A drop of pop and a glass of squash

Welsh lamb and laverbread meatballs recipe

I don’t drink fizzy drinks (sparkling wine aside). I loathe sparkling water and cannot stand soft drinks like Coke. People look at me in the same way as I look at people who say that they don’t drink hot drinks (you know who you are). I am a tea addict and would rather have a hot drink than cold. If I do drink a soft drink, it’s usually water or a lovely drop of squash.

I love a bit of cordial. In fact, me and Robinson’s have had a very cordial relationship for years, whether that’s classic orange squash or a cheeky bit of blackcurrant. Ribena is great and my preference over Vimto every time. There’s something about the sweetness but also the refreshing wateriness of a glass of squash – as weird as that may sound. This highly concentrated love affair with squash started as a child – surprise, surprise – when the bottles were also packed with additives and a splash of Kia Ora would give me a delightful energy spurt. I’ve never drunk squash as thick and powerful as when prepared by my grandparents. The one-part cordial to four-parts water did not register with my nans – sometimes resulting in a nearly half-and-half affair in the glass. How Welsh!

I can’t quite remember when I stopped drinking fizzy drinks, and I remember loving pop as a kid. Is it Welsh to call it pop? My brother still loves a drop of pop, the fizzier the better. If Poppa didn’t give us squash, then it was a glass of Corona pop. This was delivered to my Nanna and Poppa’s house by the… pop man, well into the 1990s as far as I remember. We’d be surprised with orangeade or maybe dandelion and burdock or lemonade. The glass bottles were kept behind the curtain on the cold step of dining room that led out into the garden. Sometimes Poppa would make us ice cream floats in these little glass tankards that lived in Nanna’s beloved glass cabinet dresser. We were not allowed anywhere near the dresser in case the glass cabinet fell on us – nothing like the fear of being cut to shreds to keep kids away from precious furniture – even though the cabinet had never fallen on anyone and in fact hadn’t moved from its spot in the dining room for more than 40 years. Still, Poppa would fill the tankards with pop and top them with a scoop of Wall’s vanilla ice cream. I can taste that cream soda flavour as I type.

Here's a great piece on the story of the Corona pop brand: https://nation.cymru/culture/a-brief-history-of-welsh-pop-icon-corona/

Pasg hapus! Happy Easter!

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The Recipe

Welsh lamb and laverbread meatballs

These meatballs are an easy but delectable midweek meal or a special occasion dinner, as they can be prepared in advance. The laverbread is optional but I think it gives the meatballs a wonderful savouriness.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

For the meatballs
400g Welsh lamb mince
1 banana shallot, finely chopped (or an onion)
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
1tbsp laverbread (I used dried laverbread flakes)
1/2 tsp ground mace
1 free-range egg

For the tomato sauce
2 shallots, roughly chopped (or onion)
1 tin of anchovies (optional)
Small leek, chopped
Small carrot, chopped
Small courgette, chopped
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp sage
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp flour
100ml dry sherry or wine
300ml beef or lamb stock
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
Handful cherry tomatoes (optional)

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the meatballs along with a pinch of salt and form into golf ball-sized rounds.

2. Put some olive oil in a large pan and gently brown the meatballs. Remove to a plate and put to one side.

3. In the same pan, drizzle a little more oil and then gently fry the shallots. Add the anchovies – these will melt into the sauce and give a wonderful savouriness without any fishiness – the leek and carrot. Cook down for a few minutes until the carrot has started to soften.

4. Add the courgette, rosemary, sage, and bay leaf and stir. Sprinkle over the flour and mix again.

5. Turn up the heat and add the sherry and stock. Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer.

6. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and cherry tomatoes if using. Simmer for a few minutes before adding the meatballs back into the pan.

7. Simmer everything until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the meatballs are cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve as they are will bread or with your favourite pasta.

If you try the recipe out, don’t forget to tag any photos with #mywelshkitchen.

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The Playlist

To me, cooking and music go hand in hand, whether that’s singing at the top of your voice using a wooden spoon as a microphone while waiting for pasta to boil, or dancing around with the oven gloves on as the oven timer counts down. Here are this week’s ideas for your Welsh Kitchen playlist.

First up this week, we’ve got Dorothy Squires who was born on 25 March 1915 in Pontyberem. And next up is pop group Eden, made up of Emma Walford, Non Parry and Rachael Solomon.

Say it With Flowers by Dorothy Squires

Siwgr by Eden

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From the archive