Random acts of Welshness
Happy St David's Day – Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus
The daffodils on my kitchen table are in full, bright, trumpeting bloom this morning. It’s St David’s Day and they are bringing a much-needed touch of sunshine. Daffodils never fail to make me smile, they have a cheery optimism, an arresting fragrance, and I have a thing for the colour yellow. It’s the little things that are so important in our lives, which were the words of Saint David, “Gwnewch y pethau bychain” – do the little things.
I got sent a press release recently about encouraging random acts of Welshness this week, the little thing that celebrates our traditions and culture. It got me thinking about a few random acts that appear in our food and drink culture – or at least in my experience growing up in Newport.
Cream on cream
Perhaps this is just my family, or maybe a south Wales thing, but it’s impossible to have any creamy dessert without additional runny cream on top. A helping of Sara Lee chocolate gateaux? It will be made infinitely better with a good drizzle of double cream. A bit of extra cream on that trifle? No problem. Perhaps it’s not too surprising, as Wales has always been a dairy-loving nation, and why not make a decadent dessert even more delightful?
Corned beef for life
If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you’ll know my own love affair with corned beef in all its forms, but I don’t think I’m alone. I’m not sure there’s such an availability of corned beef products anywhere else, except maybe some parts of northern England. Corned beef pasties, pies, rissoles, hash, fritters, stew, sandwiches. The list goes on – and I’m here for it!
Dried fruit for the win
I remember making pancakes in university on Shrove Tuesday and my housemates standing aghast as I threw in a handful of currants into the batter in the pan. Doesn’t everyone do this? I don’t think I’d ever had a pancake up until that point without dried fruit in it. Thankfully, my one housemate from Porthcawl came to my rescue and assured me that it was a perfectly normal thing to do. It’s not just pancakes though, we like dried fruit in everything from Welsh cakes to bara brith.
No dry chips
Are you a gravy, curry sauce, mushy peas, ketchup, mayo or just vinegar person? Either way, I find it very difficult to eat a chip without some kind of sauce. I remember some late nights out ending with chips, cheese and gravy from the chip shop. These days I’m a vinegar (until my eyes are watering) and a mushy pea combo guy.
Bring on the bakestone
Cooking on a hot slab – either stone or iron – used to be common in all of the UK but while the bakestone fell out of use in other parts, it remained a staple in Wales. It’s still used now and I cook lots of things on mine, not just Welsh cakes – although that’s it main use.
What random acts of Welshness will you be doing this week?
Happy St David’s Day – Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!
Cook something Welsh
If you fancy rustling up something Welsh this week, here are a few easy recipes from the archive to help.
Welsh cakes
Cake and bara brith
Cawl
Rarebit
Alternatively, if you find yourself in Wales, check out one of the special rarebits being served by some top chefs for the inaugural rarebit fortnight, raising vital funds for Cegin y Bobl (The People’s Kitchen). Cegin y Bobl delivers hands-on food programmes that build knowledge and skills around food. Its work has engaged primary school pupils, parents in family and early years cook clubs, teachers in school leadership training, adults in home cookery courses, and more, showing the pride and passion that there is in every community to make food a force for good.
Participating businesses include Cardiff’s Asador 44, Milkwood, Ogof and Hard Lines, The Shed in Swansea, The Felin Fach Griffin in Brecon, and Pitchfork and Provisions in Llandeilo. Dishes included in the campaign range from Asador 44’s Leek and Galmesan cheese rarebit gratin and chorizo crumb to Ogof’s smoked pollack rarebit tart to the Hare & Hounds Bakery’s chestnut mushroom & Welsh rarebit toastie to The Shed’s Welsh onion soup with Welsh rarebit croûte.
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 some ideas for your Welsh Kitchen playlist.
It’s a right wonderful Welsh lineup today!
Green, green grass of home by Sir Tom Jones
International Velvet by Catatonia
My little Welsh home by Stuart Burrows
O Gymru by Côr Glanaethwy
Safwn yn y bwlch by Tryst & Steff
Calon Lân by Dunvant Male Choir with Bryn Terfel