Celebrating New Year Welsh style

Blwyddwyn Newydd Dda

There is a small corner of Wales where they celebrate New Year on 13 January. People living in the Gwaun Valley in Pembrokeshire follow the ancient Julian calendar, which the rest of the UK stopped using in 1752 when it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar.  People celebrate 'Hen Galan’ with traditional songs to 'let in' the coming year and to wish everyone health and happiness. The children receive gifts of homemade biscuits or sweets. 

I love Wales and have lots of happy memories of many visits to Wales when my Uncle Albert lived there so this seems a good excuse to bake and join in the celebrations. 

Grandma Abson has lots of easy recipes to bake with children. Here's one with an orange and plain dark chocolate. 

Chocolate Orange Biscuits

5 oz/150g margarine or butter

3 oz/75g caster sugar

8 oz/225g plain flour

2 tsps baking powder

3 oz/75g plain chocolate (chopped into small pieces)

Grated rind of an orange

1 tbsp orange juice

Pre heat the oven to 350F, mark 4, 180C. Beat the margarine or butter until it’s light and fluffy. Then sift the flour and baking powder straight onto the creamed mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients and work the mixture together until you get a fairly stiff paste. Roll out into a floured working surface, about ¼ inch thick. Using a 2 inch plain cutter, cut out the biscuits and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them with a little extra caster sugar and bake for about 20 minutes or until the biscuits are a nice golden colour. Remove from the oven, leave to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack. Store in an airtight tin.

Sunny days in Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey, Wales