdoniacheese.co.uk

The Fresh Pasta Company Sole Nasi 0845 6037746 www.thefreshpastacompany.co.uk

Clams Handmade Cakes Lewis Phillips 01873 812283 www.clamscakes.co.uk

Blue Sauces Guy Springett 01948 710525 www.bluesauces.com

Glasfryn Farm Caroline Topham 01766 810044 www.siop-glasfryn.com

Gower Cottage Brownies Kate Jenkins 01792 390011 www.gowercottagebrownies.co.uk

Sims Foods Ltd Sokhy and Goldie Sandhu 01443 800554 www.samosaco.co.uk

Sigwr a Sbeis Cyf Rhian Williams 01492 64194 www.siwgrasbeis.com

Anne's Patisserie Anne and James Elwood 01352 763562 www.annespatisserie.co.uk

Aerona Hazel Jones 01766 810387 hazelj@btconnect.com

Cwt Caws Nigel Jeffries 01248 410476 www.moelfre.org/cwt_caws.htm

Bubbling Stove Seren Charrington Green 01938 553488 carrotsandsreams@yahoo.co.uk

Carmarthenshire County Council Barry Davies 01267 242331 www.sirgaerfyrddin.gov.uk