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Having been banished to the depths of the Welsh countryside for the last three weeks for dog/cat/house sitting duties whilst my family live it up on holiday without me, I thought I’d take this opportunity to get all nationalistic and dive right into the murky depths of traditional Welsh cuisine. I have emerged with some right royal treasures, I can tell you.
Up until a few years ago, it wasn’t too cool to be Welsh; Wales was mainly associated with dozy sheep, dozy farmers, coal mines, slate mines and a fierce anti-English movement. But, then came the Cool-Cymru campaign, not least boosted by a glut of Welsh bands and musicians that hit the charts in the mid 90’s. From the Stereophonics to the Super Furries, and the Gorky’s to Goldie Lookin’, it was suddenly cool-io to hail from Wales.
Unless of course, you are the fabulously outspoken food critic AA Gill who took great delight in proclaiming that Wales is a “culinary desert”. Once upon a time, this may have had an ounce of truth; little ol’ Wales would struggle to compete with the delicate delights of French, Italian, Indian or other such classical cuisine ranges, but today, top chefs are putting Wales back on the map.
Welsh cuisine grew up around the diet of the working man. Rewind even just seventy or eighty years ago and life was tough for the average Welsh farmer, miner, quarryman or fisherman. Conditions were harsh, the weather was inhospitable beyond measure, and food wasn’t exactly plentiful. They ate what they had, and they made the most of what the wet and wild landscape could give them. Food in Wales has always been about local, seasonal and traditional produce sourced from people and places that are neighbours and friends; long before “seasonal” and “local” became the biggest foodie buzz words of the twentieth century.
Think enormous crock-pots on an open fire, full to bursting with hearty, thick stews and soups, or cawl as they are known here in Wales. Usually made with leftover pieces of lamb, or mutton in winter, with whatever vegetables were around and a bit of bacon if you were feeling really extravagant. Faggots, Glamorgan sausages (not a meaty sausage at all, but a kind of sausage shaped pattie made with cheese, onion and breadcrumbs) and Snowdonia Pudding (a kind of heart-attack inducing suet and dried fruit pudding) are among the other treasures that stake their claim as traditional Welsh delicacies.
And let’s not forget that Wales produces some of the best lamb in the world; the salt marsh lamb that comes from the marshes of North West Wales is famed for its delicate taste and subtle flavour. The huge variety of sea marsh plants that the lambs munch on daily (grasses, sea lavender and samphire to name a few) mean that tastier, sweeter meat is produced. And, as the salt in the plants kills of some of the more harmful bacteria, the lambs aren’t pumped full of chemicals and pesticides. Everyone’s a winner!
Bara Brith is the famous speckled fruit loaf, and the little griddled Welsh cakes are traditionally served up full of dried fruit, a little spicy and spread thick with welsh butter. For seafood lovers among us, there are cockle cakes, or Teisennau Cocos, a kind of cockle pancake and Bara Lawr, or Laverbread, is fast coming back into fashion, but isn’t for the faint hearted. Best described as a gloopy, thick, dark and seaweed-y (yep, it’s made out of the rich, green seaweed found on the rugged coasts of west Wales), it’s nothing like bread in the traditional sense. It became for a while, the must-have ingredient on any Michelin menu worth its Anglesey Sea Salt.
There are now four Michelin starred restaurants across this little country, so things have come a long way since AA Gill’s scathing criticisms. I wonder if he’s been back since? If you’re reading Mr Gill, maybe it’s time for another visit….
Did you know that the town of Wrexham in North East Wales was one of the first places in the UK to brew lager? The brewery was set up by German immigrants in 1882 who were trying to re-create the taste of their local sup from home.
Up until a few years ago, it wasn’t too cool to be Welsh; Wales was mainly associated with dozy sheep, dozy farmers, coal mines, slate mines and a fierce anti-English movement. But, then came the Cool-Cymru campaign, not least boosted by a glut of Welsh bands and musicians that hit the charts in the mid 90’s. From the Stereophonics to the Super Furries, and the Gorky’s to Goldie Lookin’, it was suddenly cool-io to hail from Wales.
Unless of course, you are the fabulously outspoken food critic AA Gill who took great delight in proclaiming that Wales is a “culinary desert”. Once upon a time, this may have had an ounce of truth; little ol’ Wales would struggle to compete with the delicate delights of French, Italian, Indian or other such classical cuisine ranges, but today, top chefs are putting Wales back on the map.
Welsh cuisine grew up around the diet of the working man. Rewind even just seventy or eighty years ago and life was tough for the average Welsh farmer, miner, quarryman or fisherman. Conditions were harsh, the weather was inhospitable beyond measure, and food wasn’t exactly plentiful. They ate what they had, and they made the most of what the wet and wild landscape could give them. Food in Wales has always been about local, seasonal and traditional produce sourced from people and places that are neighbours and friends; long before “seasonal” and “local” became the biggest foodie buzz words of the twentieth century.
Think enormous crock-pots on an open fire, full to bursting with hearty, thick stews and soups, or cawl as they are known here in Wales. Usually made with leftover pieces of lamb, or mutton in winter, with whatever vegetables were around and a bit of bacon if you were feeling really extravagant. Faggots, Glamorgan sausages (not a meaty sausage at all, but a kind of sausage shaped pattie made with cheese, onion and breadcrumbs) and Snowdonia Pudding (a kind of heart-attack inducing suet and dried fruit pudding) are among the other treasures that stake their claim as traditional Welsh delicacies.
And let’s not forget that Wales produces some of the best lamb in the world; the salt marsh lamb that comes from the marshes of North West Wales is famed for its delicate taste and subtle flavour. The huge variety of sea marsh plants that the lambs munch on daily (grasses, sea lavender and samphire to name a few) mean that tastier, sweeter meat is produced. And, as the salt in the plants kills of some of the more harmful bacteria, the lambs aren’t pumped full of chemicals and pesticides. Everyone’s a winner!
Bara Brith is the famous speckled fruit loaf, and the little griddled Welsh cakes are traditionally served up full of dried fruit, a little spicy and spread thick with welsh butter. For seafood lovers among us, there are cockle cakes, or Teisennau Cocos, a kind of cockle pancake and Bara Lawr, or Laverbread, is fast coming back into fashion, but isn’t for the faint hearted. Best described as a gloopy, thick, dark and seaweed-y (yep, it’s made out of the rich, green seaweed found on the rugged coasts of west Wales), it’s nothing like bread in the traditional sense. It became for a while, the must-have ingredient on any Michelin menu worth its Anglesey Sea Salt.
There are now four Michelin starred restaurants across this little country, so things have come a long way since AA Gill’s scathing criticisms. I wonder if he’s been back since? If you’re reading Mr Gill, maybe it’s time for another visit….
Did you know that the town of Wrexham in North East Wales was one of the first places in the UK to brew lager? The brewery was set up by German immigrants in 1882 who were trying to re-create the taste of their local sup from home.
