Winter comfort food . . . Welsh Faggots

[Hub-UK]

I can still remember, when I was six or seven years old, travelling down to Ponterdawe in South Wales for the weekend to see my Grandmother. We would arrive just in time for lunch on a Saturday. She had a Bullmastiff dog called Gellert. The problem was she had always fed him titbits from the table - a big mistake as this causes the dog to drool all the time.

In those days all little boys used to wear shorts!

Lunch would always be home made faggots with peas, all smothered in Bovril gravy with slabs of fresh white bread, thick with real butter. Of course, Gellert would take up station under the table, usually around my legs . . . but the faggots were great.

This is the recipe for Faggots from back then, real comfort food, which can be enjoyed just as much today as it was then . . . and it is a really easy, low budget meal to prepare.

You will either need a mincer or an electric mixer to do the preparation. I always cook my faggots ahead and then warm them up when I wish to eat them. This allows the flavours to intensify and makes the faggots richer.

Ingredients

1 lb (455 g) lambs liver
1/4 lb (115 g) onions
6 ozs (170 g) white bread crumbs
4 tsp dried sage
1 beef OXO cube
Knob of butter for each faggot
1/2 pt (330 ml) water​

Method

• Make your bread crumbs by putting the dried bread in the mixer on a high setting until you have fine bread crumbs. .

• Put bread crumbs in large mixing bowl. .

• Chop onions in the mixer and add to the mixing bowl, this can be as fine or as coarse to suit your own tastes. .

• Chop the liver in the mixer and add to the mixing bowl, this can be as fine or as coarse to suit your own tastes. .

• Add the sage and mix thoroughly. .

• Shape the mixture into small balls (should make 8 to 10). .

• Place in a greased ovenproof dish or tin. .

• Put a small knob of butter on each faggot. .

• Make stock with OXO (beef) cube and water and pour around the faggots. .

• Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven (180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4) for fifteen minutes. .

• Remove foil and cook for further fifteen minutes. .

• Remove faggots and when cool cover and keep in the fridge until required.

To serve:

• To reheat place the required number of faggots in a saucepan with beef stock (OXO or preferably Bovril) two-thirds of the way up the faggots. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. .

• Thicken stock to make a gravy and pour over. .

• Serve with garden peas (or mushy peas) and thick slices of freshly buttered bread.

Makes 8 – 10

 

[kitchenelf]

OK folks - there have already been some posts deleted - if you do a google search this is a common name for this common dish - not every word means the same thing in every country - be adult and respectful here please.

 

[Hub-UK]

OK folks - there have already been some posts deleted - if you do a google search this is a common name for this common dish - not every word means the same thing in every country - be adult and respectful here please.

Yes we have that use for the word in the UK although it is a bit dated now. Brings back memories of schoolboy jokes.

I have to say, being more mature these days, I had forgotten the double meaning when I posted the thread.

If you want to see whay Wikipedia has to say about the food this is the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faggot_%28food%29

 

[GB]

Thanks Hub-UK. I have learned something new today.

 

[mugsy27]

i always thought that faggot was slang for a cigarette in the UK??

 

[Ishbel]

No, that slang word is a 'fag'...

Hub - I remember eating faggots and peas at my friend's home in Wales. Hefina lived in a small village near Llandudno.

 

[mudbug]

I must make this for my daughter. She will be visiting Wales this summer. (However, I will not tell her the principal ingredient is liver.)

FYI for the Americans on the board, faggot also means a first-year student at a public (to us, private) school who must do the errands of an older student. Or at least used to. Someone in the UK correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[goboenomo]

i always thought that faggot was slang for a cigarette in the UK??

That would be a pile of sticks.

 

[Ishbel]

Mudbug
a 'fag' was a younger schoolboy who acted as a 'gofer' or unpaid skivvy for older boys at some of the UK's posher 'public' (private) schools, such as Eton, Harrow, Winchester or Rugby. That practice has since been outlawed officially by most of the schools.

 

[Hub-UK]

Mudbug
a 'fag' was a younger schoolboy who acted as a 'gofer' or unpaid skivvy for older boys at some of the UK's posher 'public' (private) schools, such as Eton, Harrow, Winchester or Rugby. That practice has since been outlawed officially by most of the schools.

I remember it like it was yesterday having gone through it in the UK back in the 60s. A very abused system which led to a lot of bullying of thirteen year olds by eighteen year olds. Very scary. It was a good thing it was outlawed.

 

[Ishbel]

Hub - my brother also had to endure that system.... BUT, at 13 he was already really tall, so his experiences weren't too bad.... (His final height: 6 ft 5).

 

[bevkile]

Thank you for sharing your memories and your recipe with us. I seem to remember my grandson mentioning, that he was served faggot by his hostess when he was visiting in Wales. He said they were good. I always thought of him as a picky eater. I always put them in there with haggis.

 

[Hub-UK]

Most of the recipes I have come across on the web use pig's liver. This is stronger tasting and may put a lot of people off.

When I still lived at home the faggots were made by my father with his secret recipe. He died back in 1976 without passing it on but I am sure he got it from his mother. Earlier this year I persuaded my Aunt (his sister) to give me the "secret" family recipe which is the one in this thread. I was surprised to see it used lamb's liver but she confirmed that was correct.

There is a "secret" cake recipe but I haven't got tat out of her yet!

[FONT=&quot]My father’s side of the family came from South Wales - all my generation had to leave Wales to find work.[/FONT]

 

[Snoop Puss]

Hub-UK, it's absolutely years since I last had faggots. Your recipe conjured up the smell for me even after all this time. I've never made them, but I'll definitely be giving this a try.
Thanks.

 

[boufa06]

Hub-UK, this is the first time I heard of Welsh Faggots. I am sure they are as delicious as the Greek meatballs. It is also a good way to make use of lamb liver. Will definitely give it a try once I get hold of some liver. Thanks for sharing your family's secret recipe!