Latest news with #WelshRarebit
North Wales Live
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
North Wales TV chef aims to be big Down Under after recipes go viral
A larger than life Cofi chef is aiming to be big Down Under after his recipes went viral. BAFTA Cymru winner and fire-chef Chris 'Flamebaster' Roberts' BBC Wales series, Chris Cooks Cymru, which was shown earlier this year, has been sold to broadcasters in Australia and Georgia. In the meantime, Chris, from Caernarfon, has gone viral on social media, with his recipes for Welsh Rarebit and Conwy mussels getting more 5.5 million hits. The six-part series sees Chris travel across the country, tasting what each region has to offer and cooking up tasty meals in different locations using a variety of cookery methods but specialising in the use of fiery charcoal. Chris said: "It's amazing the reaction we've had to the series in which I've travelled to places in Wales I've never visited before and finding out about local traditions and foods and meeting some fantastic people. 'It's really next level stuff and the series being sold to SBS in Australia and the Georgian channel is the icing on the cake." Made by Caernarfon-based production company Cwmni Da a second series of Chris Cooks Cymru has already been commissioned. Planning is underway for the filming over the summer with the series due to be aired on BBC Wales early next year. "I've been blown away by the response from people watching the series. The engagement from the viewing public has been awesome. 'I'm really chuffed that the series has gone down so well with viewers. It's cool to see my cooking getting such a great reaction." News of the series being shown across the UK and farther afield comes at a busy time for Chris. "I'm preparing for the second series which we'll film in the summer after a trip to Japan for a series that will be shown on S4C in the run-up to Christmas," he said. Japan, added Chris, has been one of his "bucket-list" destinations for a long time. "I've never been there before but I've been wanting to visit for as long as I can remember. The food there is fantastic and they're well known for their fish cookery but they're just as well-known for their cooking with fire and the Wagyu beef is out of this world. "I'm looking forward to visiting, finding out more about their country and their traditions, eating sushi and yakitori and other regional speciality dishes. It's going to be an epic trip." According to Chris, the trip will be done in two stages with one block of filming taking place in May and a second block in the autumn. "We're trying to cover the country for as long as possible. It's said that Japan has 72 seasons in a year so there's a lot to see and a lot of food to eat," he said. Cwmni Da producer Aneurin Thomas, who has worked with Chris for several years, said: "We started off quite simply making short films for the Hansh strand on S4C, featuring everything from cooking stunning steaks over fire to showcasing incredible local seafood. 'Hansh is a platform for young people in Wales to express themselves, and even back then, Chris' energy and talent were unmistakable. 'Since then, we've travelled together filming in Wales, New York, Scandinavia and Spain. It's a real pleasure working with him - he's not only a brilliant chef, but a great friend. 'What you see on screen is exactly what you get: a down to earth guy with a genuine passion for food and people." Chris said: "I just love what I'm doing but it's more than just me. I'm celebrating the butchers, fishmongers, growers, producers, and farmers of Wales — they're my superheroes! I want to shine a light on the incredible work they do behind our phenomenal produce." And on top of all this activity Chris found out that one of his other S4C shows, Siwrna Scandi Chris (Chris's Scandi Journey), has been shortlisted for an award in the Factual Entertainment category at the Celtic Media Festival which will be held in Newquay, Cornwall in early June. In the series Chris embarked on an epic foodie adventure through Scandinavia as well as an emotional reunion with his Scandinavian relatives in Norway. "Sadly I won't be able to attend the festival but it's a great event. We've been nominated many times and had the huge honour of winning at last year's festival in Cardiff," said Chris. The first Chris Cooks Cymru series can be streamed on BBC iPlayer until the autumn of 2025. Siwrna Scandi Chris and Chris' programmes about his visit to Spain last year can be streamed on S4C/Clic. Here is a recipe for Welsh Rarebit – 'Chris Cooks Cymru' Caerffili Style (good for 4 fully loaded rarebit slabs) Ingredients: 2 tbsp plain flour 100g butter 1 can of Welsh stout (or Guinness) Big fat slices of farmhouse white loaf A long splash of Worcestershire sauce A pinch of sea salt Welsh mustard (amount depends on how fiery you like it!) 500g Gorwydd Caerphilly cheese 'Rarebit' is one of our national dishes and I'm really proud of it! It's quite a simple dish, but it's really worth getting the basics right!! Many think it's merely cheese on toast, but Welsh Rarebit is soooo much more! It's a gorgeous gooey oozy mix of cheese, mustard and Welsh stout - one of my ultimate comfort foods. Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat - it's essential you cook out the flour for a couple of minutes 'til it smells toasty - if you don't cook out the flour it'll be grainy and there is nothing on earth more tragic than a grainy rarebit… For a fiery Welsh kick, in with a good dollop of Welsh mustard (it's similar to English mustard - just better ha ha!) make it rain Worcestershire sauce on it and slowly add half a can of your stout (the other half is for the chef to drink as the mixture combines together) then in with the crumbly Caerphilly cheese. Gorwydd Caerphilly is my fave. Melt the cheese with love and care. Keep stirring until everything melts into a glorious, luscious, silky smooth mix. Leave to cool to room temp before adding it on the toast, or keep in the fridge 'til later. (Pro tip: Always make extra - it'll keep for a week or so and is ready to rock whenever the rarebit craving strikes!) I always fully load my rarebit to the max on a toasted thick slab of white bread. Think single bed covered by a super king duvet - it's all about that rarebit hug! Pop it under a hot grill or pizza oven - and take it to the limit, until it's bubble-dancing golden and covered in charred leopard spots.
Daily Maverick
14-07-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
Lekker Brekker Monday: Welsh Rarebit
The Welsh Rarebit we make today probably has little in common with the original dish, first called Welsh Rabbit, that was conceived in the first half of the 18th century among Wales' peasantry. Even some of its components are undeniably English. Welsh Rarebit actually was once called Welsh Rabbit. If you follow the lore of the dish you will find that once upon a time, in the early 18th century, Welsh peasants were supposedly somewhat peeved that they could not afford to eat the rabbits that their masters and mistresses enjoyed at their groaning dinner tables. So they made do with what they had, and made a nice cheesy sauce with a good dose of flavour, and called it their own kind of Welsh Rabbit. Maybe it's apocryphal but it's a good story and there aren't many 18th century Welshmen around to contradict me. The origins of the term 'Welsh Rabbit' have been traced to 1725 and the same dish, but called 'Welsh rarebit', only appears in 1785, with observing that there is no known use of the word 'rarebit' outside of this dish, then or now. It is generally described as toasted bread with a cheese sauce on top flavoured with stout or strong ale, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, having been made with a roux base, and finished in the oven. Given that Lea & Perrins launched their Worcestershire sauce to the British general public in 1835, that could not have been an original ingredient as early as 1725, or even in 1785, but all recipes evolve over time. Certainly today you will be hard-pressed to find a recipe without it. And Worcester, of course, is in England, not Wales, so there's a whole story right there with the potential for war and bloodshed or at least scathing anti-Welsh barbs being countered by anti-English jokes from the other side. As for the kind of beer that goes in it, it would seem wise to use a Welsh ale of some kind or other, but many recipes call for stout, and some specifically for Guinness, which of course is Irish. The cheese? Well now, many recipes today call for Cheddar, and Cheddar is a little village in Somerset, which of course is in England, so… oh and almost every recipe today calls for Colmans Hot English mustard. Seeing as Welsh Rarebit hasn't yet ignited a tribal war between Wales, England and Ireland, perhaps we could see it as a great unifier and celebrate the modern day hybrid that it has become. Here's my take on how to make it, but the recipes do vary very much, with some including Cayenne pepper, others leaving out the beer and using milk or white wine, and yet others not even using a roux (flour and butter) base at all, but starting instead with simply melting cheese in a pan with wine, then adding the other ingredients. But let's go with the broad consensus that it should have beer, Worcestershire sauce, hot mustard and of course a good mature cheese. (Serves 2 or 4) Ingredients 4 slices firm bread, cut thickly 50 g butter 3 Tbsp flour ½ cup/ 125 ml strong beer or stout (I used Guinness) 1 tsp mustard powder or Colman's Hot English prepared mustard 1 tsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce 1 egg yolk, beaten 300 g mature cheese such as Cheddar, grated Salt and pepper to taste Method Preheat the oven to 220℃ and place a flat, heavy cast-iron pan in it to get hot. When it's hot, put slices of bread in it and return to the oven for the underside to toast. Don't use a soft, commercial sliced loaf. You need something more hardy and substantial. I used The Foodie's Wife's Herbed Buttermilk Bread. Melt the butter in a pan and, once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the flour until combined thoroughly. Return to a low heat and add the beer a little at a time while stirring, until well combined. Add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Take it off the heat for five minutes, then quickly whisk in the beaten egg. Return to the heat and stir in the cheese a little at a time, stirring until melted and combined, and season to taste with salt and a little pepper. Once the cheese is all incorporated, remove the pan from the oven and spoon the mixture on top of the slices, smoothing it so that it reaches all the edges. Some of the sauce dripping over the edges is a good thing. Return to the oven until it becomes bubbly and starts to brown a little.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Did Welsh rarebit start as a joke by the English?
University lecturer, dietician, cook and food writer Beca Lyne-Pirkis said she first learned to make Welsh rarebit with her grandparents so it brings back "nostalgic memories". The 43-year-old, from Cardiff, said it was a great first dish to learn as it's "more complicated than cheese on toast" but not too difficult. Ms Lyne-Pirkis said she has two versions - a rich, roux-based recipe with cheddar, beer, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and a quicker one mixing egg, cheese, and seasoning to spread on toast. The dish stayed with her through her university years and is now a favourite with her children. "I fell in love with the flavour," she said. "When I eat it I get the nostalgic childhood feeling as I have so many fond memories of eating it. That's where my love of food came from." Whatever the roots, Ms Lyne-Pirkis said rarebit was now a timeless, adaptable national dish rooted in family stories and experimentation. "Every recipe has its own story, which helps keep the recipe alive."
BBC News
06-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Did Welsh Rarebit start out as a joke by the English?
It's a beloved national dish of Wales and is found on restaurant menus across the country, but did Welsh rarebit actually start life as a joke played by the English?Toasted bread smothered in a rich, cheesy sauce - what's not to love? But the origin stories of this nostalgic comfort food are as varied as the recipes you can use to make credit poor farmers using a clever substitute for meat while others think English pubs coined the name as a joke, mocking the Welsh for not affording real which of these cheesy tales cuts the mustard? Welsh food historian and author Carwyn Graves said rarebit was "clearly associated with cultural and ethnic Welshness", with cheese being a vital part of European diets for a long time, especially in regions like Wales, where the dairy industry the Middle Ages, before refrigeration, cheese and butter were essential for preserving milk from the spring and summer for use during the colder was also a vital source of protein for poorer communities, particularly in areas like Wales and the Alps, where meat was scarce. In Wales, melted or roasted cheese became popular across all social classes, eventually evolving into Welsh 1536 Act of Union, incorporating Wales into England, saw Welsh migrants bringing melted cheese dishes to English Graves said the English saw it as an ethnic curiosity, even joking about 16th Century tale sees Saint Peter trick Welshmen with the call caws bobi - Welsh for roasted cheese - which he said reflected the dish's cultural ties to name Welsh rarebit appeared much later, with early English cookbooks, such as Hannah Glasse's in 1747, using terms including Welsh rabbit and Scotch rabbit for similar cheese on toast Mr Graves said there was no historical evidence linking the name to actual rabbits and he said the theory that poor people couldn't afford rabbit meat and used cheese instead was unproven. Kacie, from The Rare Welsh Bit food blog said Welsh rarebit, also known as Welsh rabbit, originated in the 1500s as a popular dish among Welsh working-class families who couldn't afford meat like rabbit, using cheese on toast as a substitute. According to her, the dish was first recorded in 1725 and over time, the name shifted from Welsh rabbit to Welsh rarebit, possibly to move away "from patronising connotations associated with the nature of the dish as a poor man's supper". Katrina from Real Girls Travel explained "nobody's quite sure how the name came about", but it's generally believed "Welsh rarebit" likely began as a joke about the poor people of south Wales, who were thought to live on rabbit and ale. She added that many mistakenly think Welsh rarebit contains rabbit because the dish was originally called "Welsh rabbit" in 1725. According to Katrina, the name probably changed because, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the English often gave humorous or fanciful names to regional foods, making the change "an attempt to make it a more fitting dish"."I personally think it was a language barrier or a strong Welsh accent that gave the dish its name," she added. In Sarah Fritsche's blog the Cheese Professor, she explained the word "Welsh" was used as an insult in 1700s Britain, similar to how "welch" functioned as a pejorative. According to Ms Fritsche, "rabbit" was used humorously because only the wealthy could afford real rabbit, making the cheesy toast a "poor person's substitute".She added "rarebit" was a corruption of "rabbit" and is unique to this dish, first appearing as "rare bit". Rose Geraedts, originally from the Netherlands, has lived in Brecon, Powys, for 20 years and runs the International Welsh Rarebit opened the business eight years ago after noticing cafes and pubs in the area were not serving it, despite high demand from tourists. "I thought it was crazy that a national dish wasn't on the menu. I think many saw it as old-fashioned," she took over a disused Victorian school building, renovated it and made Welsh rarebit the star of the show."It seemed mad not to do it - but a lot of people think I'm nuts," she cafe now offers six varieties and Ms Geraedts said customers loved the dish's rich, comforting flavour, seasoned with cayenne pepper, nutmeg, paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Ms Geraedts said she had welcomed visitors from around the world, from Australia to America, and even served celebrities including Jonathan Ross and rugby legend Gareth added: "People love it because it's nostalgic. They remember their mother or grandmother making it."It's much more than just dry cheese on toast."Ms Geraedts believes rarebit became popular due to Wales' connection to cheese-making, despite its name being a sarcastic "patronising" English joke. University lecturer, dietician, cook and food writer Beca Lyne-Pirkis said she first learned to make Welsh rarebit with her grandparents so it brings back "nostalgic memories".The 43-year-old, from Cardiff, said it was a great first dish to learn as it's "more complicated than cheese on toast" but not too Lyne-Pirkis said she has two versions - a rich, roux-based recipe with cheddar, beer, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and a quicker one mixing egg, cheese, and seasoning to spread on toast. The dish stayed with her through her university years and is now a favourite with her children."I fell in love with the flavour," she said."When I eat it I get the nostalgic childhood feeling as I have so many fond memories of eating it. That's where my love of food came from."Whatever the roots, Ms Lyne-Pirkis said rarebit was now a timeless, adaptable national dish rooted in family stories and experimentation."Every recipe has its own story, which helps keep the recipe alive."
Leader Live
24-05-2025
- Leader Live
TASTE TEST: The Wepre Bar & Grill in Connah's Quay
Despite being five minutes away from where I live, it's tucked away location has meant it has never really featured on my radar when thinking of places to eat out. That has now changed. The Wepre Bar & Grill, formerly GTs Bar & Grill, reopened in Wepre Lane, Connah's Quay, two years ago. Since then, the eatery located on Wepre Lane, has become "a go-to destination" for foodies and families. Hidden gem or not, it does have a growing reputation as one of the best places to eat in North Wales. Earlier this year, The Wepre Bar & Grill was named in the top 10 restaurants in North Wales - according to the public. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly two million global diner reviews from the previous four months. The Wepre Bar & Grill. They sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants all over the UK. The Wepre Bar & Grill made it on the list alongside esteemed destinations The Jackdaw in Conwy, Porth Eirias in Colwyn Bay, and The Potted Lobster in Abersoch. The Wepre Bar and Grill. Did it deserve its place on the list? I went to find out. It was a gloriously sunny day, weather which suited the location and layout of The Wepre Bar & Grill. ROOM FOR MORE? There was lots of grass in front of the restaurant, a children's play area, and outdoor seating. The perfect place for families to enjoy a bite to eat on a sunny afternoon. My friend and I were shown to our table. This was perhaps the one negative of our experience as, located as we were between the front door and the bar, we felt a little on show. But what is important is the food, and that was very good. Very good indeed. We both opted to have a starter, which were both generous portions that might have satisfied smaller appetites as a small main. The Wepre Bar and Grill: Welsh Rarebit. I had the Welsh Rarebit that, made with Colliers mature cheddar, delivered a powerful cheese taste. This was balanced with crunchy sourdough toast, perfectly poached eggs, and the sharpness of pickled vegetables. A warm, comforting dish that was very pleasurable to eat. The Wepre Bar and Grill: Falafel. My friend had the falafel, of which he said: "A very generous portion, and perfectly prepared. The falafel was very well cooked, and full of flavour. The humus was delicious, and the whole chickpeas added a nice texture. The red pepper topping was superb but if anything could be improved, there could have been a little more of this as it was a wonderful accompaniment." The Wepre Bar & Grill. It must be said that the staff at the bar and grill are very friendly and attentive. One told me that my choice of steak, ale and mushroom pie was their favourite item on the menu. I soon found out why. The Wepre Bar and Grill: Steak and Ale Pie. The handcrafted pie was a work of art, crumbly pastry containing a generous and rich filling of steak and mushrooms. The gravy was rich and think, with a jug containing more that was a thing of beauty when slowly poured into the pie. The Wepre Bar and Grill: Steak and Ale Pie. Served with chunky triple-cooked chips and homemade mushy peas, this was elevated comfort food of the highest order. The Wepre Bar and Grill: Steak and Ale Pie. As a vegetarian, my friend was well catered for in terms of options. There were several vegetarian dishes but, which seemed something other restaurants could adopt, many of the dishes had the option to be served vegetarian, vegan or gluten free, The Wepre Bar and Grill: Beetroot and lentil burger. For his main, he chose the beetroot and lentil burger, which on another day, even as a meat eater, I could well have gone for from its description on the menu. The Wepre Bar and Grill: Beetroot and lentil burger. Of it, he said: "The main was equally delicious. The chips were well flavoured, and suitably crisp on the outside whilst the coleslaw provided the perfect additional flavours. The main burger was tasty, many places go for a meat alternative but this was beetroot based and was very pleasant. The only issue was the burger was slightly overdone; vegetarian burgers often need cooking less time than meat alternatives, and the edges were a little too dry. A shame, but easily fixable, and the rest of the burger and, indeed the meal, was excellent." The Wepre Bar and Grill: Coleslaw Hidden no more, this gem of a restaurant is definitely somewhere I will be visiting again. I would describe it as the best of both words, having the cosy warmth of a pub with the fine food of a restaurant. The Sunday carvery is very tempted, and the Table D'Hote menu, available only between Tuesday and Thursday, seems very good value at £20 for two courses, £25 for three. There is even an Al Fresco menu available only to diners seated outside that sounds perfect, especially if we get a proper summer this year.
