1. The Mushroom Garden of Eden
Immersed in the pure air and
wilderness of Snowdonia, the
Mushroom Garden is the proper
paradise for mushroom lovers. Last
year, Cynan Jones’ divine product
was awarded a 2-star at the Great
Taste Awards for the Mushroom
Caviar, following the 1-star awarded
for their Umami Seasoning back in
2013.
The Mushroom Garden is a family-run
business, established by Cynan Jones
who further developed his pre-existing
interest for fungi. They pride
themselves on running an
environmentally friendly local activity,
whose quality has nonetheless attained
nationwide recognition and success.
Everything started ten years ago, when I saw
a little mushroom growing in the very heart
of the forests in Snowdonia. I have always
been passionate about the fungi kingdom,
but that vision gave me the flash of
inspiration. Then, in 2004 we were selected
for taking part in a Gwynedd Council and
Bangor University European funded
programme to investigate exotic
mushrooms and grow them commercially.
After the project ended, we bought the
growing rooms and the necessary
equipments to carry on ourselves.
We’ve come a long way since we started,
creating a range of mushroom based
products that have received important
awards. People are more aware of the
unique taste and benefits of our natural
mushrooms.
The first time we decided to enter the Great
Taste Awards was because their logo is a
mark of the very best quality. The
uniqueness of the Umami Seasoning and
Mushroom caviar were immediately
recognised and awarded.
Other than honouring our ethos, the Great
Taste Awards has opened doors to the most
important and reputed distributors within
the food industry. It is very likely that the
Gold Stars were a factor in being our
products being listed by Fortnum & Mason
and Selfridges.

2. However, we cannot take the whole credit
for our successful venture. It must be said
that the Welsh Government’s support from
day one has been exceptional: from the
initial planning of the business to
developing the business. The Food
Technology Centre in Llangefni has been an
incredible resource for production, recipe
development and packaging. Further, the
Welsh Government’s sponsored presence at
quality food trade fairs has been a
tremendous help. We are extremely grateful
and proud.