When you think of the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean, what comes to mind? Trees, Symonds Yat Rock, sheep, wild boar or mining? But what about a flavour? And for a sweet?

The people of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire have an opportunity to create a new sweet flavour that will describe on the tastebuds these two beautiful and special areas, thanks to a special competition just launched by The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism Association, in partnership with independent sweet shop, Tudor Sweets of Ross-on-Wye.

Not only do these two places hold special historical status as one of the few remaining ancient mixed woodlands in the UK and a place where freeminers still have the right to extract coal, but it is also developing a special place in the modern culinary world for supplying a wealth of high-quality food and drink made by over 100 local independent farmers, artisans and producers.

The spirit of the region is being captured through edible delights such as strudels, sausages steamed puddings, chutneys and chocolate, with coffee, perry and wine to wash it down. The tourism association and Tudor Sweets thought it was high time an official sweet was created for the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley.

What flavour would you choose? Blackberry, to mirror the wild fruits which anyone visiting the ancient forest can pick and enjoy in autumn? Grape to represent the high quality wine produced from the vineyards in the area? Or maybe even something more off-the-wall such as pork and apple as a symbol of the wild boar now living there, or salmon to reflect the majestic Wye and Severn rivers? The more imaginative (but edible) the better!

Maureen McAllister, Executive Director for Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association said: “Sweets are something that anyone can easily buy and savour, letting the flavour stimulate the senses and bring about wonderful memories experienced in these beautiful areas to their mind. The area is so diverse and dynamic, so we are really looking forward to seeing the entries and ideas that are put forward.”

The winning entry will be converted into hard-boiled sweets, commissioned by Tudor Sweets, who have already run a similar competition to create the official sweet for Herefordshire.

Daniel and Sue Pearce are the owners of Tudor Sweets. Daniel commented:?“We had such a success with the official Herefordshire sweet, Cider with Rosie and also the official sweet for Ross-on-Wye, called Summer Pudding, we felt it was only right that we developed one for the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. This entire area is well known for its local produce and we are proud to be able to encapsulate that into an official sweet for the area.”

This competition is a must for those with a sweet tooth as the prize includes 100g of their choice of sweets every week for a year. The winner will also receive a weekend for two at The Chase Hotel in Ross-on-Wye, and a family ticket to the Forest Showcase Food and Drink Festival on the 2nd October where they will help to launch the new WyeDean sweet.

The closing date for entries is Wednesday, August 31st and entries should be made online. Visit: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SweetTalking/. Follow the ideas on Twitter, using the #sweettalking hashtag.