Tuesday, February 19, 2019

St David's Day, March 1st 2019: Welsh Foods To Buy or Bake and Welsh Music

St David's Day is March 1st, a Friday in 2019. An opportunity for a family gathering or club meeting on a Welsh theme. Here are some foods to try or buy.

Welsh Cakes
Welsh cakes are small thick pancakes. I first tried them at Fishguard in Wales at the Fishguard Bay Hotel. Lovely served hot with melting butter.

Tea time at Fishguard Bay Hotel, Wales.

We were served them at tea time in summer. You might find them on the a la carte menu in the restaurant or bar. If you are organising a conference, or a wedding, or staying for several days, you might ask the chef to make some for you and your group.

I think one of the station cafes had them and served them hot, maybe on request. However, I was too scared of missing my train to risk buying anything requiring heating.

I tried Welsh cakes again on a train back from Fishguard to London, from the trolley. They seemed dry and cold and nothing special. I think the same applies to scones. And pancakes.
(More pictures and text later.)

Lava Bread
Made from edible seaweed. To the Japanese it makes perfect sense. To a Londoner like me, it is totally offbeat. But that is part of the attraction, to try something you have never had before.
Photo from Wikipedia.

Welsh Rarebit
For breakfast or tea. Not a rabbit but a rarebit.

Welsh is a lovely sing-song language. You might want to play plaintive Welsh harp music, or the robust sound of a male voice choir. this is the country renowned for the Eistedfodd, a music contest and celebration.

Welsh Songs
Suitable and enjoyable songs would include the Welsh national anthem, and Men of Harlech.
All through the night is a public domain song with a Welsh language version.

Welsh Poetry and Quotations
Perhaps a reading of a quotation from Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood.

To practise Welsh words, listen to Richard Burton in the film version. Or use the free Welsh language learning system Duolingo.

Useful Websites
To visit Wales
www.visitwales.com
To learn Welsh
duolingo.com
To cook Welsh cakes
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5569/welsh-cakes
For public domain songs: eg All through the night
https://www.pdinfo.com/pd-song-list/pd-song-list-best-a.php
to hear the Welsh National Anthem on YouTube with male voice choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtCOprRDUm8
With a band and subtitles in English and Welsh

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

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