WELSH rugby stars Alun Wyn Jones and Ken Owens were the flavours of the day in Saundersfoot on Saturday when they joined in the village’s famous cawl trail.

The popular duo, on a break from Six Nations duty, sampled the tasty Welsh delicacy in seven local venues and mingled with the crowds who had travelled from far and wide to enjoy the Cawl by the Sea event.

After the Beast from the East forced the cancellation of last year’s Cawl by the Sea, its organisers, Saundersfoot Chamber for Tourism, were relieved when Saturday dawned dry and relatively warm, with the rain holding off until the cawl cauldrons had been cleared away.

Pembrokeshire County Council chairman, Councillor Aden Brinn was amongst more than 350 people on the sell-out cawl taste tour and said that every pub and restaurant had served up "excellent" quality dishes.

“This is a wonderful event, and so well-supported by the community,” he said.

The winners of the Cawl Cooking Championship of the World....and Elsewhere, which was judged on the public vote, was the Captain’s Table.

Chef Craig Milward’s lamb-based recipe was praised for being “well seasoned and tasty”, “gorgeous” and “delicious”.

“This is the first year I’ve entered, so I’m very happy to win,” said Craig.

The rugby players voted the Harbwr Bar and Kitchen as their Captain’s Choice, while the Boat House was the Chairman’s Choice of Councillor Brinn; Saundersfoot Community Council chairman, Martyn Williams; the village’s county councillor, Phil Baker and SCT chairman Phil Odley.

Also taking part were the Regency Hall; Periwinkle; Marina Fish, Chips and More and  Beachside Barbecue.

The Regency Hall was the hub for the day, where the crowds queuing for cawl bowls were entertained by Saundersfoot-based Mr GG. George Whitfield from Fiddlebox also played in the village and the hall.

The Dragon Trail around the village, which took place throughout the week, attracted 250 entries,and the winners were Lucy Humfrey, Steffan Thomas and Tom Davies.

They each received a Welsh-themed goody bag, which included their own cuddly dragon.

Two signed Welsh rugby shirts were on offer in the raffle, with Sophie Dunning claiming the first prize of the 2019 shirt from the Wales v England Six Nations victory.

Michael Boddington won the 2018 shirt, and has kindly donated it back to be auctioned as part of the village’s Rhod Gilbert evening on March 16.

The Village Showcase in the hall featured Saundersfoot Chamber for Tourism, the Rotary Club of Saundersfoot, Saundesfoot Footlights, St Issell’s WI, Lower Landsker GirlGuiding, the RNLI and Cancer Research. The charity’s ‘name the doll’ competition was won by Mary and John Bartlett from Milford Haven who correctly guessed Olwen.

The day concluded with an audience standing ovation for the evening concert by the South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus and Bella Voce.

Said Saundersfoot Chamber for Tourism chairman, Phil Odley: “The whole day was a huge success, and the village was buzzing from morning until night.

“We are so grateful to everyone who took part for their enthusiasm, and particularly to Alun Wyn Jones and Ken Owens who were absolute stars with everyone they met.”Pics. Gareth Davies Photography