Welsh Lamb Cawl

Welsh Lamb Cawl

Cawl or broth is usually associated with winter but many years ago when I left school I worked for a while on a Welsh hill farm.  It was shearing time, it was a hot day and we had been hard at work since seven in the morning shearing and lunchtime approached. I was famished and we all piled into the farmhouse kitchen for lunch.  Bowls were laid out ready on the table with freshly baked bread with a couple of packs of cigarettes in the middle of the table to be enjoyed afterwards (don't forget this was quite a few years ago).  Steaming lamb cawl was served and boy did it go down well, once finished we were ready to shear a few hundred more sheep.

Cawl has over the last few years become an iconic Welsh dish with lamb and leek being one of the main ingredients but traditionally, depending on the region you lived in Wales beef, pork or bacon could have been used.  As a side dish Cawl can be accompanied by fresh crusty bread and a piece of white Caerphilly cheese.

A few years ago I use to run a small business making traditional prepared meals and Cawl was one of my best sellers.  Even though many people believe this type of dish to be fatty and full of calories, if done properly this does not have to be the case.  The meals I made had less than 300 calories per 400g portion.

The original Cawl would have been done with cheaper cuts such as lamb’s neck, but in this recipe I have used diced shoulder of lamb with some small twists to bring it up to date with today’s tastes.

Serves 6

Diced lamb   500g

Diced Potatoes 500g

Diced carrots  250g

Chopped onions 250g

Chopped Leeks 250g
Flour 100g

Sherry vinegar  1 teaspoons

Red current Jelly 2 teaspoons

Worcester Sauce  2 teaspoons

Thyme             1 teaspoons

Pepper             ¼ teaspoon

2 cubes of Lamb Stock

On a medium heat on the hob add the onions and leeks to a casserole dish and gentle fry till soft. Toss the lamb in the flour and add to the dish and stir a few times. Add the remaining vegetables and top up with water until just covering all the ingredients.  Add the remaining ingredients and place the casserole dish in a pre heated oven 160°C and cook for about 3 hours.  The lamb should fall apart when tested.

For the best result leave to cool and eat the next day, by then the juices of the meat and vegetables have had time to marinate properly. You can then reheat quickly on the hob but make sure you keep stirring the cawl otherwise it might catch on the bottom.  If you can't wait till the next day serve immediately into a bowl and have plenty of fresh crusty bread ready for dunk.  This dish is excellent at freezing and is a handy meal to have if in a rush.