Pice ar y maen

It was just the sort of day to make Welsh cakes, toasting my face in the gentle warmth of their baking. Pice ar y maen is just one of many names for these little griddlecakes. Maen means stone: the bakestone (called planc in some parts) seen here. Probably flat stones were used once upon a time but traditionally they are made of cast iron, like this one. It's so heavy that I struggle to lift it: I've just weighed it and it's over two stone - about 30 pounds.

There are countless recipes for Welsh cakes. Every family has their own. They need to be thin or they don't bake through properly and in my book they should always include nutmeg and only currants, not the juicier sort of dried fruit like raisins. The fat should be a mixture of lard and butter, usually with an egg - depending on whether the hens are laying or any can be spared. They can be dainty little teatime treats or rough and ready snacks-to-go for a quarryman, farmer or scurrying schoolchild.

I was making them for my reading group tomorrow. The book we will be discussing is Feet in Chains by Kate Roberts. It describes the trajectory of one woman's life in the impoverished North Wales slate quarrying area around the turn of the 19th century. It's recently had a new translation by Katie Gramisch and I found the story compelling. Although simply told it is informed by Roberts' political beliefs; it is also very pertinent in this centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War.