Food Tourism Offers New Opportunities for Welsh Producers

Food tourism has grown steadily in Cardiff, and it is now an important part of how visitors experience the city. Walking tours regularly bring people from across the world into the arcades to sample local produce, hear the stories of businesses, and understand how food reflects the culture of Wales.

Wally’s has been part of this development. We are one of the stops on food walking tours run by Loving Welsh Food, and for many people visiting from as far afield as North America and Australia as well as Europe, we provide a taste of both the city’s history and its food. Customers enjoy hearing how the business began with my grandfather in 1947, how my father and uncle grew it into a well-known delicatessen, and how we have adapted to changing tastes over the decades. Alongside that history, we offer tastings of cheeses, cured meats, ciders and whiskies. For many visitors, it becomes part of their introduction to Cardiff.

What strikes me most is how food has become a gateway into the culture of the place. Visitors will go to the castle and the museum, but they will also wander through the market and the arcades. Food is part of the browsing, the shopping and the gift-buying that shapes their impression of the city. At Christmas in particular, we see the demand for food gifts grow, with people choosing to take home products that capture something of Wales.

The mix of what we sell has changed greatly. When my father first took over the business, everything was about continental specialities. Panettone from Italy, stollen from Germany and salamis from across Europe were all part of our core range. None of it was available in supermarkets, and people travelled specifically to us to find it.

Today, much of that is readily available elsewhere. Some of the more specialist imports have even disappeared from the UK market entirely since Brexit, with smaller producers withdrawing because of costs and bureaucracy. For us, that has meant adapting. Our counters now hold more Welsh products than ever before. My father would probably not recognise the balance, but it reflects the reality of both supply and demand.

That change has also been positive. Being in the capital, it makes sense for us to showcase local food and drink. Welsh cheeses, beers, ciders and whiskies sit alongside the continental lines that remain, and our customers increasingly expect to find them. For many, provenance is part of the appeal. They want to know where their food comes from and how it ties into the culture of the place they are visiting.

The one challenge is that while there are many products made in Wales, not all of them are uniquely Welsh. Lava bread, Welsh cakes and bara brith are well-known examples of truly Welsh produce, but beyond those there are fewer foods that visitors immediately associate with Wales. Chocolates, jams and other items may carry Welsh branding, but they are not distinctively Welsh in the same way.

I see this not as a shortcoming but as an opportunity. The food and drink sector in Wales has a chance to create more products that are rooted in our culture, much as France is associated with certain cheeses or Italy with cured meats. For producers, there is real potential to develop items that visitors seek out because they are uniquely Welsh.

There is also a great opportunity around Protected Designation of Origin classification. This is far more common overseas than here – think of Parma ham, Kalamata olive oil and so on. We have many fine Welsh products which I believe would benefit from adopting this approach.

At Wally’s, we are committed to supporting what is produced locally. Stocking Welsh goods has strengthened our offer and connected us more closely to Cardiff’s role as a food tourism destination. It helps us stay relevant in a market where continental products alone are no longer enough. And it allows us to be part of telling the story of Wales through its food and drink.

As a city, Cardiff has always balanced commerce with culture. Food and drink are now central to that balance, and they will only grow in importance as more people come to experience Wales through its capital. For Wally’s, being part of that journey is a privilege and it is exciting to think what the next chapter of food tourism here might bring.

Running to November 14 2025, City of Arcades returns for 70 days of events, activities, and celebrations across Cardiff’s iconic Victorian and Edwardian arcades and St. David’s Dewi Sant arcade. Established by FOR Cardiff in 2018, the campaign shines a spotlight on the arcades as a distinctive retail, leisure, and cultural destination at the heart of the Welsh capital.

The 2025 edition features five themed fortnights – Foodie, Discovery, Arts & Music, History, and Health & Beauty – each designed to showcase the best of Cardiff’s independent businesses and celebrate the arcades’ unique heritage. From special markets and live performances to creative workshops and hidden gems, the campaign brings together locals and visitors alike to experience the arcades in new and exciting ways.