*Sliced sirloin on focaccia, crowd cheering behind*

On 26 September, Kez and Liam brought Y Marram to EGNI food festival for a session of live cooking built from ingredients sourced predominantly from the stalls around them.

As you can expect at Y Marram, we try to cook what's within arm's reach, either from our farm or from nearby people who grew it and nurtured it, and in this case, the nearest to us happened to be the main market room which was overflowing with local produce.

The plan was to bring along our famous treacle sourdough, but we made a last-minute swap to a treacle focaccia we've been playing with for this evening's Seasonal Development Menu.

Damara lamb made an appearance, as did some sirloin from the small herd reared by Tatws Bryn, and a Cwt Mwg salmon dish, and we finished things off with a pud that brought the best of the sweet things together, the amazing Affogato Môn!

While Kez cooked, Liam told the story of how Y Marram has grown. We reopened as Y Marram in 2024 with the guest chef series, breakfasts and pop-ups. 2025 was about getting the basics right, and this year has been about Y Marram and FoodSheducation working hand in hand.

FoodSheducation has taken us to L20 college in Liverpool, into cookery schools with Coleg Menai and into young carers' workshops with Action for Children, and it's now its own CIC, FoodSheducation Môn. Next up are nutrition recipes for fishermen with the Fishermen's Mission's SeaFit programme. Next year, we turn the volume up on both.

Below are the recipes from the demo, so you can bring a little of EGNI home with you.

Tatws Bryn sirloin, mead, honey and rum glaze, Goch & Co harissa

A thick-cut sirloin from Tatws Bryn, seared hard and rested, glazed with Mountain Mead and a splash of Llanfairpwll rum reduced down with Pen y Bryn honey, then finished with a spoon of Goch & Co's harissa. The heat cuts straight through the sweetness of the glaze, which is why the two work so well together. Charred Llysiau Menai vegetables and a slice of grilled Y Marram treacle focaccia underneath catch all the juices.

Serves 4

2 to 4 sirloin steaks at room temperature, depending on how hungry you are
Sea salt and black pepper
A little oil, for searing
A knob of butter, a sprig of thyme, a crushed garlic clove
100ml Mountain Mead
1 tbsp Llanfairpwll Distillery rum
2 tbsp Pen y Bryn honey
1 tbsp Goch & Co harissa (plus extra to serve)
A squeeze of lemon

To serve

Llysiau Menai beetroot and hispi cabbage, cut into wedges
4 thick slices Y Marram treacle focaccia
A little more harissa, loosened with olive oil

Method

Season the steaks well and bring fully to room temperature before cooking.
Get a heavy pan very hot. Sear the steaks for 2 to 3 minutes a side for medium-rare, then add the butter, thyme and garlic and baste for the last minute. Rest the steaks somewhere warm for at least 5 minutes. Don't skip this.
While the beef rests, put the mead, rum and honey in the same pan over a medium heat and let it bubble down until syrupy, scraping up all the beefy bits from the bottom. Stir in the harissa and a squeeze of lemon, then taste. It should be sweet, sticky and just fierce enough to make you sit up.
In the same pan, char the beetroot and cabbage until they take on some colour, then grill the focaccia in the last of the fat.
Slice the beef, spoon the glaze generously over the top, and serve on the grilled bread with the charred beetroot and cabbage and an extra swipe of loosened harissa on the plate.

Y Cwt Mwg hot-smoked salmon, beetroot and horseradish

The quieter, coastal half of the demo: Y Cwt Mwg's hot-smoked salmon. Bright, briny, and the perfect palate-cleanser after the beef.

Serves 4

400g Y Cwt Mwg hot-smoked salmon, flaked
A little butter and a squeeze of lemon, for warming through
Llysiau Menai beetroot, roasted and sliced
2 tbsp crème fraîche mixed with 1 tsp grated fresh horseradish
A little Smashed Cow sauce, for garnish
A few sprigs of dill, pickled shallot, and a slice of Y Marram treacle focaccia per person

Method

Warm the flaked hot-smoked salmon gently in a little butter with a squeeze of lemon. You want it just heated through, not cooked hard.
Spread the horseradish crème fraîche over the grilled treacle focaccia, top with the warm salmon, roasted beetroot, pickled shallot and dill. Finish with a dot of Smashed Cow sauce.

Affogato Môn, the finale

A cube of Karens Kakes coffee sponge in the base of the glass, Nogi's ice cream from Bala on top, a shot of Social Hour coffee poured straight over, a measure of Anglesey Amaretto, and shaved Mr Holt chocolate with a crumble of Pantri Pen Llyn salted fudge to finish.

Put a small cube of coffee cake sponge in the base of a small cup or glass.
Spoon a scoop of ice cream on top.
Pour a shot of coffee over the top at the table, followed by a measure of Amaretto.
Finish with shaved chocolate and a scattering of crumbled fudge.

With thanks to everyone at M-Sparc for the invite to EGNI, whose stalls made the day.

The full list of local producers used in the demo is here: