Big British Food Map The land of laverbread

Date Published:

22/05/2008

"Swansea has lots of supermarkets but only one super market," says Leigh Vaughan, who as well as being the traders' chairman also has his butcher's shop at Swansea market.

Leigh's kindly offered to show me around. He's a 3rd generation butcher, and his father had a stall here too. What's more there are three other butchers in the market but when I remark that this is unusual – some major towns don't have four independent butchers, let alone four under one roof – he tells me, “there used to be 61, all round the outside, even up until the late 1960s.” Blimey.

A social hub

The market, rebuilt in the 1950s after the original was bombed out during the war, has a large arched roof , which gives it a feeling of space over head - in contrast to the hustle and bustle down on the ground that typifies a busy Saturday's trading.

This isn't a once a month farmers market, it's an everyday, working, friendly place to meet and shop right in the heart of Swansea. As well as the food stalls there's computer shops, pet shops, a locksmith, a café, all sorts.

The traders

Leigh introduces me to some of the other food traders. Ian grows seasonal vegetables out on the Gower peninsula, about 15 miles away. Today he's got cauliflowers and pointed cabbages. The caulis were cut just over 24 hours ago.

Next up is Paul, who runs a little deli stall. Fifty per cent of the cheeses he stocks are Welsh with the rest made up of British and continental varieties. He's also got lardo (a type of cured pork fat) for sale. It's not often you see someone man enough to sell that in this day and age. He kindly gives me a morsel of Saval cheese, which is a rind washed cheese by Savage and Aldridge made in Wales.

There are also two fresh fishmongers here; Aidan John of Dragon Fish who has a beautifully laid out stall and looks every part the gentleman fishmonger, and Margaret of Tuckers Fresh Fish who sells fresh fish and cooked seafood. There are also a couple of 'casual' traders, most of who have been here for ages. The Dixons and the Evans' both run fruit and veg stalls side by side, and have done for years.

A taste of tradition

Finally in the middle of the market are the traditional stalls selling Welsh cakes, cockles and laverbread. Welsh cakes are small flat solid scones cooked quickly on a hot plate, five minutes a side.
"Sugar?" asks the lady, dropping mine into a bag.
"Or?" I say, thinking perhaps like popcorn there's two ways of eating them.
"…well, nothing. Go on, have some sugar" she says in a long drawn out Welsh accent shaking it on.
Who am I to disagree? They're dead moreish too.

Next up I try cockles, with vinegar and pepper, again the traditional way to have them, and a spoon full of laverbread, which is best eaten hot, either on toast, or fried in a pan that's had bacon fried in it. Lots of people don't like laverbread so having never had it before I wasn't sure quite what to expect. As it happens I rather liked it. It had a rich iron flavour like wilted spinach but with more of an iodine, salty tang.

Testing times

It's not all plain sailing in the market however. There's the issue of delivery access, supermarket competition, rents, and customer apathy. "Come Christmas and Easter," says Leigh, "this place is packed, because people want to get it right."

I hope traditional working markets like this one in Swansea have a sustainable future and aren't just for high days and holidays. The produce is good quality and often local, there's plenty of choice, and there's both banter and knowledge in spades.

Anyone know of any other good everyday working market's around the UK I should visit? If so add it to the map and I'll check it out.