IF YOU’RE heading down to the Royal Welsh Winter Fair later this year, you might see a familiar face from television… hopefully not behaving too badly.

TV star Neil Morrissey will be in attendance and will be one of the judges in a new mouth-watering section – the bacon, burger and sausage competition.

The Royal Welsh Winter Fair is just around the corner, taking place on Monday and Tuesday, November 28 and 29, at the Llanelwedd showground, just outside Builth Wells.

New to the butchery section this year is the bacon, burger and sausage competition, which will be judged by Men Behaving Badly, Line of Duty and Bob the Builder star Morrissey, along with Steve Morgan of Morgan Family Butchers and multi-award-winning writer and director Phillip John.

Morrissey has a keen interest in food and co-owns the award nominated pub The Plume of Feathers in Stoke-on-Trent, and often frequents the farmer’s markets of north London.

Classes for the section include middle, short back and streaky bacon, beef, lamb and pork burgers, and various types of sausages. Each entry will be cooked and taste tested by the judging panel.

All entries must be clearly labelled and delivered to the carcass hall by no later than 8.30am on Tuesday, November 29. Entries are limited to two per class. Judging will commence at 10am. The results will be announced after the judging and prize cards and rosettes will be awarded to 1st–3rd place prize winners.

Event organisers the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society are currently looking for sponsors for the bacon, burger, and sausage competition. If interested, visit the website for more information or contact sponsorship@rwas.co.uk.

The schedule for the butchery section for the Winter Fair is now available on the RWAS website. Entries close on Monday, October 31, and will need to be submitted online. The butchery section includes competitions in dressed poultry, meat hampers and various meat products.

A spokeswoman for the show said: “As one of the finest prime stock shows in Europe, the Winter Fair draws crowds from far and wide to enjoy two-days packed full of competitions, festivities, food and drink, and shopping.

“We were delighted to see its return in 2021 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic and are looking forward to welcoming you back again this November for what is set to be another fantastic fair.”

As well as livestock competitions, the Winter Fair hosts a huge variety of different classes and competitions, including horses, the hound show, cookery, produce and handicraft, horticulture and floral art.

Visitors will be able to enjoy live music and carol singers performing throughout the showground, and even have a chance to meet Father Christmas.

The renowned food hall attracts producers from all over Wales and further afield and is packed full of culinary delights, demonstrations, perfect Christmas gifts and tempting tasters.

Honorary Winter Fair director, William Hanks, said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming visitors to the showground for one of the largest events in the agricultural calendar.

“The Winter Fair celebrates Welsh produce and showcases some of the best prime stock in the UK. It also gets everyone in the festive spirit, with the vast array of tradestands, food and drink and entertainment on offer.”

The Winter Fair opens its doors to the public at 8am each morning and tickets are £20 for adults and £5 for children.

For more details, visit www.rwas.wales/winter-fair/.