Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!

Happy St David's Day.

It's 1 March, the one day of the year that Welsh people everywhere get in touch with their inner nationalist. Children all over Wales have been taking part in eistddfodau, cultural competitions that involve singing, dancing, poetry readings and art. The younger ones will be dressed up in costume and wearing the daffodil or leek with pride. St David's Day is a not an uproarious drunken celebration but a day for the nation to take quiet note of its long history.

Today I'm going to give you a little taste of Wales. Traditionally cawl, a lamb stew is eaten, but I'm going to give you a recipe for something more yummy, Welsh cakes or picau ar y maen.

I'd like to say that this recipe was handed down from my mother. It's not. She did everything by sight and didn't possess a set of scales. On the numerous occasions I've asked her she's said that you just judge it.
Right!

This recipe is in Imperial. For metric I'll give you links to other recipes with better photos.

Picau ar y Maen
1lb self raising flour
4oz butter
4oz hard margarine
4oz currants
6oz caster sugar
1/2 teasp mixed spice (optional)
1 egg
pinch salt

Sift the flour and salt together. Rub in the fat until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add all the other dry ingredients.

Beat the egg lightly and bind the mixture to make a firm dough. You can add milk to make it more manageable.

Roll out on a floured board to a thickness of 1/4 inch and cut into rounds.

Cook on a lightly greased griddle or heavy frying pan for about three minutes each side until golden brown.

Sprinkle lightly with caster sugar and serve. Sometimes they are split and then sandwiched with jam.

After that you can sit back and enjoy!

For metric measures check BBC Food. For a Welsh site that sells the traditional bakestone try Welsh Griddles.

Do try them out. They're yummy!