It’s St. David’s Day on the 1st March – the Patron Saint of Wales; and as I live on the Welsh boarder I thought I’d join in the celebrations with a Welsh recipe.
St David, famously, was a strict vegetarian and only drank water – a lifestyle many of us are trying to adopt now; and legend has it he lived to over 100, so maybe he was on to something? I’d test it out for you, but unfortunately I like tea and wine far too much to give this a go. Sorry.
Welsh Rarebit is basically posh cheese on toast and is traditionally made with stout. If, like St. David however, you want to give the beer a miss, make it with double cream instead. It will be lighter in colour and will have a subtler, creamer texture and flavour, but it will still be delicious.
One of the national symbols of Wales is the Leek, so just in case Welsh Rarebit isn’t quite Welsh enough, I’ve added lightly fried leeks to my recipe to give it a yummy, leeky flavour that goes great with the strong cheese. For tips on prepping your leeks, see my how to page here. But first . . . .
Here are 5 facts about Wales:
“Only 5?” I hear you shout. Well for more fun facts see visitwales.com
(All images from Google)
1, Wales is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and boarders England.
2, The Welsh flag features a red dragon standing on green grass under a white sky.
3, The Welsh National flower is the Narcissus, commonly known as the Daffodil.
4, The native language of Wales is Cymraeg – Welsh. Though most Welsh people speak English too, there are parts of rural Wales where it is unusual to hear any English spoken at all. There are Welsh speaking schools, radio stations and TV channels, and the road signs are written in both Welsh and English.
5, The National dishes of Wales include Bara Brith (a rich fruit loaf made with tea), Welsh Cakes (sometimes known as Drop Scones, they are fruit scones which are cooked on a griddle, rather than in an oven) and of course, Welsh Rarebit (cheese on toast with added oomph)
Ready in 10 mins – Makes 1 round
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- A small knob of butter
- 50g of leeks, washed and chopped
- 50g of mature cheddar cheese, grated
- A pinch of mustard powder
- 15mls of stout or double cream
- One round of bread, lightly toasted
Method:
- Put the oil and butter in a pan over a medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the leeks and cook until soft. – Pic 1
- Add the cheese, mustard powder and stout or cream and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has melted and the whole mixture is bubbling away nicely. – Pic 2 & 3
- Place the toast on a baking tray or sheet of kitchen foil to catch any spills and pour the mixture onto one side of the toast. – Pic 4
- Cook under a hot grill until golden brown. – Pic 5
- Serve hot.
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
Cheesy Leek and Potato Pot Pie
Pic 2 
Pic 3
Pesky Recipes 
4 thoughts on “Very Welsh Rarebit”