Wales - facts and talking points

blog

Welsh food and drink is a secret worth sharing. Welsh food has a long-established reputation for distinctiveness and quality. Our nation prides itself on supplying some of the finest produce, and we value freshness and variety.

Traditional Welsh foods include cheeses, crempog (pancake), bara brith and cawl – a rich stew made with bacon, Welsh lamb and vegetables including Wales’ emblem, the leek.

A great way to find out about food in Wales is to visit a local farmers’ market. These are held at many locations throughout Wales, letting you buy food direct from producers.

Swansea Market is the largest and most fascinating food market in Wales. Visitors can sample a range of Welsh delicacies, including cockles from Penclawdd and laverbread. Fresh, locally caught fish can also be bought here.

Laverbread: Laver is an edible seaweed commonly found on the coast of South West Wales. It needs to be prepared at great length – by washing many times, boiling for up to five hours, and draining to form a gelatinous puree. It is usually mixed with fine oatmeal, formed into small cakes and fried in bacon fat.

Laver sauce: This is particularly good with shellfish and lobster. The laver needs to be prepared as for laverbread, and is then heated and whisked with orange juice, butter, cream and mutton (or lamb) stock.

Welsh cakes: The Welsh cake is a traditional Welsh snack, somewhat similar to a scone. The cakes (picau ar y maen in Welsh) are sometimes known as bakestones because they are traditionally cooked on a bakestone – a thick cast-iron griddle that’s placed on the fire or cooker.

Bara brith: In past times, the stove was lit once a week in Welsh homes for baking day. As the heat began to fade, a handful of currants would be added to the last of the bread dough, and the speckled loaf became valued as a treat. This spiced, honey-glazed fruit bread is still produced all over Wales.

Welsh rarebit: Welsh rarebit, or caws pobi is an ideal savoury snack. It consists of toasted bread covered in a thick cheese sauce, often made with ale and mustard.

Crempog: These are thick Welsh pancakes, served hot and buttered. Traditionally, the filling would be whatever the cook had to hand, or the household liked the most. A savoury crempog, hot and fresh, makes an excellent starter.

Glamorgan sausages: These are made to a vegetarian recipe, mainly from grated cheese mixed with breadcrumbs, herbs and chopped leeks or onions.

Cheese: A wide range of award-winning cheeses are made by independent producers in Wales. One example is Caws Cenarth, which makes farmhouse Caerphilly – a traditional crumbly Welsh cheese – along with a range of other artisan cheeses including Perl Las and Perl Wen. The family farm with its own herd of cows is fully organic, and no artificial fertilisers, insecticides or pesticides are used. www.cawscenarth.co.uk 

Meat: The world-famous Welsh Black beef and Welsh mountain lamb are featured on menus in pubs and restaurants all over Wales.

Thanks to leading chefs across Britain, mutton is enjoying a revival in our kitchens. Mutton (meat from fully grown sheep) has a particularly rich, gamey flavour, making it suitable for casseroles and hearty stews. Graig Farm Organics is known for its award-winning produce – not just Welsh mutton, but sustainably caught fish, rabbit, pheasant and a range of other organic goods. www.graigfarm.co.uk

The Beacons Farm Shop at the Welsh Venison Centre, in the heart of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park is a family firm that observes the highest standards in animal welfare. It produces premium-quality Middlewood Welsh lamb as well as venison. www.beaconsfarmshop.co.uk

Gower Salt Marsh Lamb gets its distinctive flavour from the coastal marshlands on which the sheep graze. In 2021, it became the first product to be awarded UK Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, preventing imitation and guaranteeing its quality. www.gowersaltmarshlamb.co.uk

Producers:

  • Afon Mêl Honey Farm: This is the largest honey farm in Wales, with 500 hives across the counties of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. The unspoilt countryside of this part of West Wales means the honey comes almost entirely from wild plants that grow in the hedgerows, valleys and clifftops, such as sycamore, hawthorn, willow, clover and blackberry. As well as its range of raw honeys, the farm also produces award-winning mead, preserves and even skincare products. www.afonmel.com
     
  • Penderyn distillery: Launched in 2004, Penderyn was the first new whisky distillery to open in Wales for more than 100 years. It now produces its multi-award-winning spirits at three locations: its original Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) headquarters, a second distillery in Llandudno, and a third in Swansea Copperworks. As well as its range of single malt whiskies, Penderyn makes gin, vodka, rum and a cream liqueur, and exports to over 50 countries. www.penderyn.wales
     
  • Celtic Spirit Company: The Celtic Spirit Company is based near Holyhead, Anglesey. It produces a range of spirits and liqueurs, including the award-winning Black Mountain fruit brandy and Danzy Jones whisky liqueur. www.celticspirit.co.uk
     
  • SA Brain & Co Ltd: Having been in the brewing business for more than 130 years, Brains is proud of its strong Welsh heritage. The company brings together centuries of brewing tradition and a willingness to innovate. The beers produced at the company’s Dragon brewery in Cardiff include time-honoured favourites such as Brains Bitter, Dark and SA, and newer additions including Bayside Welsh Lager and Barry Island IPA. www.sabrain.com
     
  • Food Festivals: Wales’ culinary calendar includes a wealth of food festivals throughout the year, celebrating the nation’s great flavours. Popular events include Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival, Cardigan River and Food Festival, Abergavenny Food Festival and Barmouth Food Festival. The events are a great opportunity to taste, talk about and buy the best local produce directly from farmers and producers. www.visitwales.com/things-do/events/festivals/welsh-food-festivals

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3Lnqpnm5%2BifKKuzq6raK%2BRobK0edOao6Shnpx6sbvIp6us