Food and Drink in Wales

Good food in Wales

In hotels around Wales, you will be served with the most mouth watering breakfast - local eggs and bacon combined with the more unusual ingredients - Laverbread (from seaweed) and Cockles.

Afternoon tea can be served with Bara Brith ( a fruit bread) or Welsh cakes

The traditional meat for dinner in the evening  is Welsh Lamb or for a snack Welsh Rarebit

The way to make these traditional foods follows

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Laver bread

A sort of seaweed pancake

4oz (100g) fresh or tinned laverbread
1oz (25g) medium or fine oatmeal

1. Mix the laverbread and the oatmeal together and shape into little rissole like cakes about 2" (5cm) across and 3/4" (2cm) thick.

2. Slide the laver cakes into the hot bacon fat and fry fairly quickly for 2-3 minutes on each side, shaping and patting the cakes with a palette knife as they fry
3.then just remove from pan for you breakfast

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Bara Brith

A traditional rich cake that is the centrepiece of many a Welsh tea table.

  • 1lb(450g) mixed dried fruit
  • pint (300ml) tea
  • 2 tbsp marmalade
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 6 tbsp soft brown sugar
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1lb (450g) self raising flour
  • honey to glaze

    1. Soak the fruit overnight in the tea.

    2. Next day, mix in the marmalade, egg, sugar, spice and flour. Spoon mixture into a greased 2lb (900g) loaf tin and bake in a warm oven Gas 3, 325�F, 170�C for 1 hours or until the centre is cooked through. Check from time to time to see that the top does not brown too much, and cover with a sheet of foil or move down a shelf in the oven if necessary.
3. Once cooked, leave the Bara Brith to stand for 5 minutes then turn out of the tin on to a cooling tray. Using a pastry
brush, glaze the top with honey.

4. Served sliced with salted butter and some tasty farmhouse cheddar.

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Welsh cakes
  • 8oz (225g) self raising flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 2oz (50g) butter or margarine
  • 2oz (50g) lard
  • 3oz (75g) caster sugar
  • 3oz (75g) currants and sultanas, mixed
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • tsp golden syrup

1. Sift together flour, salt and mixed spice. Rub margarine and lard into the mixture to resemble breadcrumbs. Add sugar and
mixed fruit. Mix in egg to form a soft dough. Roll out to 1/4 inch (5mm) thick and cut into 2 inch (5cm) rounds.

2. Bake on a hot griddle or heavy-based frying pan. Grease with a little lard. Fry until lightly browned on both sides. Place
on cooling trays to cool.

3. Serve the Welsh cakes sprinkled with caster sugar or spread with butter.

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Welsh Rarebit

upmarket cheese on toast

  • Put two large tablespoons of beer into a saucepan.
  • Add a tablespoon of butter
  • 4 ounces of Cheddar cheese
  • season with salt and pepper and add a pinch of mustard powder.
  • stir ingredients over a low heat until thoroughly hot (but not boiling).
  • Pour the mixture onto slices of well buttered, freshly made toast.
  • Brown lightly for a few moments under the grill.

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Lamb

Welsh lamb has a delicate flavour developed through slow
maturing on natural pastures.

  • 1-2lb (675-900g) best end of neck of lamb
  • skinned and chilled
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed with salt
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • pint (150ml) dry white wine
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1. Score the thin layer of fat covering the lamb into a diamond pattern. Combine the crushed garlic, honey, wine, seasoning and rosemary and marinade the meat in this mixture for 30 minutes.

2. Sit the lamb on a wire rack above a roasting tin. Pour the juices from the marinade over the meat and let them drip through into the pan below. Roast in a hot oven (Gas 7, 425�F, 220�C for 30 minutes, or a little longer if you do not like your lamb pink.)

3. Serve the lamb cut down between the bones either as single cutlets or doubles, or simply serve in slices.
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