IF your family already makes award-winning cheese, then adding home-made crackers would seem a logical step.

And that’s just what Caroline Adams has done in launching her ‘Hedyn Aur’ brand of artisan, hand-made crackers.

Caroline’s family is already widely known for producing Caws Cenarth cheese – founded by Caroline’s mum and dad Gwynfor and Thelma Adams and now headed by brother Carwyn at their Glyneithinog farm at Lancych, in the Cych Valley.

Now Caroline has become the latest family member to enter the food production sector, making her crackers from her eco-friendly home on the farm.

They are based on a Norwegian cracker recipe that Caroline herself enjoyed while working overseas and has proved popular - both seeded and lava bread versions - with all who she tried them out on.

The new venture is a far cry from Caroline’s previous role working as a nurse both locally and all over the world.

She has been a volunteer with Medecins Sans Frontieres and travelled to countries such as El Salvador, Colombia, Pakistan, Nigeria and also worked as a nurse at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen.

But now Caroline has decided to change course and concentrate on her new venture, as well as finding time to assist with the hedgehog rescue at Abercych and cat rescue at Whitland.

“I was looking to launch the crackers in April but put it on hold when the coronavirus pandemic struck,” said Caroline.

“I have thought a lot about it since then but with Christmas approaching, what better time to get them out there.”

The crackers are made using all natural products and as many local Welsh ingredients as possible including Pembrokeshire Salt, Welsh rapeseed oil and, of course, Caws Cenarth cheese.

“I have started out small in the kitchen at home but will hopefully be looking for other premises in the near future,” said Caroline.

“My mum, when she started out, was in her garage. The kitchen is solar-powered and all the packaging I use is compostable.”

She used local designer Zodshop to design the eye-catching, quality packaging.

At the moment the crackers are available at Carrot Cruncher in Newcastle Emlyn, the Caws Cenarth web site and at the Christmas street market running in Cardiff until Christmas.

“Hopefully the crackers will be stocked by more outlets in due course but the current Covid pandemic has made things more difficult with so many shops/cafes closed,” added Caroline.