Name: Welsh Lavercakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 240 g Laverbread (uncooked); 150 g rolled oats; 8 slices Welsh unsmoked back bacon or streaky bacon rashers; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp plain flour

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While this is not a sponsored post, the products from Pembrokeshire Beach Food Co. featured in this blog post were provided on a complimentary basis (with no obligation to write this blog post).

With the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Co. spearheading the launch of National Laverbread Day on April 14th, there couldn’t be a better time to discover the Welsh delicacy of Laverbread (laver seaweed).

Welsh Lavercakes, made using Welsh Laverbread, on a traditional Welsh breakfast with fried egg, sausage and Welsh back bacon, with a jar of laverbread and cutlery in the background.

Named after the Welsh term, “bara lawr”, Welsh Laverbread is a traditional Welsh delicacy produced using laver seaweed, sustainably foraged from the south-west Wales coastline.

Awarded European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in 2017, the unique taste and appearance of Welsh Laverbread results from the cleanliness and temperature of the sea water, and the method by which it is produced, making it a characteristic of its origin.

Originally, Laverbread hails from Pembrokeshire, but it can also be found growing in the Gower Peninsula in Swansea.

After harvesting, the laver is boiled for around 10 hours, before being minced or pureed into a dark greenish-black, viscid substance. While it may not look or sound overly appealing, many people find that the marine, slightly salty taste tends to grow on them (yes, really!)

If the unsightly appearance or fishy flavour of Welsh Laverbread doesn’t exactly have you dashing to the shops to get your hands on a jar, perhaps its numerous health benefits will. Not only is laver low in calories and rich in protein, but it also contains iodine, alongside a range of vitamins.

Welsh Laverbread, raw, sold in a jar by Pembrokeshire Beach Food Co, pictured on a teaspoon on a chopping board.

National Laverbread Day

To celebrate and raise awareness of Welsh Laverbread, the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Co – headed up by Jonathan Williams – is calling for the launch of a national day dedicated to the traditional Welsh delicacy, on April 14th.

Why April 14th? Well, the date coincides with the time when the Japanese celebrate the ‘Mother of the Sea Day’ in honour of Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker, whose research into porphyria seaweed helped to transform the Japanese nori (dried laver) industry.

Where to buy Laverbread

Traditionally, Laverbread is sold in tubs or jars by fishmongers at fresh produce markets around south-west Wales. Previously, I’ve bought it in Swansea Market and Cardiff Market.

However, Laverbread can also be sourced online from the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Co., alongside a variety of Laverbread and other seaweed products, from fresh, frozen and tinned Laverbread and dried Laverbread flakes, to more creative options like Kelpchup (Seaweed Ketchup), Seaweed Pesto, and Barti Ddu – a seaweed-infused Caribbean rum (previously featured in my three-course Welsh dinner menu).

Similarly, you can also buy Welsh Laverbread online from Swansea-based Selwyn’s Seafoods, who also sell cooked cockles and seaweed sacks.

Although Parson’s Laverbread (sold in 120g tins) was previously sold in various supermarkets, it’s now unavailable to buy at all the stores I’ve checked at, including online. However, it is available to buy by the case from the Parson’s Pickles website, and by the tin on the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Co. website.

Traditional Laverbread recipes

Traditionally, the Welsh like to eat Laverbread raw, spread onto hot toast, or mixed with rolled oats to form flat patties known as ‘Lavercakes’, which are fried in butter or bacon fat, until crispy.

Traditional Welsh Lavercakes

Lavercakes get a mention in Camden’s book, Britannia:

“The seaweed is washed clean from the sand, and sweated between two tile stones. The weed is then shred small and well-kneaded, as they do dough for bread, and made up into great balls or rolls, which some eat raw, and others fry with oatmeal and butter”.

A popular breakfast choice among Welsh miners back in the 18th Century, lavercakes are the ultimate hallmark of an authentic full Welsh breakfast. While the English have fried bread, the Scots have oatcakes, and the Irish have soda bread, the Welsh regional variation of the traditional cooked breakfast hinges upon these crispy, fried lavercakes.

While the original components of a traditional Welsh breakfast are the topic of debate, many believe it should include Welsh bacon, laverbread or lavercakes, and eggs as a minimum, while others would add tomatoes, mushrooms, and cockles (often added to lavercakes, or cooked and seasoned with lemon juice or vinegar) to the plate.

Laverbread and cockles

Another popular way to eat Laverbread in Wales, is to serve it alongside some fresh, juicy cockles. Traditionally, you should use Penclawdd cockles, sourced from the Gower coastline in south Wales.

As previously mentioned, the cockles could be added to a traditional lavercake recipe. Alternatively, some recipes see cooked Laverbread being mixed with cockles and drizzled with lemon or vinegar to balance out the saltiness of the dish, like this recipe from Visit Wales.

Contemporary Laverbread recipes

As tasty as traditional lavercakes or Laverbread with cockles can be, contemporary Laverbread recipes can be far more creative and innovative, with modern-day chefs using Laverbread in homemade butter, fish sauces, sourdough loaves, and more.

To celebrate the launch of National Laverbread Day on April 14th, the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Co is sharing a range of Laverbread recipes over on its website. I can’t wait to try out the Laverbread rarebit!

I’m sharing my lavercake recipe below, based on a recipe found on the BBC website. Hopefully, this will inspire you to sample traditional Welsh Laverbread for yourself this National Laverbread Day!

Lavercakes made with Welsh Laverbread, pictured in a jar in the background

How to make lavercakes using Welsh Laverbread

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4.92 from 12 votes

Welsh Lavercakes

Known in Welsh as "bara lawr", lavercakes are a combination of the traditional Welsh delicacy, laver seaweed, and rolled oats, fried in bacon fat.

Usually, they're eaten as part of a full Welsh breakfast. While the Welsh tend to disagree on the exact components of our national breakfast, generally, we'd expect to see bacon, eggs and Laverbread on the plate, at the very least, although some believe that a true Welsh breakfast also includes fresh cockles (Penclawdd cockles, ideally), sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms and, sometimes, black pudding.

Ready in just 15 minutes from scratch, lavercakes make for a quick, easy and affordable traditional Welsh treat.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine British, Welsh

Keyword laverbread, oats, welsh breakfast

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 331kcal

Cost £1

Equipment

1 small mixing bowl
1 Non-stick frying pan
1 Spatula

Ingredients

240 g Laverbread uncooked
150 g rolled oats
8 slices Welsh unsmoked back bacon or streaky bacon rashers
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp plain flour

Instructions

Place the Laverbread into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Add the rolled oats to the Laverbread, a tablespoon a time, stirring until throughly combined.
Once combined, sprinkle the plain flour over your work surface, to prevent any sticking.
Using your hands, form the Laverbread and oat mixture into small, flat patties – around 1cm thick. Alternatively, you can also make smaller balls, or elongated, sausage-like patties.
Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the raw lavercakes to the pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, then remove from the pan and place onto some kitchen towel to drain off any excess oil.
Serve your lavercakes hot, alone or as part of a traditional Welsh breakfast.

Notes

If you like, you can also add fresh cockles to your lavercakes, for a traditional Welsh touch. Read more about this in my blog post.
If your lavercakes are slightly on the mushy side, or difficult to form into patties, simply add some more oats.
While shaping the lavercakes by hand can get a little messy, I find this is the best way to form them into tight, compact patties, so you can be confident they won’t disintegrate in the pan.

Nutrition

Have you ever tasted Welsh Laverbread? Will you be experimenting with any Welsh Laverbread recipes to celebrate National Laverbread Day on April 14th? Tell me all about it by leaving a comment below.

I have linked this recipe to #CookBlogShare, run by Sisley & Chloe, hosted by Cat at Curly’s Cooking.

Remember to PIN this post so you don’t lose the recipe!

Before you leave, check out some of my other popular traditional Welsh recipes: