The big cheese in Wales
The ferry to Fishguard takes three and a half hours, and even though it’s quite a short time it’s worth considering taking a cabin for €39 (sleeps two) so you arrive fresh as a daisy.
We were on our way to Holden’s Organic farm near Lampeter to do a cheese-making course. First we detoured 20 minutes south of Fishguard to Porthgain in search of a little seafood restaurant called The Shed. We found it on the harbours edge and had delicious fish, spanking fresh crab, mussels, and grey sea mullet. It was a pity about the squidgy bread and bought mayonnaise. After lunch, we made our way up hills and down dales through forest and woodland and village after village with unpronounceable names. Eventually arrived at Bwlchwernen Fawr Organic Dairy Farm where the Ayrshire cows that provide milk for the cheese were grazing contentedly in the fields.
Up to four years ago Sam and Rachel Holden were immersed in the corporate world in London; Rachel was a press officer for Sainsbury’s and Sam was account manager for a small graphic design company. Through a series of events they decided to return to the family farm in Wales to oversee the renovation of the farmhouse.
Sam’s father Patrick Holden, the director of the Soil Association, had harboured an aspiration to add value to their beautiful milk by making a cheese but didn’t quite know quite how to go about it. He asked Sam whether he might consider taking on the project. After initial discussion with Rachel they decided to take the plunge.
They spent four months learning and visiting cheese-makers. A new fully-equipped dairy was built and on August 26, 2007, Sam and Rachel made their first batch of cheddar. They continued to make cheese twice a week through out the year without even having tasted the fruit of their labours – it was a year later before they could sample the mature cheese. They decided to call it “Hafod” (pronounced Havod) which means “summer pasture” in Welsh. Randolph Hodgson of Neal’s Yard Dairy, the iconic cheese shop in London tasted, approved and decided to stock it alongside the legendary English cheddars, Montgomery, Keens, Westcombe and Isle of Mull.
They had a very experienced French cheese-making student called Marie Decherf working with them who is presently on a tour of farmhouse cheese-makers in Britain and Ireland. She was on her way to spend two months working with and learning from Jaffa Gill who makes the award-winning Durrus Cheese in west Cork. The following day we visited the Brecon Beacons Food Fair and bought several Welsh cheeses, Welsh cakes, pickled samphire and cob nuts.
The local Welsh Male Choir was in full voice at the end of market hall.
There was lots of salt marsh lamb and Welsh mutton from Elan Valley for sale and some quite spectacular bread made by young artisan baker Alex Gooch – his family made three deliveries of bread to the festival and sold it as fast as they could bake it. We also visited Penpont self-catering cottages beside Penpont House, cottages and farm shop, in the middle of an organic estate, a really special place to stay, close to Brecon.
Also in that area is another of my favourite pubs with comfy rooms and a menu of delicious local foods – The Felin Fach Griffin Inn.
To book a cheese-making course at Bwlchwernen Fawr Organic Dairy Farm telephone Sam and Rachel Holden on 00-44 1570 493283 or email rachel@hafodcheese.co.uk or visit their website www.hafodcheese.co.uk
Neals Yard Dairy: www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk
Felin Fach Griffin Inn: www.eatdrinksleep.ltd.uk/index.htm
Durrus Farmhouse Cheese: www.durruscheese.com
Alex Gooch Organics: www.foodloversbritain.com/members/Alex-Gooch-Organics
Penpont House and Self-Catering Cottages : www.penpont.com
I bought a bag of bag of delicious Welsh cakes from a cheery lady on a stall at the Brecon Beacons Food Fair. This is a delicious recipe – Welsh cakes are best made with a mixture of lard and butter but use all butter if good lard is unavailable.
Makes 24
450g (1 lb) white flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mace
110g (4oz) butter
110g (4oz) lard
175g (6oz) castor sugar
¼ lb currants, sultanas or raisins
2 eggs preferably free range
organic milk
Caster sugar for dipping
Put the flour, salt, baking powder and mace into a bowl, rub in the butter and lard. Add the sugar and dried fruit and mix well. Whisk the eggs and add just enough milk to bind.
Roll out thinly and stamp into ¼ inch rounds with a 2½ inch cutter.
Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle. Grease with a little butter and cook the Welsh cakes for two to three minutes each side. Remove and dip in sugar.
Best eaten warm.
A comforting meal in itself, you’ll want to tuck into several bowlfuls on chilly autumn days or after a long walk in the countryside. Both collar of bacon and neck of lamb are inexpensive and delicious.
Serves 10
750g (1½ lb) collar of bacon
750g (1½ lb) neck of lamb
3 stalks celery sliced
3-4 carrots peeled and sliced
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 cloves
3 white turnips peeled and quartered
A bouquet garni of parsley stalks, thyme and a bay leaf
3-4 litres (6½ pints) water
2 leeks
450g (1lb) baby carrots if available, other wise peel, quarter and cut into chunks
700g (1½ lbs) small new potatoes or ¼ larger ones
350g (12 oz) green cabbage cut in ¾ inch strips
Lots of chopped parsley
Put the bacon, lamb, celery stalks, carrots, onion, peppercorns, cloves, white turnips, the green part of leeks and bouquet garni into a deep saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Skim and continue to simmer for one and half hours, skimming regularly.
Slice the white part of the leeks and add to the pot with remainder of the vegetables, except the cabbage. Cook for a further 15 minutes.
Add the cabbage and cook for a further five minutes or until both the meat and vegetables are fully cooked.
Remove the bacon and lamb and cut into rough chunks, return to the pot, taste and correct the seasoning.
Ladle into wide, deep soup bowls.
Scatter with lots of chopped parsley and enjoy.
Mutton is used in many Indian style dishes commonly served in Britain. This simple dish can form part of an Indian feast or serve on its own with steamed rice or naan bread.
Cyrus Todiwala is the executive chef of Café Spice Namaste. This recipe is taken from Renaissance Mutton booklet (www.muttonrenaissance.org.uk).
Serves 4
550g (¼lb) diced leg of mutton
3 onions, roughly chopped
15ml (1 tablespoon) ginger, finely chopped
30ml (2 tablespoons) coriander seeds
15ml (1 tablespoon) cumin seeds
1 whole dried red chilli, cut into 3 pieces
Cinnamon stick, 5cm (2inch) piece
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped or 1 can of chopped tomatoes
600ml (1 pint) hot, good lamb stock
60ml (4 teaspoons) fresh coriander, chopped
75ml (5 tablespoon) vegetable or corn oil
In a frying pan, roast the whole chilli and cinnamon stick over a low heat until light brown. Set aside to cool. Repeat with the cumin and coriander seeds, then crush with the cinnamon and chilli in a pestle and mortar until you get a crushed peppercorn consistency.
Heat the oil in heavy-based pan on a high heat. Add the mutton and seal well. Maintaining the heat, add the red chillies and cinnamon and stir-fry for one minute. Add the onions and stir fry for a couple of minutes on a medium heat and add enough stock to just cover the mutton.
Keep the pan covered, add the salt and simmer the mutton for one hour. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further hour or until the mutton is tender and the gravy is thick. If there is too much liquid after the first hour, remove the lid for the final stage of cooking.
Before serving check the seasoning then stir in the fresh coriander.
THIS WEEK I share the recipe for my mother’s plum pudding with you. It was always the tradition in our house to eat the first plum pudding on the evening it was made. The grandchildren could hardly contain themselves with excitement – somehow that first plum pudding seemed the most delicious, it was our first taste of Christmas. The plum pudding can be made from about mid-November onwards. Everyone in the family helped to stir so we could all make a wish.
It’s fun to put silver plum pudding charms in the pudding destined to be eaten on Christmas Day. Wrap them individually in silicone paper so they are bulky and clearly visible.
This recipe makes two large or three medium puddings. The large size will serve 10-12 people, the medium six to eight but I also like to make teeny weeny ones.
12 ozs (350g) raisins
12 ozs (350g) sultanas
12 ozs (350g) currants
12 ozs (350g) brown sugar
12 ozs (350g) white breadcrumbs (non GM)
12 ozs (350g) finely-chopped beef suet (preferably home-made)
4 ozs (110g) diced candied peel (preferably home-made)
2 Bramley cooking apples, coarsely grated
4 ozs (110g) chopped almonds
Rind of 1 lemon
3 pounded cloves (½ teaspoon)
A pinch of salt
6 eggs
2½ fl ozs (62ml) Jamaica Rum
Mix all the ingredients together very thoroughly and leave overnight; don’t forget, everyone in the family must stir and make a wish. Next day stir again for good measure.
Fill into pudding bowls; cover with a double thickness of greaseproof paper which has been pleated in the centre, and tie it tightly under the rim with cotton twine, making a twine handle also for ease of lifting. Steam in a covered saucepan of boiling water for six hours. The water should come half way up the side of the bowl.
Check every hour or so and top up with boiling water if necessary. After five hours, three hours, two hours depending on the size, remove the pudding. Allow to get cold and re-cover with fresh greaseproof paper. Store in a cool dry place until required.
On Christmas Day or whenever you wish to serve the plum pudding, steam for a further two hours. Turn the plum pudding out of the bowl onto a very hot serving plate, pour over some whiskey or brandy and ignite. Serve immediately on very hot plates.
- SAVOUR Kilkenny Festival kicks off on Friday, October 23, and runs until Monday, October 26, with a list of exciting events to attend. To see the programme, visit www.savourkilkenny.com
- Glebe Gardens course schedule is available for winter 2009/2010 Courses cost €60, including lunch. Phone 028-20232 or email glebegardens@gmail.com
- A Pizza Heaven – Ballymaloe Cookery School. Learn how to make the perfect pizza with Philip Dennhardt. Hendrik Lepel will also give a talk about how to build and maintain your own pizza oven.
Friday, October 30, from 2pm to 5pm. Booking essential on 021-4646785 or www.cookingisfun.ie
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