Newport Food Festival brought the crowds out into the centre of the city at the weekend and Abergavenny Food Festival attracts thousands every year. Another food festival in Monmouthshire is being staged in Caldicot on Saturday and Sunday.

Business Argus has been asking local business people how important these sorts of events are for the area, and where they like to eat locally...

Mike Morgan, owner, Llansantfraedd Court Hotel, near Abergavenny

It was great to see Newport's burgeoning food scene being reflected in another exciting line up at the festival this weekend. With Abergavenny offering a food festival which has an international reputation, the Brecon Beacons and lots of other mouthwatering foodie events, together we now really have a foodie destination to be proud of. If I can't get a table in my own Court dining room, I love the sharing plates at the Hardwick, perfectly cooked fish at the Walnut Tree, the amazing chocolate fondant at Terry Ms, great warm bread at the Newbridge or a rare rib eye at the Foxhunter. Better still is a picnic on the tip of the Skirrid with Black Mountain smokery salmon, Trealey farm snack salami, our own walled garden salad and a bottle of Ancre Hill bubbly. Monmouthshire on a plate!

John Newell, director of Kingston Newell Estate Agents, Newport

I’d be happy to argue that south east Wales provides one of the best selections of restaurants, gastro-pubs and hotels outside London. We are very lucky to have such a great choice of venues to choose from and events like the Newport and Abergavenny food festivals provide a great platform to show off the culinary talent we have. The Ridgeway, in Newport, is one of my favourite local venues to eat. Dave and his team are always very welcoming and I’d certainly recommend their pan fired duck breast.

Vince Taylor, director of Kinetic Workplace Design, Usk

The Abergavenny Food Festival has achieved national if not international acclaim. The2013 Newport Food Festival was very enjoyable and it sounds as if 2014 was bigger. It’s a huge positive for the region because of the messages it sends out to visitors and potential business investors in the area. Living in Llangybi, I’m duty bound to fly the flag for The White Hart Village Inn. Great example of a talented team using local sourced produce to create delightful dishes. My tip when dining there – don’t forget to duck and try the roast pork with 10 hour confit white cabbage, morcilla curada and cauliflower.

Andrew Tugwell, group operations director, Acorn, Newport

The Newport Food Festival is a fantastic opportunity for local producers to promote the great range of food and drink from the area and the rich heritage Wales has for producing high-quality, traditional foods. It is also good news for local businesses as it attracts a huge amount of visitors to the city which is great for the economy. At the same time the event highlights the wide variety of employment opportunities the food and leisure industry offers local people; a sector which they may never have considered working in before. The Newport area is extremely fortunate in being able to boast a huge amount of excellent restaurants and pubs but I would say one of my favourite places to eat is the Snugg Restaurant in Caerleon as it offers a very relaxed dining experience together with a wide menu and wine choice.