cawl mamgu (granny's broth)

Cawl is the national dish of Wales. Cawl is basically a stew and made from bacon, Welsh lamb or beef, potatoes, leeks though Welsh recipes for Cawl vary from region to region and sometimes even season to season.

Cawl can be eaten in one bowl, though traditionally the broth will be served first followed by the meat and vegetables.

Ingredients.
900g Lamb, today we're using rolled neck of Lamb
1 tbsp vegetable oil, or dripping
1 Bay leaf
6 peppercorns
2.5 litres water
5 Potatoes, diced
7 Carrots, cut into 1.5 cm rounds
1/2 Swede, diced
5 Parsnips, cut into 1.5 cm rounds
3 large Leeks, cut into 1.5 cm rounds (include as much of the dark green leaf as possible)
2 handfuls of flat leaf Parsley, chopped

To serve.
crusty bread
Caerphilly cheese

Prep time: 30mins
Cooking time: 2hrs 30mins
Serves: 4-6

Method.
1. Heat the oil or dripping in a large casserole dish and fry the lamb on all sides to seal. Continue to cook for 10 minutes, and then add the water, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to the boil; place a lid on the casserole and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

2. Skim the surface; remove the bay leaf , peppercorn and any obvious bits of fat or gristle from the meat. Add the potatoes, carrots, swede and parsnips and cook for a further 35 minutes.

3. Add the leeks and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, season to taste and serve immediately with crusty bread and Caerphilly cheese.

Enjoy.