Saint David`s Day, 1st March Saint David's Day or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. The feast has been regularly celebrated since the canonisation of David in the 12th century, by Pope Callixtus II, although it is not a public holiday in the UK, with some unofficially celebrating the day. Traditional festivities include wearing daffodils and leeks, recognised symbols of Wales. An increasing number of cities and towns across Wales including Cardiff, Swansea and Aberystwyth also put on parades throughout the day. Children in Wales take part in school concerts or eisteddfodau, with recitation and singing being the main activities. Formerly, schoolchildren were given a half-day holiday. Officially this custom does not continue, although the practice can vary between schools. The younger girls sometimes wear traditional Welsh costumes to school. This costume consists of a long woollen skirt, apron, white blouse, woollen shawl and a Welsh hat. Also, various Welsh Regiments of the British Army use aspects of Saint David's cross, Saint David himself, or songs of Saint David in their formalities during the celebrations. Many Welsh people wear one or both of the National symbols of Wales to celebrate St. David: the daffodil (a generic Welsh symbol) or the leek (Saint David's personal symbol) on this day. The leek arises from an occasion when a troop of Welsh were able to distinguish each other from a troop of English enemy (some historical accounts indicate Saxon invading forces), dressed in similar fashion, by wearing leeks. The flag of Saint David often plays a central role in the celebrations and can be seen flying throughout Wales. Popular dishes traditionally eaten on Saint David's Day include cawl (soup), bara brith tea loaf, Welsh Cakes, Welsh lamb and Welsh rarebit. Bara Brith Tea Loaf A traditional Welsh tea bread loaf with mixed spice - serve sliced and spread with butter Preparation Time:15 mins; Cooking Time:1 hr and 25 mins, Plus overnight soaking Cuts into 10 slices Ingredients 300g mixed fruit 200g light muscovado sugar zest 1 orange 250ml hot black tea 350g self-raising flour 2 tsp mixed spice 1 large egg, beaten 50g soft butter, plus extra for greasing and to serve (optional) Method Tip the fruit into a bowl with the sugar and orange zest. Pour over the tea, stir everything together and leave to soak overnight. Heat oven to 160C(140C fan)gas 3. Grease and line the base and short sides of a 900g/loaf tin with 1 strip of baking parchment. Tip the flour and spice into a bowl, and beat in the fruit and soaking liquid. Add the egg, followed by the butter. Beat until you have a well-combined, stiff batter, then tip into the prepared loaf tin. Bake for 1¼ hrs, covering with foil or parchment if the top starts to get too dark. Check with a skewer – if it doesn’t come out clean, give it another 5-10 mins in the oven. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove and leave to cool completely. Serve sliced and buttered, if you like. Welsh Rarebit Indulge in a slice of bubbling, golden-brown, cheesy Welsh rarebit for a satisfying lunch. Serve piping hot from the grill with plenty of chopped chives Preparation Time:10 mins. Cooking Time:20 min Serves 2 Ingredients 120ml brown ale 25g unsalted butter 25g plain flour 140g mature cheddar, coarsely grated 1 heaped tsp English mustard powder 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp chopped chives 2 large slices sourdough bread Method In a small saucepan gently warm the ale, set aside. Take another small saucepan and over a medium heat melt the butter until it begins to foam, tip in the flour and stir everything together, cooking for 1 min. Whisk in the warm ale in several additions to create a thick sauce then whisk through the cheese to create a thick paste. Stir the mustard, Worcestershire and chives through the sauce. Heat a grill to its highest setting. Place the slices of bread on a flat baking sheet and grill on one side until golden brown. Flip the bread over and spread each one with the cheese mixture. Place back under the grill and cook for a further 1-2 mins or until golden brown and bubbling, serve immediately.
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AuthorMy name is Jack, I live in at the back of Greta Garbo`s home for wayward boys and girls Categories
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