Take 6 litres of seaweed

Happy National Laverbread Day!

Sadly I have to tell you that, even though I'm Welsh, I don't like laverbread. I know it's rich in iron and iodine and very good for me but I still don't like it, sorry.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about let me explain. Laverbread is made from seaweed. In Chinese restaurants you can get crispy fried seaweed, and that's quite palatable. Welsh laverbread is something entirely different. It's a thick paste, sometimes spread on bread, sometimes tossed in oatmeal and fried with bacon and cockles. Or just heated and dolloped on a plate with cockles.

You can buy it in Swansea market in little tubs.

Or if you're far from home and missing it you can order it in tins.

In 2017 Welsh laverbread was awarded a special designation under European law, like champagne, although I don't know whether that's still valid now we're no longer in the EU. (Boo hiss.) The north Gower coast is home to a number of cockle-picking and laver-gathering families, and their products are renowned. 

If you fancy making your own you first need to gather the seaweed. This is porphyra umbilicalis in situ.

Mo Wilde has a recipe for laverbread on her website. You need 6 litres of laver seaweed, which you wash well under running water to rid it of any sand. Place it in a slow cooker, add 150 ml of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, and cook on high for 8 hours. You can add seasonings to taste: salt and pepper, chilli, soy sauce, whatever takes your fancy.