A bowl full of tradition
Welsh Cawl, with obligatory daffodils
Cawl is a thrifty traditional Welsh soup dish, dating back to the 14th Century. Recipes vary from kitchen to kitchen in Wales, and are often passed down through families. It is really very simple – a soup made from a cheap cut of red meat stewed slowly with winter root vegetables, historically in a cauldron over an open fire.
But, oh, it is so much more than a simple soup – ask ANY Welsh person. I am Welsh. My parents, and their parents were Welsh, I went to university in Wales, am a huge supporter of the Welsh rubgy team, and consider it a mere technicality that I was born and brought up in Surrey, England. I didn’t grow up eating Cawl, I wish I could ask my mother why. But I discussed this with my siblings, and we reasoned that either Mum didn’t like Cawl, or she assumed that we wouldn’t eat it and therefore didn’t make it.
Cawl tastes way better than it looks, so maybe the latter is true. I have vague memories of Mamgu Wales (my Welsh grandma, I also had a Mamgu London) making it on one of our holiday visits. Because Cawl is a simple, traditional food, recipes are usually more a guide than a strict set of ingredients and instructions. So before cooking my own version I consulted all of my Welsh cookbooks and a number of Welsh friends. Should I use lamb shoulder, neck, chops, beef brisket, or salty bacon? Should I add cabbage? Of course, I had to have leeks. Most definitely leeks. It’s not Cawl without leeks. Should I cook on the stove or in the slow cooker? Whatever I decided, I must eat the Cawl with bread and butter and a hunk of strong cheese, that was certain. Of course, everyone has a different memory – but nearly all brought fond smiles of shared family meals.
Traditional Welsh cawl recipe and two of my traditional Welsh love spoons
Traditionally the choice of meat depended on what was available, however it was always an economical cut which required long slow cooking. Cawl isn’t really a meaty dish, the meat is there to flavour the broth. Sometimes the meat isn’t even eaten with the soup, it could be fished out kept for another meal. Very thrifty. The cooking method for this dish is proof that old traditional diets were often intuitively very good for you. I doubt the Celtic mothers were consciously aware of the exact science behind nutritional broths – or that in 2015 they would become the height of nutritional trendiness. By slow cooking the lamb, the stock is enriched with the nutrients from the meat, bones and cartilage – especially gelatin, which has a multitude of health benefits particularly supporting poor digestion. The neck is a tough cut of meat, and slow cooking breaks down the tough tissue and collagen, making the meat easier to digest. So here I present you with MY Welsh Cawl, in a beautiful cawl bowl, served with bread and butter, and a smidge of cheese, daffodils on the side. But please, don’t eat the daffodils. So much more than soup. A bowl full of tradition
With that all important bread, butter and hunk of cheese
- Welsh butter / olive oil
- 600g bone-in lamb neck*, weighed with bone in
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
- 2 parsnips, peeled and diced
- 2 small turnips, cleaned (you can leave skin on) and diced
- 1 small swede, peeled and diced
- 2 leeks, thinly sliced
- A few sprigs of thyme or parsley
- To serve: Bread, butter and a hunk of strong cheese – Caerphilly or cheddar.
- Heat a large deep pan on the stove with a smidge of butter or oil. Sprinkle the lamb with a little salt and pepper, then sear in the pan until browned on all sides – this step is not essential but gives the soup a deeper flavor.
- Add 2 litres of water to the pan, and bring to the boil. Lower to a simmer and add all root vegetables – except the leeks. Simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours, or till the meat is so tender it falls apart. As the fat from the meat rises to the top of the pan you can skim it if you like.
- Twenty minutes before you are ready to serve, add the leeks to the pan.
- When the Cawl is ready, take out the meat and shred it, taking care to discard all the bones. Return the meat to the soup.
- With the rich flavor of the meat you may not need to season the soup, so do taste before you add more salt. Finally, sprinkle with fresh thyme or parsley for a pop of colour and flavor, and serve in deep bowls.
- Notes* Lamb neck can be substituted for other cuts – such as shoulder or even chops, but a better taste is achieved when the bone goes in the stew too.
Do you have any traditional nationalistic recipes that are special to you?
Ceri – the tiniest criticism (sorry!) Cawl is one syllable; it’s not pronounced “cowel”, it’s pronounced COWL. Doesn’t matter which way you say it tho’ – cawl rocks! My mother always used to grate her veg, til I realised how great all these raw roots tasted and made her chop them into chunks instead.
Thanks for this! I guess it depends on your accent. I say cowel like towel, one syllable. But now I think I may have confused everyone (will amend so less confusing!). I’ve never heard of the veg having been grated before, I love all the different variations. Hope you get to enjoy a bowl soon!
The ‘a’ in Cawl is pronounced as the ‘a’ in flat, or cat, or pat.
The ‘a’ is not like an ‘O’
I must be remembering my Mum’s accent wrong. I wish I could still ask her about this 🙁
I expect it depends where in Wales you’re from. I’ve heard it pronounced corl and cowel, with one syllable or two. It’s like recipes, sometimes it’s different. I mean, how many different names are there for a bread bun?? I’m so sorry you can’t ask her. May her memory forever be a blessing
Thanks for your lovely message Yvette. Good to know there are so many variations, that in fact everyone could be right 🙂
What’s all this Mum business?
It’s mAm ….. mun.
Haha, I grew up in Surrey, so Mum it was!
There is no ‘o’. It’s cAwl.
I must be remembering my Mum’s accent wrong. I wish I could still ask her about this 🙁
I know very well what you mean … So many times, I also have wished that I could ask my Mom to ask her something …
✨❤️✨
<3
The w is pronounced “oo” in cymraeg
I’ve always pronounced it – “ca-oo-luh!”
(Gogledd Cymru)
Having some for our tea tonight, in the slow cooker now! ????
loveleeeee!
I first came to Wales 20 years ago I made cowl for the first time around a year later after following a recipe from my next door neighbour and she said it was the best she ever tasted and I agree I have since made it on numerous occasions and it tastes better every time it’s lush
Lush indeed, thanks for sharing your Cawl story!
Yum! Proper winter comfort food – or anytime comfort food I guess..! Sounds a bit like the Irish stew my ma would make – basically any combo of lamb (swoon!), root veggies and broth = happy Cat. And now I know a new Welsh word ;D
Absolutely anytime! I’m sure traditional Irish, Welsh, Scottish, English stews are all very similar – but all have their different stories, and names too! Thanks Cat!
Thank you for a great recipe. I am Welsh on my mom’s side (Jones, a generation back, from Snowdonia area) and was interested in exploring the cooking heritage; also, my husband and I will go and visit Wales some time next year or the following. I left out the swede (rutabaga) and turnips, as my husband didn’t think he’d like them, however, he loves parsnips and they impart such a good flavor to the broth. This was excellent winter comfort food. I made it in the crockpot which made things simpler yet. (Next, I hope to try your gluten free Welsh cakes!)
Thanks for sharing your story with me – and happy to hear you have Welsh heritage too! Glad you enjoyed the cawl, and hope you enjoy the Welsh cakes soon too! I have to make 100 of them this weekend!!
A hundred, wow! Meanwhile my husband found through genealogy that he is Welsh on the Morris side, which delighted my Mom. He just requested that I make the soup again. We see that it freezes nicely. I just add more potatoes to make up missing vegetables, but may try sneaking in a Swede this time. I have learned that the quality of lamb makes a big difference.
So cool, thanks for sharing your story. Yes def sneak in the swede, adds great flavour, and yes the lamb makes such a difference! You don’t eat much of it so you can stretch it out!
I can understand the turnips being left out, as they are an acquired taste, but definitely put the swede in. It adds to the flavour and taste amazing with all the meat juice and seasoning.
great thanks for that!
Sounds fabulous will definitely be on the top of my soup list, I guess you could use a ham bone too.
Hi Ceri
I am a Welsh lady, was born in Aberystwyth and grew up there. I love cawl with bread and cheese, and even though my grown-up daughters were born and raised in England, I introduced them to cawl and they love it. We would always eat on 1st March and any other time we fancied! I make my cawl in almost the same way that you do in your recipe. It’s a lovely traditional dish. Both my grandmothers were Welsh and they showed me how to make it. Thank you for sharing with everyone here x
Can I make this cawl in a slow cooker??
Yes, you can, easy. Not sure of exact timings as I haven’t done it before, but am sure an all day setting will be fine.
‘I am welsh living in Canada my great Aunt gave me a recipe for welsh cakes very traditional
2 cups of flour 1/2 cup sugar 3oz marg or butter 3oz shortening 1 ts baking powder 1/2 cup currants 1 egg and some milk
Mix flour sugar and butter shortening and BP pinch of salt Then add currants mix egg and milk to make 1/2 a cup mix lightly roll out cut in rounds cook on a griddle or heavy skillet
gorgeous!
This would have to be one of my all time favourite comfort foods. I first made it from your recipe Ceri and continue to do so. I’m of Irish heritage not Welsh as far as I know, although maybe some rellies snuck across for a visit. A friend posted on Facebook that she’d made a batch of Welsh Cawl and how nice it was. Good old google provided the recipe.
Ah I’m so glad to hear you enjoy Cawl and are cooking from my recipe! Diolch yn fawr!
I’ve never made Cawl before, but am making some this weekend. I have just started a diet so the vegetables will be good for me.
lovely! Hope you enjoy it!
If you are having this as a winter treat wait until the first frosts. The parsnip will be better for it.
“the plant turns the starch into sugar when frosts hit”. The swede and parsnips are a must to add that sweetness to the broth. BTW, The kids with me when serving love to add chucks of cheese on the bottom of the bowl, the heat from hot Cawl melts them just enough.
Hi – would lamb shanks work? we don’t have lamb coller here. i’ve done the conversions from litter to cups and gr to pounds :-)… I’ll be doubling the recipe – do you see any problems with that?
thanks!
I’ve never tried lamb shank in this recipe but a quick google showed that someone else has and it worked so yes go for it, and no, no problems with doubling the recipe as there are no spices to worry about!
I know this is ages ago but just wanted to say that as a south Walean i say ‘Cow-el’ in a way that kinda rhymes with Towel, Welsh accents are so varied you can’t really pick apart how people pronounce the vowel sounds. Its like how some Welsh people (like me) have a ‘no’ that sounds like ‘noah’ whereas others just have a more rounded o sound but otherwise its the same as an english accent.
Thanks for letting me know your own pronunciation of this dish! I had originally written about it rhyming with towel but was torn down for it being wrong (so I edited the post)! I’m thrilled to know that my own memory of how my family pronounced it was actually acceptable… Either way, Cawl is great lets celebrate it! Thanks, Ceri
My mother and aunt (and grandmother before them) used to make cawl with: (1) split peas or lentils and (2) suet dumplings. And would keep it on the go at a very low heat (or maybe reheating it) for 2-3 days, when (I think because of the split peas) it would get thicker and thicker in consistency.
For meat, we would have roast leg of lamb on a Sunday and then use the remaining meat off the bone to make cawl, rather than a specific joint (having left meat on the joint with that in mind).
I once made the mistake as a child of telling my mother I thought my aunt’s cawl was nicer. I’m not sure she spoke to me for a week.
Aw I love this, thanks for sharing your story!