St David’s Day – 1 March

St. David’s Day

As Spring approaches and the days start to get longer, we see the Spring flowers starting to bloom, including Daffodils! We know it’s time to celebrate St David’s Day!

Daffodils symbolise St. David’s Day also known as the Feast of Saint David, which has been widely celebrated across Wales for centuries – encompassing the essence of Wales and its traditions. What better way to Love Your Gut than with a celebration feast of seasonal Spring food?

The Celebration

St. David’s Day is celebrated with parades, concerts, and music every year on 1^st March.   You’ll definitely be able to spot a few leeks and daffodils being worn, as daffodils are the national symbol for Wales and leeks are a symbol of St. David’s Day. Young and old alike will wear these symbols to celebrate their special day.

St David’s Day Dishes

This St David’s Day – even if you are not living in Wales – why not try some traditional Welsh dishes?!

Welsh cakes

Welsh cakes are a sweet flat scone-like cake, made from flour, sugar, milk and butter cooked using iron griddles. They usually include dried fruit , a great fibre addition to this treat! ¹

Cawl

Cawl, another traditional Welsh dish is a stew containing meat (usually lamb) and any vegetables you have on hand, like carrots, potatoes, and onions. On St David’s Day it is likely to find leeks included!² As you can be flexible as to what veggies you add to the dish, it is a great dish to increase plant dietary diversity for your gut bacteria. The more vegetables, the better for your gut! ³

Welsh Rarebit

If any of these don’t tickle your fancy, you can’t go wrong with a Welsh Leek and Cheese Rarebit. Some say it’s like a “posh cheese on toast” but even more flavoursome. ⁴

 Love Your Gut inspiration

Finally, as Spring approaches you can also check out our Love Your Gut seasonal food and recipe ideas. There are plenty of other seasonal and locally grown foods in the UK and Ireland, not just leeks! https://loveyourgut.com/all-entries/love-your-gut-takes-a-look-at-spring-seasonal-foods-with-a-selection-of-delicious-recipes/

References

1. https://www.welshbaker.com/History-_ep_41.html
2. https://www.visitwales.com/things-do/food-and-drink/welsh-food-and-recipes/cawl-our-traditional-welsh-recipe
3. Laitinen, K. and Mokkala, K., 2019. Overall dietary quality relates to gut microbiota diversity and abundance. International journal of molecular sciences, 20(8), p.1835.
4. https://www.thespruceeats.com/welsh-leek-and-cheese-rarebit-recipe-435866