Cawl

Published on 6 January 2025 by Andrew Owen (2 minutes)

The Encyclopedia of Wales has this to say about cawl:

“A broth regularly served in the winter months in the south-west. Salted bacon or beef was boiled with potatoes, swedes, carrots and other seasonal vegetables, cut into medium-sized pieces then thickened with oatmeal or plain flour. The broth itself (without the meat or vegetables) was served as a first course; the vegetables and slices of boiled meat would then be served as a second course. Catwg Ddoeth (Catwg the Wise), an ‘authority’ fabricated by Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams), noted of cawl, in his collection of proverbs: ‘It is as good to drink the broth as to eat the meat.’ Cawl, served as a single course, remains a popular dish, as does its equivalent, lobgows, in the north. The meat and vegetables in lobgows were cut into smaller pieces and the stock as not thickend.”

In modern times, lamb neck has replaced salt beef. And personally, I’ve never been a fan of swedes, so I substitute parsnips. But if you hate parsnips, the opposite substitution also works.

• 1 kg neck of lamb (on the bone, Welsh if you can get it)
• 225 g onions (roughly chopped)
• 225 g potatoes (peeled and roughly chopped)
• 225 g carrots (peeled and roughly chopped)
• 225 g swede (or substitute parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped)
• 225 g leeks (trimmed and sliced into 1 cm slices)
• 1 small bunch of fresh parsley 
• 2 liters lamb stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

The meat should be cooked on the bone in a pan of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Leave to cool, then skim the fat from the surface. Cut the meat into serving pieces and return to the stock. Add the vegetables, salt and pepper and simmer until cooked. Put the leeks in last, as they require less time to cook. Add the parsley just before serving.