CHUTNEY and chairs rubbed shoulders with woodturning and water buffalo milk ice cream at the inaugural Really Wild Food and Countryside Festival.

Walks, talks and a food hall packed with natural produce drew visitors from as far as Essex to the event at St Davids on September 3rd and 4th.

Over 1,500 people sampled meats, honey, alcohol, ice cream, preserves, baking, olives and cheeses with tempting ingredients from the wild.

Some producers even developed new lines for the event.

Cooking demonstrations proved popular.

Organiser Julia Horton, of Tregwynt, Castlemorris, said: "The chefs were terrific and provided many entertaining moments - accidental and intentional."

Outside the marquee, really wild winds did not deter visitors from observing countryside crafts such as chair-bodging, lobster pot-making and Iron Age cawl cooking.

Information on preserving and enjoying the natural world was also available. It was the first festival of its kind staged in Britain.

Julia was delighted with the positive feedback and her list of contributors for next year's event is already growing.

She has identified gaps, particularly in the craft area, which she hopes to fill over the next year.

"We are grateful to everyone who came along and supported us in our first year - the public and producers," she said.