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29/10/2025 · 10:22 am

Welsh Sheep & Cattle with Carwyn Graves

My guest on The British Food History Podcast today is food historian Carwyn Graves, a specialist in the foodways and traditions of Wales, and we are talking about Welsh Sheep and Cattle – and their products.

Carwyn has written a wonderful book called Welsh Food Stories, published in 2022 by Calon, which explores more than two thousand years of history to discover the rich but forgotten heritage of Welsh foods – from oysters to cider, salted butter to salt-marsh lamb. Despite centuries of industry, ancient traditions have survived in pockets across the country among farmers, bakers, fisherfolk, brewers and growers who are taking Welsh food back to its roots, and trailblazing truly sustainable foods as they do so.

We talk about the importance of sheep and cattle in Wales’s physical and cultural landscape, salt marsh lamb, cawl, colostrum puddings, the Welsh and their love of roasted cheese and sheep fancying Cistercian monks – amongst many other things.

Listen via your favourite podcast app, or stream here via this embed:

Special Postbag Edition #7 – The British Food History Podcast

It’s time for the now traditional end-of-season postbag episode of The British Food History Podcast, where I (attempt to) answer your questions, read out your comments and mull over your queries. Several photos and illustrations are mentioned in this episode: to see them, visit the accompanying blog post on British Food: A History: http://www.britishfoodhistory.com I’ll be disappearing for a few months, unless of course, you are a monthly subscriber, where there will be a bonus episode coming up for you to listen to via the secret podcast.Season 10 of the podcast is sponsored by Netherton Foundry, makers of high-quality kitchen and outdoor cookware. Netherton Foundry ships to several countries outside of the UK, including the USA and Canada. Visit http://www.netherton-foundry.co.uk to find out more about their wonderful products – approved not just by me but by folk such as Tom Parker-Bowles, Diana Henry and Nigella Lawson.If you can, support the podcast and blogs by becoming a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, including bonus blog posts and recipes, access to the easter eggs and the secret podcast, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here. Things mentioned in today’s episodeLudlow Food Festival 2026Serve it Forth mailing listServe it Forth Eventbrite pageBrecon Agricultural ShowMamgu Welsh cakesEnglish Food by Jane GrigsonCafé ErolIvor Cutler’s Life in a Scotch Sitting Room Vol.2 ep.6Ivor’s obituaryThe Feasts of Autolycus, by Elizabeth Robins PennellComfortably Hungry: Bleeding Cows & Black PuddingsThe Great Cream Tea Debate on my YouTube channelThe English Housewife by Gervase MarkhamDelia Smith's famous rallying cryPrevious pertinent blog postsTo Make Welsh Cakes (Pice ar y maen)Singin’ HinniesBlood ice creamScones: A brief historyFour Scone RecipesCornish SplitsPease BreadSyllabubsPrevious pertinent podcast episodesGriddle & Bakestone Cookery with Peter Gilchrist & Ross ClarkeEating Out in Georgian London with Peter RossRetro Foods with Briony May Williams Hogmanay & Hamely Kitchen with Paula McIntyreBritish Fish & Seafood with CJ JacksonThe History of Food Waste & Preservation with Eleanor BarnettBlack & White Pudding with Matthew Cockin & Grant HarperA History of Baking with Sam Bilton & Neil ButterySpices with Ian AndersonHistorical Cookery with Jay Reifel50 years of ‘English Food’ by Jane Grigson with Sam Bilton, Ivan Day, Annie Gray & Jill NormanBreakfast with Felicity CloakeSpecial Postbag Edition #618th Century Dining with Ivan DayEel Special 1: Elvers with ‘Elver’ DaveMedieval Meals & Manners with Danielle CybulskieShakespearean Food & Drink with Sam BiltonLent episode 1: Preparing for LentC is for Caudle, Cider & Cappuccino Neil’s blogs and YouTube channel:‘British Food: a History’ The British Food History Channel‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ Neil’s books:Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential HousekeeperA Dark History of Sugar…

Those listening to the secret podcast can hear 15 minutes of extra material including flummery, mutton, laverbread sauce, the traditional skills in the collective cultural memory of the Welsh, the etymology of rarebit/rabbit plus more!

Welsh Food Stories by Carwyn Graves

Carwyn’s website

Follow Carwyn on Instagram @carwyngraves

Remember: Fruit Pig are sponsoring the 9^th season of the podcast, and Grant and Matthew are very kindly giving listeners to the podcast a unique special offer 10% off your order until the end of October 2025 – use the offer code Foodhis in the checkout at their online shop, www.fruitpig.co.uk.

If you can, support the podcast and blogs by becoming a £3 monthly subscriber, and unlock lots of premium content, including bonus blog posts and recipes, access to the easter eggs and the secret podcast, or treat me to a one-off virtual pint or coffee: click here.

This episode was mixed and engineered by Thomas Ntinas of the Delicious Legacy podcast.

Things mentioned in today’s episode

The Art of Cookery Made Plain & Easy by Hannah Glasse

The First Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge Made by Andrew Boorde

Wikipedia page of Welsh sheep breeds

Rare Breeds Survival Trust page on Welsh cattle breeds

Previous pertinent blog posts

Colostrum (Beestings) post with pudding recipe

Welsh Rarebit (and Locket’s Savoury)

#98 Cawl

#155 Welsh Rabbit

#183 Scotch Rabbit (1747)

#230 English Rabbit (1747)

Previous pertinent podcast episodes

A Regional Food Tour with Jenny Linford

Neil’s other blog and YouTube channel

The British Food History Channel

‘Neil Cooks Grigson’

Neil’s books

Before Mrs Beeton: Elizabeth Raffald, England’s Most Influential Housekeeper

A Dark History of Sugar

Knead to Know: a History of Baking

The Philosophy of Puddings

Don’t forget, there will be postbag episodes in the future, so if you have any questions or queries about today’s episode, or indeed any episode, or have a question about the history of British food please email me at neil@britishfoodhistory.com, or on twitter and BlueSky @neilbuttery, or Instagram and Threads dr_neil_buttery. My DMs are open.

You can also join the British Food: a History Facebook discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishfoodhistory

Lent podcast episode 7: Figs & Lambs (ending Lent)

In the final episode of the series we look at how the last Sunday of Lent was marked in the past, focussing on Fig Sunday and Palm Sunday.

Neil cooks up some historical pax cakes to give out to shoppers and traders at Levenshulme Market so see how then would go down today.

With Easter Sunday on his mind, Neil gets hold of some very special meat from a Hebridean sheep farm and has a chat with farmer Helen Arthan about what it’s like working with such characterful little sheep. On his return to Manchester, he cooks up some roast hogget for two friends of the show.

If you like the blogs and podcast I produce, please consider treating me to a virtual coffee or pint, or even a £3 monthly subscription: follow this link for more information.

Links and extra bits:

The story of Holy Week: https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/holy-week-and-easter/holy-week

Recipe for pax cakes:

200g icing sugar, plus extra

30 g cornflour, plus extra

1 tsp orange flower water

Zest half a lemon

1 medium egg white

Preheat your oven to 160°C.
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk slowly to combine, then use an electric mixer to beat the mixture very smooth.
Dust your worktop with icing sugar and cornflour and roll the mixture out to a thickness of around 3 mm.
Cut into rectangles and prick with a fork, then arrange on a baking tray that has been lined with greaseproof paper and dusted with a little cornflour.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly golden brown.
Cool on a rack.

Levenshulme Market website: https://www.levymarket.com/

Hebridean Sheep Society website: https://www.hebrideansheep.org.uk/

‘Neil Cooks Grigson’ blog: https://neilcooksgrigson.com/

Rectangular livestock paintings: https://artuk.org/discover/stories/the-rectangular-cows-of-art-uk

Roast hogget/lamb, recipe number 438: https://neilcooksgrigson.com/2020/04/04/438-plain-roast-primitive-lamb-with-gravy/

‘English Food’ by Jane Grigson: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/242/24292/english-food/9780140273243.html

Other primitive/ancient sheep breeds of the UK: https://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/livestock/sheep/british-rare-and-traditional-sheep-breeds/

Written and presented by Dr Neil Buttery
Produced by Beena Khetani

Made in Manchester by Sonder Radio