Iechyd da!

Or cheers! In Welsh. So much of my childhood was spent in the land of the red dragon; my grandparents lived there and so most weekends would involve us all being piled into the car with dogs, cats and deflated rubber dingies shoved onto our laps, listening to 80s rock as we made our way to Anglesey. We made that journey so many times I reckon I could still make my way there now (minus Google maps), holding my breath as I drive under the tunnels through the hills and shouting “I can see the sea!” in the hope that I was the first. Sidenote: do people play car games anymore? Surely everyone still enjoys taking it in turns saying a food name as you go over each chevron, right?

Naini and Taid (grandma and grandad in Welsh) lived just outside of a little village called Llangoed in the loveliest house, where Taid would grow tomatoes in the greenhouses and Naini would grow everything else. I especially loved picking a stem off the chive plant in the vegetable patch and having a little nibble whilst walking through the sweet peas. Taid also had a wood workshop at the top of the garden where he would make little wooden ornaments of owls, and if my sister and I were lucky we’d get to paint one. That house was magical to visit as a kid, full of little nooks and crannies that our grandparents had filled with memories over the years.

After a trek down to Our Beach (I still don’t know if it has an actual name) and back with the dogs, we’d be in the kitchen with Naini. Naini was the loveliest grandma with the kindest heart, and she always asked for our help even though we must have been more of a nuisance than anything else! She would make us some lemonade and orange juice and then ask us to ice the bakewell slices, or add jam into the pastry tarts, ready for the oven. I can picture the bowl we used to make the icing in, and spooning out the “extra” icing we had made into our greedy mouths.

Taking this trip down memory lane inspired me to bake something in memory of Naini and Taid, and as yesterday was St. David’s day it seemed even more fitting to share this week. I found a recipe for Welsh cakes in a National Trust recipe book I had from years ago, and then I just veganised them by switching out the dairy ingredients for alternatives. They turned out pretty well for a first attempt; I had to guard them after Steph had stolen a load when he said he hadn’t, so that’s a good sign, ha.

The recipe for the welsh cakes called for self raising flour, butter, a pinch of salt, caster sugar, raisins, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, one egg and a splash of milk. I switched out the following for their alternatives, which are super easy to get hold of:

This stuff is found with the margarine in the supermarket, and is no more expensive than any other spread you would buy. Flora also now have a dairy free option as well as Pure’s wide range of plant based spreads, so you normally have a couple of options for price comparison when shopping.

Ground flaxseed is an excellent alternative to eggs when baking more stodgy treats, and as Welsh cakes are quite dense I figured it would stand a pretty good chance of working well in this recipe. I usually buy mine from Holland & Barrett as its harder to find in supermarkets, however a bag should last you a good while so you should be ok to stock up on a couple and not need to go back for a while. It’s also great to put in your breakfast smoothie for making sure you get your omega 3; something as a vegan I know I need to ensure I have enough of in my diet.

Soya milk is pretty much everywhere these days, and the lovely thing is that now in supermarkets you often get the option to choose between their own or other brands. I love soya because it’s one of the creamier plant based milks, and pre-vegan I was known to gulp cream out of the tub so this makes sense! Almond milk could also be used in this recipe, as well as coconut or even oat milk – why not try living on the wild side and use cashew milk… Say whaaaat?!

To make the cakes, all I had to do was bung in the flour, butter, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon in a bowl, add the marg and rub it to form a breadcrumb-like mixture, add the sugar and raisins and mix together. Next went in the flaxseed mixed with a little water and the soya milk to form a dough. I then rolled out the dough, cut out the cakes and fried them in a large frying pan with a little butter on both sides. DONE!

Here are the Welsh cakes in all their glory:

To old times, loved ones, and Wales.

Grace