Welsh Lamb Cawl

Welsh Lamb Cawl

Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 8

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This simple traditional Welsh lamb cawl or soup is a real winter warmer with chunky vegetables and tender lamb. Serve with crusty fresh bread and some cheese for a really hearty family meal.

Celebrating Heritage British Food & Cooking

The nights are drawing in and temperatures are cooling so our thoughts turn to those hearty filling meals for autumn and winter.

Make Your Cawl The Day Before

Look no further, this really easy but ever so tasty recipe using neck of lamb fits the bill beautifully. It is slightly unusual in that a traditional Welsh cawl is made the day before eating to get the most flavour out of its simple ingredients.

There are some other recipes on the web which have all sorts of extra vegetables, seasonings, sometimes bacon, and may use a chicken or similar stock but those are not a traditional Welsh lamb cawl. Historically this was a simple farmhouse meal for Welsh hill farmers using root vegetables and parts of the lamb not going to market.

Neck of Lamb

A lamb cawl is made using a cheaper cut of meat suitable for long slow cooking, mostly the neck which if you can’t find it at the local supermarket you can always ask your local butcher.

Welsh vs New Zealand Lamb

Just because it’s a Welsh dish doesn’t mean you have to use Welsh lamb. In the UK the bulk of our lamb is imported from New Zealand so I try to buy my lamb from a local butcher who stocks meat from closer to home to keep the air miles down.

Locally produced lamb is obviously seasonal in whichever country the animals are raised so sometimes we have to buy imported meat. I may be a meat snob but I do like to get the best meat I can afford. I have to say Welsh lamb tastes better than New Zealand. It hasn’t been frozen or deep chilled for a couple of months during its 10,000-mile journey and is leaner without any loss of flavour despite having less fat.

It’s Welsh, It Must Have Leeks

Yes, I know it’s a stereotype but there is a historical precedent of the Welsh association with leeks. So true to form the recipe contains leeks. It wouldn’t be a traditional cawl without them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Crusty bread, the perfect side dish

Any recipe that is served in a bowl is just crying out for some crusty fresh bread to mop up all those lovely juices. From a simple bowl of soup to stews and casseroles get out the cutting board and slice the perfect accompaniment.

We have the Romans to thank for the tradition of wiping the bowl clean with bread which has survived as fare la scarpetta in Italian cuisine.

It’s definitely one of the best bits of a meal, that and licking the bowl clean.

Other Recipes You Maybe Interested in …..

• Welsh Rarebit with Parma Ham
• Fishy Welsh Rarebit
• Hearty Winter Lamb Casserole with Dumplings
• Chip Butty
• Cumberland Sausage Casserole

Here’s the Recipe …

Welsh Lamb Cawl

Adapted from a recipe by Jamie Oliver

Simple traditional Welsh lamb cawl or soup with chunky vegetables and tender lamb

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Overnight Chill 1 day d

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Welsh

Servings 8

Calories 508 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 onion
• 1 kg lamb neck bone in, cut into 5cm chunks (ask your butcher)
• 1 kg swede
• 2 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 500 g Maris Piper potatoes
• 3 large leeks

To Serve:

• mature Caerphilly cheese

Instructions

 

• Pour 2 litres of water into a large pan with 2 teaspoons of sea salt, then bring to the boil over a high heat. Peel and add the whole onion, along with the lamb.
• Bring back to the boil, skimming away any scum from the surface. Simmer on a medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked through.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the lamb to a plate and leave until cool enough to handle.
• While it’s cooling, peel the swede, chop into 1cm chunks, and add to the pan to get a headstart. Peel the carrots and parsnips, slice at a slight angle 1cm thick, and drop them into the pan. Now peel the potatoes and cut into 4cm chunks.
• Strip all the lamb meat from the bone, and return the meat to the pan with the potatoes. Bring back to the boil, then simmer it all for 15 to 20 minutes, or until almost tender, while you wash the leeks and cut them into 1cm-thick slices.
• Now you can eat this straight away if you want to – simply stir the leeks into the pan, bring to the boil again, then simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, or until tender. Taste and season to perfection.
• For even tastier results, let it chill overnight. In which case, simply stir in the raw leeks, cover, and pop into the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to serve, gently simmer the cawl until warm through, then season.
• Either way, ladle into serving bowls and serve with lots of black pepper, a wedge of mature Caerphilly cheese and a slice of good bread and butter for dunking.

Notes

You don’t have to serve cheese with the cawl but it goes down surprisingly well. Try Caerphilly cheese if you can find some or alternatively a cheddar.

You may also like one of my other recipes …

1

Marinated and Baked Lamb Chops

Lamb chops marinated in garlic, herbs and lemon.

Check out this recipe

2

Spanish Style Slow Roast Lamb and Beans

Slow-cooked tender and succulent lamb with butter beans and roasted red peppers.

Check out this recipe

Grandads Cookbook may reference or include sections of text and images reproduced courtesy of:

• jamieoliver.com
• en.wikipedia.org