Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits – Producer of the Month

What good is a delicious cheese without a cracker to match?! That’s exactly the question Allie Thomas asked herself 14 years ago which resulted in her setting up Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits in Brecon. Her small, female fronted company uses locally sourced fresh veg to create flavoursome crackers, all designed to complement Welsh cheese.

Allie started her business in 2008 after realising that the crackers and biscuits on her cheeseboard weren’t anywhere near the quality of the cheese she were eating. So she roped in the help of her daughter and they set to task on baking their own!

They picked up positive reviews from their nearest and dearest and were soon selling them at local farmers’ markets. It took them three years to get established, working from a converted garage at the top of their garden in the early days where they had to wrestle their way through flowers and vegetables to get to the bakery, a chore which is reflected in the insects & butterflies that appear on their packaging to this day.

In the time they’ve been operating they’ve built up a small but highly efficient team, consisting of bakers Cerian and Ann who man the ovens and Carol and Sue, the cracker packers!

Cradoc’s crackers are becoming more and more well known, and are sold in supermarkets, delicatessens and through web stores up and down the country. They’ve even amassed some celebrity fans! At a trade show in 2019 they were informed that Gary Barlow had specifically asked for Cradoc’s Crackers on a cheeseboard as part of his rider,. As you can imagine, Allie was thrilled!

Pairing cheese with Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits

If you want to know a little more about matching your crackers with the right cheeses, we’re reliably informed that their Pear and Earl Grey Crackers were designed to go with goats’ cheeses or young Ewes’ milk cheeses, such as Pant-Ys-Gawn.

Chilli, Ginger and Garlic Crackers are best served with a room temperature Cheddar, so would go for a Teifi Mature or Hafod would be perfect, but you could also try covering them with Drewi Sant and a few chillies and put them under the grill for a delicious canape!

The Beetroot and Garlic flavour is a perfect match for Cenarth with leeks. Talking of leeks, the Leek and Caerphilly Cocktail Biscuits are amazing with smoked cheese – try with Pwll Mawr or Smoked Heb Enw.

What’s next for Cradoc’s?

Allie is currently experimenting with new ingredients to boost the nutritional content of Cradocs crackers whilst also trying to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint by using recycled card for their packaging.

Want more to sink your teeth into? Order Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits.