Cuisine of Ceredigion

The coast of Ceredigion is made up of a long coastal plain that contains high cliffs, coves, large bays and estuaries.

[12] Historically, this dish is considered to be an interesting recipe because it reflects the simplicity of the traditional Welsh kitchen prior to the introduction of the frying pan.

[16] Monkfish is commonly caught in Cardigan Bay and Colin Pressdee comments that this fish is particularly suitable for kebabs due to the solid texture of the flesh, which is not grainy or flaky.

He comments that the large tail can also be roasted French-style, like a leg of lamb and explains that this gives it the French name of 'gigot de mer'.

[Welsh Calendar Cookbook, P 12] Shellfish gathered from the shore once formed an important source of food for Ceredigion families.

One traditional dish included scrambled eggs to which limpets (llygaid meheryn) and common periwinkles (gwichiaid) were added, these were then fried in bacon fat.

[18] S. Minwel Tibbott, in her book 'Welsh Fare', has a recipe for Limpet Pie (tarten lygaid), which is a traditional dish from Aberporth.

However, by the 1980s, the lobster stock of Cardigan Bay had become seriously depleted and this led to the Development Board for Rural Wales commencing a restocking programme.

Aberaeron also hosts an annual Mackerel festival, in late August and early September, in order to celebrate the traditional importance of this fish to the economy of the town.

Freeman notes that Welsh eighteenth century recipes tend to use a large quantity of butter, which reflects the fashion in most country house cooking of this period.

For this reason Pressdee notes that gravid fish, which tend to be darker and thinner, should be avoided and left in the river to spawn.

Along estuaries and salt marshes, such as the Dyfi Estuary Mudflats, wild spearmint, samphire and sea beet give the meat a rich flavour, with saline nuances while lamb from upland areas, like Cader Idris, feed off mauve flowering heather (calluna) in summer which gives the meat a more aromatic flavour.

Pigs have been an important part of the Ceredigion diet since Medieval times and are recorded in the Laws of Hywel Dda.

Each farmhouse would traditionally cure its own bacon and the crackling from the belly, if cooked until crisp, was considered to be the most succulent part of a joint.

[45] Sheila Barry recounts the keeping of pigs on Penrallt Farm, Llangranog shortly after World War II.

The fat from the pig would be rendered into lard which was clarified and stored in large, glazed earthenware jars for use in pastry and for roasting.

Although no longer popular, the antiquarian Thomas Pennant writes that in Wales 'hung venison' was a source of cheap and plentiful food during the winter months.

[51][52] Cefngwyn Hall, south of Aberystwyth offers semi-wild duck shooting with 25 pools in 400 acres[53] Pheasant is commercially reared and then released into the wild where it spends one or two seasons feeding on grain, berries, worms, grubs and roots.

This diet can lead to the flesh acquiring a deep mellow flavour which is improved if it is hung for several days in a cool, airy place.

At one time they were the only member of the onion family that grew throughout Wales and thus merited a mention in the Laws of Hywel Dda, together with the cabbage.

One woman would oversee the making of the cawl in a large cauldron, while each family would contribute its portion of the ingredients - either a piece of beef or fresh garden vegetables.

[69] Gilli Davies notes that, in Wales, the system of transhumance meant that cheese production remained a farmhouse activity for longer than elsewhere in Britain.

In addition, they make cheeses from cows milk, including a variety called Monks of Strata Florida, named after a famous local monastery.

The cheese moulds are filled with curd and wrapped individually by hand and stored for 8–10 months to enhance the flavour to give a traditional taste.

Rachel's grandmother was a dairy instructor at UCW, Aberystwyth, and was responsible for developing organic methods using scientific principles.

[83] An old Ceredigion recipe is Christmas Cake, or Teisen Ddu Nadolig, which typically includes some home brewed ale.

The reason for this is that town houses were fitted with iron ovens attached to kitchen ranges which were not regarded as 'good bakers of bread'.

[90] In 2012 the Ceredigion Federation of Women’s Institutes published a book of recipes called “Cardi Cuisine” to celebrate their 90th anniversary and the hosting of the WI Wales Conference at Aberystwyth.

This means that, in addition to traditional Welsh staples, such as butter and bacon, new foods such as pulses, beans and soya milk have supplemented the diet.

In addition, there has been a move away from artificially fertilized farm land to organic pasture, together with a growth in horticulture and an increase in the production of high-quality produce.