by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 14, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
LAVERBREAD AND COCKLE FRITTERS 5 oz. Self-raising Flour 1 Egg 1 oz. Parmesan Cheese 1 T Laverbread 4 to 5 oz. Shelled Cooked Cockles 1 litre Sunflower or Grapeseed Oil Make a batter with the flour, egg, salt and pepper and a little...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Gold is an expensive commodity today, but none more so than Welsh Gold, for it is the rarest of all. After a history spanning 4,000 years, the last gold mine in Wales closed in 2007. Guided tours are available of the Dolaucothi mine in central Wales, first worked by...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
From our vantage point it’s easy to see castles as romantic reminders of knights, damsels and the quest for the Holy Grail — the Renaissance Faire view of the past. The reality is that castles were built to keep enemies out, and they give us a window...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Graham Tinsley, Castle Hotel Ingredients for 4 people 4.5 lb. Mussels 2 large shallots 1 clove of garlic 3.5 oz. Dry White Wine 7 oz. Double Cream 1 oz. Chopped Fresh Parsley Method 1. Clean the mussels by removing all the barnacles and the beards from the...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Dickens’ description of Ye Olde Bull’s Head in The Uncommercial Traveller is as follows: “Take the old-established Bull’s Head with its old-established knife-boxes on its old-established sideboards, its old-established flue under its...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog
Taking a cooking class in a foreign country is one of our favorite ways to learn something of the country’s culture and cuisine. Taking a cooking class in Wales from an Italian chef may seem an odd exercise, but how often can you get instruction from a...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Makes 18 Crescente can be served with prosciutto, salami, tomato and basil or a fresh cheese. This dough does not have to be used up straight away, as it will keep for 2 days. Ingredients for crescente 1 lb. ‘0’ grade...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Makes 8 Ingredients 8 large ripe figs 1 tsp. rum per fig A dusting of ground cinnamon per fig 1 T mascarpone per fig 1 tsp. of brown sugar per fig Unsweetened cocoa powder Petal the figs by cutting them in...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
Serves 10-12 as a nibble Ingredients 1.25 lb. Caerphilly cheese, grated 1 lb. day-old white breadcrumbs 8 T finely chopped spring onions 5 eggs separated 4 heaped T finely chopped parsley 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves 4 level tsp. English mustard...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio 5 oz. Self-raising Flour 1 Egg 1 oz. Parmesan Cheese 1 T Laverbread 4 to 5 oz. Shelled Cooked Cockles 1 litre Sunflower or Grapeseed Oil Make a batter with the flour, egg, salt and pepper and a little water, add the grated parmesan...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Serves 6 Ingredients 1 cantaloupe ½ lb. parmesan ¼ lb. arugula extra virgin olive oil balsamic vinegar Method Cut the melon in half, remove the seeds and cut the melon into thin slices. Cut the skin away. Divide...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Serves 4 1 lb. tagliatelle per person 1 lb. thinly sliced butter nut squash or pumpkin 5cm long 4 shallots finely chopped extra virgin olive oil 12 to 20 leaves fresh marjoram 12 large basil leaves shredded salt and freshly ground...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
I highly recommend procuring the services of a local guide for at least a part of your trip. Our tour guide, Idwal Jones, was a veritable fountain of information on Welsh history and culture, and of course most helpful in the matter of pronunciation and...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
from Chef Franco Taruschio Serves 4 24 Oysters 3.5 oz. Butter 1 Shallot Finely Chopped 1 T Finely Chopped Parsley Juice of ½ Lemon Salt and Freshly Ground White Pepper 7 oz. Laverbread 2 oz. Fresh Fine White Bread Crumbs Open the oysters reserving half...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Llangollen is one of the most beautiful villages in Wales, and perhaps the hardest to pronounce, given that the double L in Welsh is pronounced something like an aspirated “thl” and takes some practice to get even half right. The homes and businesses are of another...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
The two most obvious attributes of any country, those that most reflect the culture, are architecture and language. In Wales, where bilingualism is mandated by law, the Welsh language is everywhere around you. Every sign, menu and brochure is printed in both...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
While the 2010 Course at Celtic Manor Resort near Newport, in South Wales, was built expressly to handle the crowds of enthusiasts and media for the 2010 Ryder Cup, it is just one of many to choose from. With over 200 courses in Wales, you...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Trains stir romantic visions of travel, the anticipation of new sites to see, the excitement of being bound on a journey. The irony of our love of steam trains is that from a 21st century perspective they evoke a time of leisurely travel, while...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Wine & Spirits, Wine & Spirits blog
Text and photos ©2009 The two-lane road to Penderyn winds up the mountain and across a broad, windswept heath at the edge of Brecon Beacons National Park in southern Wales. It’s a forbidding landscape, barren except for coarse grass grazed by scattered sheep. The...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Text and photos ©2009 With more than 40 food festivals annually, 50 Farmers’ Markets operating weekly, and inviting restaurants around every corner, Wales is foodie heaven. If you find yourself in Cardiff in late September, you must visit The Great British...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 11, 2010 | Travel, Travel blog
Text and photos ©2009 When my great-grandparents, Sarah Sims and Ebenezer Beynon, emigrated from Wales in 1869, they brought with them an engraving of their hometown of Merthyr Tydvil (Tydfil in Welsh), that has hung on our walls since before I was born. It’s an...
by Lucy Gordan | Nov 9, 2010 | Food, Food blog
CELEBRITY CHEF, RESTAURATEUR, AUTHOR, AND BUSINESSMAN text ©2010 While playing with his band in the Bavarian holiday resort of Waging am See, Alfons Karg first met the restaurateur Sebastian Schuhbeck, owner of the country inn “Kurhausstüberl” there, who first...
by Scott W. Clemens | Nov 9, 2010 | Food, Food blog, Recipes
From Graham Tinsley, Castle Hotel BRAISED CONWY MUSSELS Ingredients for 4 people 4.5 lb. Mussels 2 large shallots 1 clove of garlic 3.5 oz. Dry White Wine 7 oz. Double Cream 1 oz. Chopped Fresh Parsley Method 1. Clean the mussels by removing all the barnacles and the...
