Made in Wales

So its Five on Friday and I am sticking once again with my Welsh theme especially as it is St Davids Day next Tuesday.

I thought I would share five Made in Wales things in my home.

I picked up this 'Made in Wales' framed picture from a crafts arts and fair market. Its handmade and upcycled with a traditional Welsh blanket, almost tartan style and some cute little alphabet cards.  I fell in love with it instantly and D bestowed it upon me within moments.  He has a terrible habit of spoiling me.  I love him.

These graceful Welsh ladies are handmade by Kingsmaker  and carved from real welsh coal.  I  think they date back to the 1950s.  I know such things are terribly old fashioned but I like them.  I picked these charming Welsh ladies in full Welsh costume from a charity shop last summer, there is something quite solemn about them and somehow that impacts on my mood in a positive way.  I hold one in the palm of my hand when I feel that I am getting angry or mift and they bring a calmness in me.   

Next we have some Welsh recipe books  resting on a heart shaped Welsh slate.  All these Welsh cookbooks were printed in Wales.  Croeso Cymreig - A Warm Welsh Welcome was published in the 1950s and cost One Shilling.

Here we have The Best of Traditional Welsh Cooking, Welsh Country Puddings and Pies and my favourite acquisition 'Recipes from Wales' a binded book with lovely illustrations from John Cleal.  This was published in 1976 - 1977 by Workshop Wales in Fishguard.  There is one bizarre recipes in this on Banana'n Bacon Rolls!  Otherwise.  

Novelty Gifts from Wales

My oldest nephew arrived last night to spend a long weekend with his favourite Aunty (it's true) and Uncle.
He came bearing some gifts. How sweet and kind of him. Amongst them: a chopping board, chocolate and a non-alcoholic Welsh Punch. Today we travelled into Edinburgh. I will share aspects of my trip tomorrow as my little toots (feet) are quite sore from all the walking and I want to rest.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

St David aka Dewi Sant of Wales

This coming Sunday, it is St David’s Day (Dewi Sant), the patron Saint of Wales who died on the 1st March 589AD.

As a child growing up in Wales, at school we would make a big deal of St David's Day, by dressing up in Welsh national costume which if you were a girl consisted of a tall black hat, white frilled cap and long dress and participating at the schools Eisteddfod (assembly of competitive singing).

You would see the national flag of Wales, depicting a red Dragon Y Ddraig Goch against a green and white background being flown. Both the daffodil and leeks are regarded as Wales national emblems, but I would only see the daffodil being worn by adults on their outer garments, I rarely saw a person have a leek pinned to their lapel, then or even now.

I know since leaving Wales for University, there has been a major revival in celebrating St David’s Day in Wales, the way the Scots celebrate St Andrews and the Irish, St Patrick, with there now being many more street parades than before. Part I think is to do with the awakening of Welsh national pride, the revival of the Welsh language now being taught at Primary school, and part to do with tourism. For example, in hotels around Wales, you may now be expected to be served with some traditional welsh treats. For breakfast – Laverbread with cockles or a Welsh Rarebit (upmarket cheese on toast); Afternoon tea can be served with Bara Brith (translated speckled bread a traditional welsh fruit bread) or picen ar y maen Welsh cakes which are best served warm, they are meltingly delicious; and the traditional dinner in the evening would be a dish of cawl (lamb broth with leeks), followed by Welsh Lamb. These welsh foodie delights were never part of my childhood, not at home and not at school.

Anyway, now as a Welsh woman living in Scotland, this year on the 1st March I intend to make some Welsh delights with a vegetarian spin at home. I may get lucky and a family member may shlep over some tinned laverbread also known as bara lawr in welsh to me via the post. Laverbread is a cooked puree of seaweed often found on the shores of western Britain. Apparently, the Japanese seaweed known as nori is from the same family. You are very unlikely to purchase Laverbread outside of Wales, unless its from a specialist store or via the Internet. I have had laverbread a few times, it is an acquired taste. If you have ever had the Indian dish saag made with the authentic ingredient mustard leaves, not substituted with spinach, saag is the closest taste of what laverbread reminds me of.

I will have to visit my allotment plot this weekend, to see if some of my daffodils are wide open so that they can adorn my table this Sunday, they did look very promising. I will also pull out some of my dwindling supply of leek crop for a warming starter of leek soup, if no laverbread appears on my kitchen table between now and Saturday.

If you come on over to my blog this Sunday, you may get to see on the menu
Starter: Laverbread rissole or Welsh rarebit
Vegetarian Main: homemade leek soup, followed by Glamorgan Sausages made with Welsh Caerphilly cheese
For dessert: Bara brith and welsh cakes, washed down with something warm inside my welsh mug, with its missing handle

PS You might be interested to note that St David was reputed to have been a vegetarian, mainly living of bread and herbs.