Welsh Cakes

Today is St. David's Day here in Wales and one of the things (along with cawl) that we traditionally celebrate the day with is Welsh Cakes, also known as Pice ar y maen. These pastry bakes are a Welsh teatime treat passed on through generations and still as popular as ever. Perfect for making with the children.

St David's Day is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on March 1st, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. People also celebrate St David’s Day by engaging in little acts of Welshness. You’ll see plenty of locals proudly pinning our national emblems, the daffodil or a leek, to their lapels, while children go to school in traditional Welsh dress. Flags are flown. When I was a child I remember the morning would involve a special assembly in school, during which we sang Welsh songs and presented prizes for the Welsh themed art and craft activities we had been involved in.

Welsh cakes are traditionally cooked on a bakestone, a cast iron or steel griddle that would have been placed on the fire. If you don’t have one a heavy frying pan would suffice. Place it on the hob on a very low heat.