Welsh Laverbread, Leek and Potato Samosa

Happy St David's Day.

For St David's Day, I decided to give the Welsh cakes, Bara Brith and Cawl - all vegetarian and vegan versions of course -  a miss.

This year, I wanted to make something that both acknowledged and celebrates my South Asian heritage and my Welsh root and shoots - Yes, a little bit of fusion - It was going to be Laverbread Dal,  but I make that quite often, so I decided on making some home-made Welsh Laverbread, Leek and Potato Samosa, a bit more effort but so worthwhile.  Yes that favourite South Asian moreish snack filled with spicy goodness and then encased in a crispy and flaky pastry.

There is not much growing in my garden at the moment, but as a Welsh woman I am proud to say there are some leeks (and some red Chard). 

Welsh Laverbread Seitan Faggots (vegan) with Onion Gravy

I've featured vegan Welsh Faggots on my blog in the past, but have always wanted to enhance them textually and visually.  I was able to do this a few days ago for our homely St Davids Day Welsh Vegan Menu with the addition of another Welsh delicacy Laverbread.  

For those of you not  from Wales and not familiar with Welsh faggots, well in a nutshell Faggots were traditionally made with the innards of pigs. The pate like mixture was then wrapped in the lacy casing of the animals caul and oven roasted slowly.  

I remember reading a while back, that the Welsh faggots is what haggis is to the Scots and is often referred to as Welsh Haggis in some parts of Wales.  There may be some truth in this as The Scotsman also make reference to haggis being popular in the Welsh Valleys of Wales, but they still credit the Scots for the haggis jokingly writing that a Scottish haggis escaping to Wales in 1690, hence its popularity in Wales. 

Faggots are still made in Wales and are still quite popular.  Faggots are traditionally served with mushy peas and onion gravy or brown meaty gravy.  My Welsh Laverbread Seitan Faggots are of course is suitable for vegetarians and for vegans and so is the onion gravy. 

D absolutely loved the onion gravy.  He didn't mind the Welsh Laverbread Seitan Faggots either.

Welsh Bara Lawr Laverbread Seitan Sausage (vegan)

Wales is still not popular for its vegetarian cuisine, its often seen as the land of Welsh lamb, cockles and mussels, faggots - a Welsh meatball made from offal and meat off-cuts.  But what many people do not know is St David, the Patron Saint of Wales was a vegetarian.  I speculate, but its possible that St David may actually have even been a vegan as he only ate bread, vegetables, herbs and only drank water.  

The green green lush land of Wales has also given us leeks and laverbread. Laverbread or 'bara lawr' as it is known in these part of the Welsh valleys.  Laverbread is not actually a bread, its a seaweed, that is cooked down to a jet green paste famously described by the acclaimed Welsh actor Richard Burton as 'Welshman's caviar'.  Laverbread is often enjoyed with shellfish, buttered toast or as Laverbread Cakes.   The best laverbread comes from Selwyn's who are based on the beautiful shores of the Gower Peninsula. 

So today for St David's Day celebrations, I present to you an alternative Welsh vegetarian recipe that makes an interesting  change from the traditional Selsig Morgannwg - Glamorgan sausages and Welsh Rarebit - homely cheese on toast.  This recipe is made with both Welsh leeks and laverbread and also happens to be vegan.  Behold the Welsh Bara Lawr Seitan Sausage that I have created especially for the 1st March, celebrating the Patron Saint of Wales and all things Welsh. 

For those of you who are neither vegetarian or vegan, may find these vegan Welsh Bara Lawr Seitan Sausage a little difficult to process visually, but they make for a good mock meat substitute for those who do not wish to consume meat.  These Welsh Bara Lawr Seitan Sausage do not replicate the taste of meat in any way, just mimic it.  

I was inspired to create these vegan Welsh sausage with laverbread for two reasons.  One I had read somewhere in the past that someone somewhere in Wales had created a meat version of laverbread sausage; and two, I had recently had a vegan sausages made with Irish Dulse Seaweed  and that's was me on the path to making a vegan alternative of Welsh Bara Lawr with Seitan.   

We have sliced and pan fried them and enjoyed them with mashed potatoes, two veg and gravy, but you can also cook them whole.  The flavourings in these  Welsh Bara Lawr Seitan Sausage is based on my vegan Welsh Faggots (Ffagod) recipe.  I think the recipe still needs a little tweaking, but I am happy to share it with you today.

Dydd Gwŷl Dewi Hapus

Bara Lawr – Welsh Laverbread Hummus

Another really easy lush green Bara Lawr – Welsh Laverbread recipe. This time I decided to stir some bara lawr into a traditional hummus base. 

I have also used Bara Lawr – Welsh Laverbread Hummus as a sandwich spread.  

Bara Lawr - Welsh Laverbread Hummus
Your will need
Ingredients
4-6 tablespoons fresh laverbread
1 x 400g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of a lemon
Olive oil
1 teaspoon Tahini
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a food processor blend all the ingredients to taste adding more of less oil if necessary.

Previously shared Hummus Recipes on my blog
Carrot Hummus - July 2014
Beetroot Hummus - February 2013
Wild Garlic Hummus April 2011 
Traditional Hummus January 2010 

Welsh Lavebread Bara Lawr and Leeks Risotto

I made a Welsh Laverbread Bara Lawr and Leeks Risotto over the weekend with the fresh laverbread that I picked up from the market in the city of Cardiff. 

By the time it came to eating, making and plating it up, it had got a little too dark for a photograph, so you will have to forgive me and imagine how the Welsh Laverbread Leeks Risotto looked.  

Creamy white risotto with flecks of dark green from both sweet leeks and laverbread. It tasted lovely actually.  I liked how the laverbread clung onto the rice like a green edible rice paper.  I will definitely be making it again and hopefully the next time I will get a photograph for you.

Please also check out my Welsh Rarebit Risotto

Welsh Laverbread and Leeks Risotto
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium leeks (green and white parts), sliced an cleaned
200g risotto rice
2 pints vegetable stock
2 - 4 tablespoons fresh laverbread
Optional: 60g - 100g cheddar cheese or Vegan Alternative, grated
1 tablespoon Tamari sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat the oil in a wide shallow pan and cook the leeks until softened. 
Stir in the rice until coated and sauté with the leeks until the rice is translucent. 
Then gradually add the stock. 
Stir until the rice is tender – this will take about 30 minutes. 
Halfway through the process stir in the laverbread.
You may not need all the liquid.
A couple of minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir in the Tamari and optional  cheese or vegan alternative.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. 

Welsh Laverbread Cakes and a Piece of Toast

If your a regular reader of my Welsh Vegetarian food blog, you will have seen laverbread featured many times, but for those of you who are not familiar with this Welsh delicacy, in a nutshell Laverbread or bara lawr  as it is known in some parts of Wales is simply cooked seaweed that has been pureed.  It has a pate like consistency, so perfect for spreading on toast.  Welsh Laverbread not to everyone's taste, but I recommend you trying it at least once if your ever in Wales, but saying that its not easy to get hold of, even for those of us who live in the Welsh valleys of Wales.

Many independent high street shops like traditional green grocers and fishmongers no longer exist.  These were places where you can you could pick up fresh sea vegetables like samphire and laverbread are closing down in towns or have closed down due to economic downturn as people snub the High Street and flock to shopping malls stuck in some industrial estate, The places to get fresh laverbread these days in South Wales and South West are cities that have thriving indoor markets.  Cities like Cardiff and  Swansea (and perhaps large market towns like Abergavenny) where I have always been able to purchase fresh laverbread. 

I consider myself a progressive cook with fusion having in the past created vegetarian Welsh Laverbread Burgers aka Glorified Laverbread Cakes, and last year Vegan Welsh Woman's Laverbread Caviar, but today I decided to keep it pure, simple and traditional.

I made these little Welsh Laverbread Cakes, also known as patties this morning.  The recipe is so simple. Stir the fresh laverbread with rolled porridge oats, if you find the mixture too soft, just add some more oats to it and shape into round little patties. Put in the fridge to firm up, when ready to eat.  Shallow fray in a little oil or butter until crisp and a golden crust has appeared.  Serve immediately.

Welsh Rarebit Laverbread Scones

The Welsh Laverbread Diaries continue...

These Welsh Rarebit Laverbread Scones were with a capital A - Amazing.  D scoffed down two and would have easily gone for a third had I not given him the beady eye.  

The mustard seeds give it pop and warmth, the Welsh laverbread a little colour and saltiness. and of course the cheddar cheese metled on top gives it that golden Blonde hue, gorgeous just on the cusp of almost burnt, but not quite.  To give the scones additional oomf, I've used both self raising flour and baking powder, but you can just leave out the baking powder if you wish.  Most of my recipes are easy to veganize, and this one is no different, just make a vegan savoury scone, then add vegan alternative non dairy milk and cheese.

As I said earlier, D loved these.  We had finished of the remaining  scones in the following coming day, but gave them about 30 second in the nuker (microwave)  for a bit of warmth, but they are at their best on the day.

The lovely Louise from Months of Edible Celebrations wrote a fantastic insightful piece on Welsh Rarebit - Chasing the Rabbit  that may interest those of you  interested in the origins of the Rarebit.  Follow this link.   

And if your looking for more Welsh Laverbread inspiration, see the links below.
Welsh Laverbread Pies
Welsh Woman's Laverbread Caviar
Welsh Laverbread Suet Pudding with Mushrooms and Puy Lentils
Glorified Laverbread Cakes aka Welsh Welsh Vegetarian Burger with Caerphilly Cheese
Welsh cottage Pie with Laverbread Mash
Welsh
Laverbread, Samphire and Seaweed Quiche with Perl Las Cheese

Welsh Woman's Vegan Laverbread Caviar

Dydd Dewi Sant hapus! (Happy St Davids's Day!) Lovely readers.  

Laverbread is known in Wales as 'Welshman's Caviar'.  I first heard about an actual 'Welsh Laverbread Caviar' product from my nephew who came up to see me when I lived in Scotland (see here), and it had since got me thinking of making my own.  

The eureka moment came to me a when I made my balsamic beetroot pearls  and then it dawned on me  to try this with tapioca, basil seeds and even chia seeds.  These worked well as a substitute, the beady seeds swelled and became voluminous and gelatinous, however they lacked in flavour.  I had to find ways to inject flavours into these bobbly beads.  Natural colours were easy to impart, but flavours were a little harder to accomplish, but I eventually got there with: brine, tomato juice, carrot juice, smoked liquid and so forth.  

Even though I've been making vegan Caviar for a few years now, I have failed to blog about them.  Not all my experiments in the kitchen make it onto the blog due to poor evening lighting.  And although this vegan caviar is still not quite perfect (I need to drain the liquid a little more for a start), I think its good enough to share the concept/idea with my readers.  

Originally I had thought to call my vegetarian version 'Mermaids Pearls', but 'Welsh Gentlewoman's Vegan Caviar' sounds more cachet.  

Laverbread, Samphire and Seaweed Flakes Also Known as 'Sea Vegetable' Quiche with Perl Las

One of the prettiest Quiches I have ever made.  Strewn with samphire spears, sprinkled with sea flakes and hidden under the pillowy creamy cheese softness, you will find a thin layer of Welsh laverbread on the still crisp pastry crust. 

When I went to Swansea Vegfest we also went to Swansea Market. Swansea Market is absolutely thriving.  There is a positive vibe and buzz in the air with the jostling and bustling  - not an empty stall in sight.  I brought back home some samphire known fondly as asparagus of the sea and some fresh laverbread (known in Wales as Welshman's Caviar); and some Perl Las cheese.  I knew exactly what I wanted to make with these ingredients as a recipe for 'Sea Vegetable' Quiche has been in the planning.  

At home I  also had some  Atlantic Kelp Organic Seaweed Flakes (see below), but I had to wait for the samphire and laverbread that are not so easy to come by, even though I live in the Welsh valleys, but travel a little closer to the coastline then you have may just be able to acquire some. And the decision to add Perl Las to the quiche was well rather poetic as Perl Las translates as Blue Pearl.  Perfect and a bit corny at the same time. 

The Sea Vegetable Quiche was absolutely lovely.  It tasted of the sea, you know that taste on your lips when you have been at the beach....but I have to add it is a bit of an acquired taste.  I think most people will not mind the salty samphire and the seaweed flakes, but the laverbread - well that is where it comes to personal taste.  I don't love laverbread, but I don't mind it now and again.  I have one little regret and that is not showing you a cut slice of this gorgeous quiche, as it was very pretty inside - flecked. 

Welsh Nosh and Welsh Things In My Kitchen

In the past, Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial who hosts In My Kitchen (IMK) series has been kind enough to give me the opportunity to showcase my new Welsh kitchen when I moved home.  

Now nearly a year on I am going to share some other Welsh things and nibbles.  So what's in my kitchen for March?!  As we just celebrated St David's Day in Wales I thought IMK this month would have a distinct Welsh influence.

I am not a beer drinker at all, but I had to have this glittery beer glass.  It will probably never be used for drinking, but it looks pretty.  I may just fill it up with pens and pencils and put it on a table; or fill it up with daffodils when they pop up in our garden.  Next to this big glass is a little Welsh shot glass, look close and you will see a little Welsh lady.  

I have some Laverbread: a traditional Welsh delicacy that is often just spread on toast.   I have made some vegetarian recipes in the past with it like vegetarian burgers and pie, but I have recently made some new ones over the weekend including this rather rich Laverbread Dal - fusing my Welsh and South Asian heritage. 

I will showcase some of the recipes in the coming days, if you interested.  In the dainty red ceramic jar, we have Halen Mon Anglesey sea-salt that was gifted to me a little while back.  

Lurking back at the back of my cupboards in the kitchen, I found two Welsh Lady jars, one contains Roasted Chestnut Chutney and the other Mincemeat. You may not the little red ceramic dragon sitting on top of the left jar, I picked the cute little dragon from a crafts fair around Christmas time.  

Next we have 100% Welsh Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil by Blodyn Aur.  It's been a while since I've used Rapeseed oil, the last time was actually when I lived in Scotland and I picked one up from the farmers market then. I am looking forward to using this mostly on salads.  Next to it, we have a Welsh Dragon Chilli Sauce called Electric Mud.  I picked this up when I was in Cardiff from the Riverside Market.  It is extremely hot and to be used in very small drops.  

Some Original Vegan Welsh Recipes

I a little mift with blogger, I wrote an entire post with a new recipe that I created from scratch and it has got lost in blogosphere, not sure what happened, but I am really mift.  So instead of the post that I was originally going to share, I have decided to share some Welsh vegetarian recipes that happen to be vegan  and perfect to share during Vegan Mofo.  These are recipes that I have created over the years with Welsh ingredients including Laverbread - a seaweed.

I did mention yesterday that I would throw in some recipes inspired by my Welsh roots too, so why not now.  I've made a vegan Welsh Laverbread Caviar, but will save that to showcase later, but for now enjoy these and click on the link that will take you to the recipe and to the original post. 

By the way, did you know in Wales, we have our very own Valentines Day?  Yes we do - St Dwynwen's Day. 

 Welsh Dragon Leek Soup with a Fiery Attitude 

Welsh Laverbread Suet Pudding

Laverbread. Mushroom and Puy Lentil Pie. 

Vegan Welsh Faggots with Onion Gravy

You will also find Welsh Chilli Con Carne made with red peppers, white beans and leeks - the colours of the Welsh Flag in a bowl and a Welsh Dragon Pie. 

To end, I have a number of other Welsh recipes that I have made vegetarian, but have yet to be veganized (or that I have made them, but have not yet featured on my blog as of yet) such as the world famous Welsh Cakes,  Glamorgan Sausage; The Glamorgan Dog based on The Hot Dog, Welsh Vegetarian Haggis in a Lasagne, Welsh Pakoras aka the Onion Bhaji and even Welsh Rarebit Risotto. So watch this space this month as some of these will be making an appearance in vegan form. 

Welsh Laverbread Vegetable Suet Pudding

Yesterday there was a glimmer of sun shine in the skies, but this morning it was snatched away as the rainfall came back with a vengeance, bashing hard on the window panes.  I have to say, weather wise it has been pretty dreadful here.  The past few months it has really felt like we've been living in a permanent puddle.

So like most people, feeling the cold, I longed for something rich and hearty.  The kind of grub that sticks to the ribs.  I looked in my store cupboard at the dwindling food supplies and my eyes fell upon a packet of vegetable suet (suitable for vegetarians and vegans), and a tin of Welsh Laverbread (cooked seaweed).  Immediately I was inspired to make some suet puddings.   I think the last time I made some was last year.

Traditionally steamed suet puddings contain meat.  Of course you will not find any meat in these.  In fact the filling in these steamed savoury puddings is very similar to the Welsh Laverbread Pies: containing mushrooms and Puy lentils.  Oh before I forget to mention it, I also put a teaspoon of seaweed into the suet pastry for visual effect. 

 
Welsh Laverbread Suet Pudding
Makes around 6, maybe 7 mini steamed puddings
Ingredients for the Laverbread, Mushroom filling
200g Portobello mushrooms
1 generous tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 teaspoon plain flour
100ml vegetable stock
50g Puy lentils, cooked

100g - 120g Welsh Laver bread
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Wipe clean the mushrooms. Slice or quarter each mushroom. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onions until soft and translucent, but not brown. Sauté for 1 minute before adding in the mushrooms. Keep the heat high and cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently until softened.
Gradually add the flour and stir until evenly combined. Add the vegetable stock and stir, over high heat until the sauce thickens, before stirring in the puy lentils and laverbread. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. 
For the Suet Pudding
300g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
100g vegetable suet
Cold water
For the suet pudding
Mix all the dry ingredients and the herbs in a large bowl. Mix in enough cold water to make a firm dough.

Divide the dough into 6 - 7 pieces, roll the pastry out on a well-floured work surface, to about 3mm thick circles that are big enough to fill the pudding basin with a small overhand. Line the pudding bowls with the pastry, gently easing it round the sides for a snug fit.

Divide the filling between the pudding basins. The filling should be 1cm below the rim. Take each pudding in turn and with a sharp knife trim off the excess pastry level with the rim. Re-roll this excess pastry and cut out 5 circles big enough to cover the tops. Place the pastry tops on top of the filling and press the edges together to make a firm seal. Trim off any excess. *My pudding basins have lids, but if yours do not, cover with foil and tie with a jute string. Then place the puddings into a large steamer. Cover with the lid and steam for for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked.

Leave to cool for a few minutes and then ease a small knife around each pudding and turn them out.

Welsh Laver Bread Pies

I was watching a repeat episode of Rick Steins 'Food Heroes' on T.V and he was somewhere in Wales, U.K.  I think it was in Carmathenshire.  I’m not 100% certain.  Anyway, he was in a pub and tucking into a  'Meaty Steak and Laverbread Pie'.   

As a Welsh girl with a voracious appetite for vegetable based cuisine, it occurred to me why not create a vegetarian variation of this seaweed pie.  Well why not? and without intending to sound to boastful I have been quite successful in creating a Welsh Laver Bread Veggie Burger ; Laverbread Oat Biscuits at home, as well as Welsh Glamorgan Pakora Bites based on Glamorgan sausages; and Leek and Caerphilly Cheese Pakoras.   So the kitchen culinary experiments began at the weekend. This was also a good opportunity for me use up one of the laver bread tins my nephew brought me up, still in date (2014).   For those of you unfamiliar with Welsh Laver Bread, please follow this link - but in a nutshell its cooked seaweed - a vegetable of the sea!

I have to say I was real chuffed with the result.  Not only did I decide to include seaweed in the pie filling, I also decided to incorporate some in the hot water pastry.

When you slice into it with your knife, the smell of the laver bread hits you first as it is quite strong, but the flavour not so strong.  In fact, you will fidn yourself saying, 'where is the 'fishy' laver bread?!  Believe me it in there, its flavour enhancing both the meaty texture of the mushrooms and pebble dash Puy lentils.

I appreciate that not everyone will be able to find/access Welsh Laver bread after all it is a specialist ingredient, so you will be pleased to note that this recipe can also be made without it if you so wish.  I am sharing some of these Seaweed Pies with Just Another Meatless Monday#79 hostd by Hey What's for Dinner Mom?; and Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays #51 hosted by Midnight Maniac.

Welsh Laverbread, Mushroom and Puy Lenti Pie
Makes 1 large pie or 8 – 10 individual pies
Ingredients for the filling
300g Portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon plain flour
175ml vegetable stock
100g Puy lentils, cooked
120 - 150g laver bread
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Wipe clean the mushrooms. Slice or quarter each mushroom. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onions until soft and translucent, but not brown. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute before adding in the mushrooms. Keep the heat high and cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently until softened.
Gradually add the flour and stir until evenly combined.
Add the vegetable stock and stir, over high heat until the sauce thickens, before stirring in the puy lentils and laverbread. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature

Hot Water Pastry
Makes 8 - 10 individual pies or  one large 7 - 8 inch round cake tin
Ingredients
Optional: 1 teaspoon of rehydrated hijiki  seaweed
325g plain flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
100g vegetable fat - I use Trex
175ml water
Olive oil for glazing
Method
For the hot water pastry, mix together the dry ingredients.
Melt the fat in the water and heat until about to boil.
Add the liquid to the flour, along with the rehydrated hijiki and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed.
Now you have to work very quickly with your hands, as the dough will get cold and be tough to work with.
With your fingers mould a ball of pastry into the shape of the individual muffin holes leaving a bit of the pasty overlapping over, but not too much.
Then fill with the cooled filling, press in well.
Roll out the remaining dough, and using a cookie cutter about the size of the muffin hole, cut out required number of lids.
Place over the pastry filling tops, push over the overlapped pastry and gently fork so seal the casing. Brush with  oil and make a small steam hole in each pie.
Bake in preheated oven Gas mark 6 for 30 to 35 minutes until golden.

Glorified Laverbread cakes aka the Welsh Vegetarian Burger

My oldest nephew has come up for a long weekend and with him he brought me some goodies from Wales. Here are a few.
Laverbread oatcakes, cranberry cheese - not very Welsh I know, but very seasonal and a bread board inscribed in Welsh 'Bara Cartref wedi ei wneud a chariad' which translates as 'Home made bread made with love'. I have some tinned laverbread too. I actually still have a stash left over from his last visit. Laverbread also known as 'Seaweed bread' is seaweed porphyra umbilicalis gathered from rocks around the coast. It is rinsed repeatedly in changes of water to get rid of grit and sand, then soaked in fresh water to reduce its strong salty flavour. Then it is cooked gently in water until it is reduced to a mush literally. I like to describe it as the 'Saag of the Welsh world'.

I would never have described Laverbread as gourmet food. Apart from the way it looks - jet green, its distinct smell from the iodine content was more likely to turn people off it before they even had a chance to try some. But it seems that things are changing. The 200g tin my nephew gave me cost almost £3.00. Looks to me that laverbread in Wales is making a comeback. The best known dish made with laver is laverbread cakes. Its a very simple recipe, 200g laverbread is combined with 50g rolled oats then fried. It is often served at part of a Welsh breakfast.  Talking of gourmet food, my nephew told me that there is even a Laverbread Caviar, now that is one I look forward to seeing, and if its vegetarian - even trying - so I hope he brings me some next time he comes up to visit me here in Scotland.

Anyway, yesterday in an effort to use some of my store cupboard ingredients one of which included a tin of laverbread, I decided to create some Welsh Vegetarian Burgers for Brunch.
Now in all my time of growing up and living in Wales, I have never ever had a Welsh Vegetarian burger, so thought wouldn't it be cool to create one, or at least attempt to create one using the recipe for 'laverbread cakes' as a starting point. I had bucket loads of leeks picked up on Saturday, but no Caerphilly cheese. You can't make a Welsh vegetarian burger without Caerphilly yells my nephew. He is right. I remembered the last time I tried to make a Welsh recipe I struggled to find Caerphilly cheese in Scotland. I searched high and low for the real stuff, even the West Ends cheesemonger informed they did not keep any. Anyway, determined that I was going to make some burgers with the laverbread and Caerphilly cheese it occurred me to try, this place which opened up early last year. Well I was so glad I did. I was the first person to get a wedge of Caerphilly cheese from the wheel. It wasn't particularly cheap, but it was worth this novelty treat - a little taste of home. These Welsh Vegetarian burgers or 'glorified Laverbread cakes' as my nephew called them, were a great success.

Glorified laverbread cakes aka the Welsh Vegetarian Burger
Makes 5 - 6
Ingredients120g tinned laverbread
75g - 100g rolled oats, medium or jumbo (I used a mixture of both)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek, washed and sliced
50g fresh breadcrumbs
50g Caerphilly cheese, grated or vegan alternative
1 teaspoon mustard
Pepper to taste
Vegetable or olive oil for shallow frying
Method
In a bowl, add the laverbread and rolled oats and combine well. Set aside for it to firm up.
In the meantime, heat olive oil and add leeks and cook on low heat until soft. Stir into the laverbread and oat mix, then add in the breadcrumbs and combine well. Gently stir in the Caerphilly cheese or vegan alternative, mustard and pepper to taste. Then divide the mixture into 5 or 6 balls and shape into patties or burgers. You can either leave these in the fridge to firm up or cook immediately. Heat about 4 tablespoons oil, when hot add the burgers, shallow fry for about 4 minutes before flipping over and cooking for another 4 minutes or until golden. Press gently with a spatula if necessary. Enjoy immediately, either in a bread roll or as a side with wedges or chips.