Farmer's top brew prompts critic's change of heart (From Western Telegraph)

Farmer's top brew prompts critic's change of heart

A pot of tea brewed by Pembrokeshire beef farmer Bill Davies has reached the parts that other beverages have failed to conquer - the taste buds of acerbic food critic A. A. Gill.

The Sunday Times columnist, famous for taunting the Welsh, has had a change of heart after describing Bill's 'tea and toast' trailer to be his restaurant of the year.

The London-based writer discovered Bill's culinary enterprise at Glastonbury Festival and declared it to be the one food outlet which stood out from the rest.

Referring to the 'Te A Tost' trailer in his column, he said: "All they did was make tea and toast - and after a weekend of relentlessly invading yourself with toxins and nerve agents and sensory baseball bats, that's exactly what you really, really, really want.''

Bill, who spends the rest of the year running a herd of pedigree Welsh Black cattle at Trefawr Farm, Llanfyrnach, confided that loose leaf tea was the secret of a good cuppa. "I only use the finest loose leaf Assam tea and let it stand for at least three minutes,'' he said.

And the milk should always be added to the cup before the tea. "If you don't strain the tea the leaves will always stay at the bottom if you pour the milk in first. If it is added after the tea there will always be bits of leaf floating at the top.''

Bill, his wife, Eirlys, and their friends had been visiting Glastonbury as spectators when they decided to apply to run a concession there. His 'business' partner, Sion Williams, hails from Crymych, and is a musician with the Welsh rock band, Dom.

Their trailer will have another outing this week when Bill hosts his own rock and blues festival at Trefawr Farm on Saturday from noon.

Pictured is the Davieses at the Te A Tost stand. PICTURE: Western Telegraph (WTNO1198H03).