A CONSULTANT who has showcased Welsh food at some of the world’s top culinary hotspots is to highlight the value of the region’s produce.

Nerys Howell will be guest speaker at the first Mold Food and Drink Conference, taking place tomorrow on the eve of the town’s food festival.

Nerys was asked to advise on diet and menus for the hit BBC Wales reality series, The Coal House, which put families back into the basic terraced homes of South Wales miners during the 1940s.

She has now drawn up a free toolkit to show how the hospitality industry can boost business by using the best produce from Flintshire and Denbighshire.

The conference, at the Beaufort Park Hotel, near Mold, has had the backing of rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd through its Denbighshire and Flintshire Agri-Food Projects.

Flintshire Agri-Food Project officer Lowri Williams said: “We believe what you eat is very much part of the experience when you visit somewhere new and in an agricultural area such as ours that should be very much part of the stay.

“One of the purposes of the conference is to show just how much of a sense of pride we should take in our local produce and also to help our businesses market it.”

Nerys has travelled all over Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai promoting Wales and last year wrote a book, Wales On A Plate, promoting traditional and contemporary recipes.

The Mold conference will be opened by Dewi Davis of Tourism Partnership North Wales and features tasting sessions and expert speakers.

Mold Food and Drink Festival runs over the weekend. For details go to www.moldfoodfestival.co.uk