Welsh Cakes

• 285g plain flour

• 115g butter

• 115g Caerphilly cheese – finely grated

• 150g currants

• 50g caster sugar

• 2 ½ tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 medium eggs

Smoked mackerel paté and dill pickled cucumber topping

• 1 pack of smoked mackerel

• 2 tsp mayonnaise

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp hot horseradish

• Squeeze of lemon juice

• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

• ½ a cucumber

• 4 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar

• 4 tbsp caster sugar

• 1 tbsp salt

• ½ bunch of fresh dill

Caramelised onions, pear and thyme topping

• 2 large red onions

• Dribble of olive oil

• Generous nob of butter

• 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

• Salt & pepper

• 1 ripe pear

• A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Method

Caerphilly welsh cakes

1. Rub the butter into the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Then add the grated cheese and rub that in.

3. Add the 2 eggs and bring it together to form a dough.

4. Now add the currants and bring them into the dough by gently kneading them through.

5. Roll out the dough to 3mm thick on a lightly floured work surface and using a small cutter (mine was 3cm) cut out your rounds.

6. Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. Dry fry the Welsh cakes until they are golden brown on both sides. Approximately 3 min each side.

7. Allow to cool slightly, then add the toppings, see method below.

Smoked mackerel paté and dill pickled cucumbers

1. Peel and deseed the cucumber, slicing it lengthways and then into half moons about 1mm thick.

2. Sprinkle the salt over the cucumber and set aside for 10 minutes to remove some of the water.

3. Take the mackerel fillets and remove the skin and any bones flaking the flesh into a bowl.

4. Add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, horseradish, squeeze lemon juice and black pepper to the mackerel. Using a fork bring this together into a paté and set aside until needed.

5. In a small bowl add the sugar, cider vinegar, and dill then stir gently until the sugar has dissolved.

6. Using a clean tea towel or kitchen roll pat the cucumber dry and then add it to the pickling liquor.

7. Leave to pickle for at least 10 minutes but can be as long as 24 hours.

8. To serve, put a teaspoon of the paté on each welsh cake and top with a slice of pickled cucumber.

Caramelised onions, pear and fresh thyme

1. Finely slice the red onions and add to a saucepan with the oil and butter.

2. Over a low heat and cook the onions for 10 to 15 minutes or until starting to caramelise.

3. Add the two vinegars and sugar then cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes- you should have sticky caramelised red onions.

4. Season to taste and allow to cool.

5. Quarter, core and finely slice the pear.

6. From the fresh thyme pinch 20 small sprigs ready for the garnish.

7. To serve, place a teaspoon of caramelised onion on the Welsh cakes topped with a slice of pear and a sprig of thyme.

This recipe is produced by Holly Bull @secretediblegarden

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