Our friends at the Bear Hotel in Crickhowell have provided this month’s truly Welsh recipe! This makes a big pot for friends and family to enjoy – ideal washed down with a delicious Welsh ale…blasus!
Ingredients
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 onion
- 1 kg lamb neck fillet or shoulder cut into 5cm chunks
- 1 kg swede
- 2 carrots
- 3 Maris Piper potatoes
- 2 parsnips
- 3 large leeks
Place 2 litres of water or preferably lamb stock and 2 teaspoons of salt into a large pan. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil.- Peel and add the whole onion and the lamb. Bring to the boil, Use a spoon to skim away the scum from the surface. Simmer for a further 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the meat from the pan and leave to cool.
- Peel and cut the swede into 1cm chunks. Add to the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the swede is tender.
- Peel the carrots and slice at a slight angle into 1cm chunks, then add to the pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes with the lid on, or until tender. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into quarters so they’re all roughly the same size. Once the carrot has softened, add the potatoes to the pan and repeat the process until tender.
- Peel the parsnips, discard the outer leaves from the leeks, then cut into 1cm slices. Add the parsnips and most of the leeks to the pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until tender. Taste and season, then add the raw leeks. Cover and allow to cool then pop in the fridge to chill overnight to allow the flavours to mature.
- To serve, gently simmer the cawl until warm. Ladle into serving bowls, then serve with lots of black pepper, parsley and a wedge of mature Caerphilly cheese and a slice of bread and butter.
Adam Littlewort , The Bear Hotel