Cockleshells and Cakes

My favourite vintage tea-set - perfect for afternoon tea

I spent the afternoon on  Llansteffan beach yesterday afternoon, with my mother. Before going home, we sat outside the beach- front cafe, enjoying coffee and walnut cake, cups of tea and ice-cream.
Llansteffan is eight miles from Carmarthen and we holidayed here when I was a tot. That was during the 1940's, when there were donkey rides on the beach and cockling was a popular pastime.

I was reminded of a holiday, a few years ago, when I went to the beach at Marina del Cantone, a few miles from Sorrento, down a winding road.

It was a rough, windy day and we crossed the pebbles to the cafe that juts out to sea. There we ate almond and chocolate cake, watching the plumed waves crashing onto the beach.

I say all this now, because I have just come across a recipe called 'Gwbert Cakes', which are supposedly from the Ceredigion area. They are simple to make and I'll give you the recipe so you can fry them and try them.

(They are very similar to Welsh Cakes).

Delicious Welsh Cakes

Ingredients: 6 oz SR Flour,  2 oz sugar, 1 oz butter, 1 egg, a pinch of salt.

Method: Rub butter into flour, add remaining ingredients. Roll mixture out and cut into circles.   Fry in a little butter over a low flame. Sprinkle with sugar and hey presto!