![\"_MG_9812](\"http:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/files\/2014\/09\/MG_9812-ceidiog.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe tweet from @ClarenceHouse\u00a0 reads: \u201cThe Prince is delighted to hear that @FoodCymru<\/a>, opened by HRH in 2012, has won the @BBCGoodFood<\/a> award for best farm shop in Britain.\u201d<\/p>\n The tweet was also sent in Welsh: \u201cY mae’r Tywysog yn falch o glywed bod @FoodCymru<\/a>, a agorwyd ganddo yn 2012, wedi ennill gwobr @BBCGoodFood<\/a> fel siop fferm orau Prydain.\u201d<\/p>\n Bodnant Welsh Food centre managing Director Chris Morton has retweeted the Prince\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cI was amazed when I read the tweet from Clarence House \u2013 this is really flying the flag for local businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is excellent praise both for the centre and for the many local suppliers whose produce is sold in the farm shop.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Prince, when he came to visit two years ago, made clear that he is a strong supporter of Welsh produce and especially locally produced food that benefits rural economies.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall, 45% of all products sold in the shop are produced at Bodnant Welsh Food centre, and three-quarters comes from North Wales, including specialist foods from over 100 artisan producers.<\/p>\n \u201cSince the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall visited, we\u2019ve made a lot of progress as a business, so I will be inviting them to make a return visit to see what we\u2019ve achieved in the last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarence House represents the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge plus Prince Harry. During its four years on Twitter, it\u2019s sent out 6,000 tweets about the Royal family to its 390,000 followers.<\/p>\n The latest tweet has also gone to the BBC Good Food\u2019s 197,000 followers on Twitter, along with Bodnant\u2019s 5,000-plus followers.<\/p>\n The BBC Good Food accolade was made in the July issue of the magazine \u2013 known as one of the food industry\u2019s bibles \u2013 which includes a feature on the top ten farm shops,\u00a0researched and written by its acclaimed local and seasonal food editor Clare Hargreaves.<\/p>\n The introduction to the two-page article makes it plain that farm shops are well past the days of being just makeshift sheds selling their own-reared meat and local vegetables and are rapidly becoming destinations in their own right offering a wide range of artisan stock alongside restaurants and cookery schools.<\/p>\n Bodnant Welsh Food is located in a building dating from the 18th<\/sup>\u00a0century which has been lovingly restored and includes a\u00a0farm shop<\/a>,\u00a0tea room<\/a>,\u00a0restaurant<\/a>, wine shop,\u00a0cookery school<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0farmhouse accommodation<\/a>. It\u00a0has its own dairy making cheese and ice cream, plus an on-site bakery and butchery, with award-winning pies.<\/p>\n Industry guru Clare Hargreaves was impressed by the artisan-produced food which could be bought in the shop or eaten in the tea room or the Hayloft restaurant.<\/p>\n She also praised the \u201cdeliciously dense and crumbly\u201d Aberwen cheese made with milk from a neighbouring farm.<\/p>\n Clare added: \u201cIce cream and bread are also produced on site, plus Furnace Farm\u2019s own Welsh lamb.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a cookery school upstairs and B&B accommodation, so you can make a weekend of your visit.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris Morton added: \u201cWe are only just coming to the end of our second year of operation so to win such an important accolade as Number One Farm Shop in Britain is just amazing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a testimony to Bodnant\u2019s owners, Michael and Caroline McClaren, who saw the need for a food centre of excellence in North Wales to help local artisan producers promote their products on a wider scale.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the farm shops which have come below us in the top ten list, some of them are extremely well established and have been around for a decade or more and have become household names, so it\u2019s just mind-blowing that we have been chosen as number one against such formidable competition.\u201d<\/p>\n The team at Bodnant are no strangers to being in the honours. Just a few months ago the centre was named as a Rising Star at the UK FARMA Awards.<\/p>\n More recently Bodnant was voted champion pie-makers and won a total of 15 major prizes in the Welsh Awards for Excellence in Meat Products handed out at Kinmel Hall, near Abergele.<\/p>\n They beat 270 other contestants from around Wales to be named Welsh Champions\u00a0<\/strong>in the Hot Eating Pie category.<\/p>\n Judges gave 99 out of a possible 100 to their Stilton and Steak Pie and their Pork Pie.<\/p>\n Headed up by Bodnant\u2019s master butcher Tony Gibson, the team\u00a0also picked up a further 13 awards.<\/p>\n They took away Gold Awards\u00a0for their Bodnant Lamb Cushions, Steak Melt Burgers, Pork and Pear Burgers, Chilli Bomb, Huntsman\u2019s Pie and Pork, Wholegrain Mustard and Black Pudding Pie.<\/p>\n In addition, they won Silver Awards\u00a0for the Bodnant Traditional Pork Sausage and the Lamb and Mint Burger.<\/p>\n If that wasn\u2019t enough, the team also took Bronze Awards\u00a0for the Bodnant Pork, Aberwen and Apricot Sausage and the latest addition to the sausage range \u2013 the Bodnant\u00a0PLG Sausage.<\/p>\n Another accolade came when the centre was runner up in the Great British Food Produce Awards for its rib eye steak.<\/p>\n For more information about Bodnant Welsh Food, go to:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>http:\/\/www.bodnant-welshfood.co.uk\/<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n