Yesterday marked Candlemas or Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau in Welsh. It’s called Imbolc in the Celtic custom and can rather delightfully symbolise the approaching of spring and the days stretching out (less need for candles). In Wales, Candlemas traditions have all but died out but from my research, most of the old traditions seem once again to involve alcohol (no surprises there). There are customs of wassail carolling (similar to the festive plygain and the Mari Lywd) where drinks were given to those who could gain entry to the house by singing in the pwnco style of call and response. Another custom was to place two candles high on a shelf or ledge and place a chair underneath. Each member of the family would sit on the chair and take a drink of something potent and then toss the bowl over their head. If it landed one way, you were destined to have a long life. If it landed the other, the opposite would come true.
February in my Welsh kitchen is all about thrift. I'm clearing out the freezer, as it has got to the point of my not being able to open and then subsequently close the drawers. It's an affliction, to fill the freezer until it's bursting. An art too. A sort of frosty Tetris jigsaw, of which I am a professional player. Single chicken breasts and tiny pots of homemade stock are good for plugging empty crevices. Breadcrumbs too. The thing is, I just loathe wasting food if I think it can be used or refashioned for something else – much to the dismay of my flatmates when they go searching for their fillets of salmon or tubs of ice cream and happen upon a chicken carcass.
Back last year, we spoke about fostering a love of leftovers. But having the full use of a freezer means leftovers can become mains if called for. An odd scrap of pastry can become a pie top, a bag of breadcrumbs from a stale loaf can be used to bread croquettes or Glamorgan sausages, and of course, whole sliced loaves can be made into perfectly palatable Welsh rarebit. My Nannie Gwen always had bread in the freezer, as she could never get through a whole loaf before it went bad. Sadly, she also couldn't use the defrost setting on the toaster or microwave, so last-minute sandwich lunches were always toasted – although corned beef toasties are no bad thing.
Yesterday’s lunch came from the freezer. A very handy single serving of cawl – ideal for the chilly but sunny weather outside.
This month, the recipes in the kitchen are going to focus on ways of using up bits that you probably have hanging around – a bit of cheese, some white rice, scraps from a Sunday roast etc. Thankfully, traditional Welsh cookery is based more often than not on thrift. And it doesn't hurt that I could do with saving a few pennies. Here's to frugal February!
The Recipe
Welsh cheese pudding
If you’ve still got Christmas cheese in the fridge that needs using up, then this is an ideal recipe. It’s a bit like a savoury bread and butter pudding and great for a warming lunch with a bit of salad, or it could make an interesting starter if made in small ramekins. Use whatever cheese you fancy, although harder cheese works best. I used a mix of Welsh mature cheddar and Y Fenni (the one with the mustard seeds).
Ingredients (serves 2)
3 rounds of stale bread
Butter
75g hard cheese, grated or crumbled
250ml milk
1tsp mustard powder
Pinch of nutmeg
1 free-range egg
Pepper for seasoning
Method
Grease a small ovenproof dish with butter, and butter all the rounds of bread.
Cover the base of the dish with a layer of bread (butter side up) and then sprinkle with cheese, top with another layer of bread and cheese (leave a tiny bit aside) and then finish with the final layer of bread. Give it a little squash down and then set aside.
Gently heat the milk in a saucepan over a low heat until it starts to bubble.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Whisk in the egg, mustard powder, nutmeg and pepper.
Gently pour the mixture over the prepared bread and cheese until covered.
Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes for the bread to absorb the liquid. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/350°F/180°C.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and then bake the pudding in the oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbling.
You could add chopped leeks or chives to this or even a few crushed chilli flakes for a bit of a kick. If you don’t have mustard powder, you could spread some mustard on the rounds of bread.
If you try the recipe out, don’t forget to tag any photos with #mywelshkitchen.
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.
This week we’re listening to Doris Hare. Known to many as the mum from On The Buses, Doris was an actress, singer, dancer and comedienne who appeared on the West End and Broadway stages as well as in many TV show and films. She was born in Bargoed in South Wales. Second up this week, we have the beautifully haunting folk sounds of Huw M, a Welsh composer and performer originally from Bangor.
Three White Feathers by Doris Hare
Si Hwi Hwi by Huw M
The Pantry
Good food is nothing without good ingredients and thankfully there are plenty of fantastic Welsh products on the market. Here is where you’ll find recommendations to stock up your cupboard, fridge or fruit bowl, or a really great place for food.
Blodyn Aur Welsh Rapeseed Oil
Blodyn Aur (golden flower) is the only rapeseed oil made in Wales. It was launched in 2010 by farmers Llyr Jones, Bryn Jones and Medwyn Roberts near Corwen in North Wales. The company produces a range of infused oils as well as their classic rapeseed oil – ideal for all sorts of cooking and drizzling.