Meals on Manoeuvres

A new regimental cookbook brings eclectic recipes and stories of military life all over the world to your kitchen...

THE Royal Welsh Cookbook is more than a collection of delicious recipes, it’s also a fascinating anthology of stories and memories from across the globe. In his foreword, General James Swift, colonel of the Royal Welsh Regiment, describes the combination of recipes and stories in the book, as a “bold and imaginative initiative”, adding: “The recipes represent the regiment’s long history of serving around the world and have been submitted by people from the ‘regimental family’, in its broadest sense.

“The book’s proceeds are going to a very deserving cause, the Royal Welsh Regimental Museum in Brecon.”

Entries include crab or lobster bisque by 2nd Lieutenant Jim Downs, 1957-59. He says: “In 1959 I found myself on the mess committee with Major Thornton in Benghazi. I didn’t last long because I was being too extravagant. Don’t forget this is the 1950s – the mess steward had come by a turtle and we tried hopelessly to make turtle soup, which was ghastly! I have much more confidence in this one, with acknowledgements to Richard Shepherd, who was head chef of Langan’s Brasserie in the early-1980s.”

The book is edited by Welsh cook Gilli Davies and she has selected the recipes on this page, as they are simple to make and delicious.

The Royal Welsh Cookbook is published by y Graffeg on n behalf of the Friends of the Royal Welsh h Regimental l Museum in Brecon, edited by Gilli Davies with images by Huw Jones, priced £10

Method

Place the lamb in a large saucepan, cover with two litres of water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for two to three hours. Leave to cool overnight.

The next day, remove any fat on the surface. Cut the meat off the bone and return it to the stock, discarding the bone. Add the vegetables, herbs, paprika and salt and simmer. Add more water if needed. When the vegetables are tender, mix the flour with water to create a thin paste and add this to the cawl to thicken it slightly. Finally, add the leeks and parsley and simmer for a few minutes.

Serve the cawl with plenty of cheese and fresh bread. This cawl will be even tastier if reheated the next day.