40. “Call the fire brigade!” | Living Alone in Wales (March 2024)

[@orquideasehistoriasdefrega8742]

This was soooo funny, the baking stone seems to have been too hot, you making the best of it, then taking them off and into the plate and one “escapes” and disappears by the side of the stove and you very “that didn’t happen” just go on to the tasting!!!! I couldn’t stop laughing while the kitchen was all smokes up while you sipped your tea!!! Genius, genius! You are a comedian even if you were not trying to! Thank you for a good laugh! You keep on doing what you do!!!❤

[@chantaldavies]

It takes a very brave man to make welsh cakes in a black t-shirt 😊

[@roberthill9011]

Lol chef 😅

[@nicwallis962]

You need to heat the bake stone well in advance. Low to medium heat. Its much thicker than a frying pan and retains the heat so get it up to the right temperature long before the mixture is ready. Caster sugar sprinkled over the cakes when they are done. I have the family bake stone which was given to me by my mother.

[@colleenmckinlay2916]

Welsh cakes are a staple in my house. I have fond memories of my Mom and Grandma making them. Grandma always said the secret to moist Welsh cakes is to soak the currents in how water for about 15 minutes. Plumps them up. Growing up Monday was bread day. Oh the smell. Yum. Your Welsh cakes look awesome and delicious Sean. Great job!!

[@ArtLoverScotland]

Cannot recall what day it as, but one day a week as a child I'd come home from school 7-11 years old epecially, to find, apple and damson pies, jam tarts and butterfly cakes....ohhh woow.....Id try and pinch a jam or lemon curd tart and my hand wouldget smacked sharply, My grandmother and mother baked, my Mum did the meat pies and savouries, and my nan did the cakes, pies and tarts. She could make a beautiful apple pie, apple crumble and lemon merangue! I dont bake now as live alone and dont eat carbohydrates, I do miss those days though. No one was fat tho?????

[@joannamorgan6911]

If my Dad was going out and we children asked him where he was going he would answer " there and back to see how far it is ". I remember my Mum making drop scones on the griddle we ate them warm dripping with butter. Love love love your channel x Thank you Sean and take care x

[@joannamorgan6911]

@sarahprice1375 yes Sarah you and I have similar memories. Take care Jo x

[@sharonjojo]

@@sarahprice1375 There & back to see how far it is!! 😃👏🏻👍🏻

[@tinamcloughlin2710]

My dad used to say exactly the same thing and we used to take him seriously as well as we were so young. I really miss him so much. xx

[@1950PeeJay]

My dad used to say "to see a man about a dog" if we asked where he was going but he never came home with one. My grandmother used to say" you'd laugh to see a pudding crawl" I was eating g a homemade cheese scone for my lunch. My favourite cake has to be carrot cake. Those Welsh cakes looked delicious Sean ❤

[@grunt22]

My father was a blacksmith in the local colliery and made our bakestone himself. That would have been in the the late 1940's and I still have it hanging in my kitchen now.

[@sallyk9]

Wow, how lovely.

[@carolinecollett4349]

My bakestone comes from Blaenrhondda in the 1940's - maybe it's the same maker!

[@colleenmckinlay2916]

How special. I have to use my electric frying pan. Would love an old Welsh bake stone. No idea what happended to my Grandma’s that she brought with her when she immigrated to Canada with my Mom and Uncle. They were joining my Grampa and another Uncle who were working the mines in Hillcrest Alberta. She always spoke about her Rhonda valley …..missed her homeland.

[@ceahorse56]

What a treasure!

[@helengibson8196]

I still have my mother’s bake stone which needs some love but you’ve inspired me to give making welsh cakes a try. I haven’t eaten them in years. We used to put butter on ours before we ate them ❤

[@1231234brenda]

My Mother made English Toffee, so now I make it, & freeze some of it so I don't eat too much!!! Hello from NC, USA

[@Deecula]

You took me back mixing using the rubbing method. No mixers for me back in the 80's it was too much of a luxury. The first time I did use an electric whisk or mixer was when I did cooking at school. Oh and yes milk bottles were my rolling pins too 😅

[@gaynorprior9864]

Hi Sean I'm in my late sixties and when I was growing up the only place we were allowed to eat is around the dining room table

[@TR-jc8pc]

Yes that' was the same for us too and you could not leave the table without saying may I be excused

[@gaynorprior9864]

@@TR-jc8pc Same for me also

[@susanellis7780]

I always called my grandmothers 'mother'. My mum 'mam'. They were really good bakers and cooks❤😊

[@colleenmckinlay2916]

Just an update…..I roll my dough about 1/4 inch thick. I usually double the batch and put some in the freezer.

[@AndrewSmith-el5fs]

As well as eating in the street, I never used to see folk walking the dog or going to the shop in their pyjamas !

[@helenburgin3613]

Great baking 👌 Swansea market sell Welsh cakes with jam inside, they’re called Jam split Welsh cakes, they’re also very delicious 🤤

[@Ian-gw2vx]

I used to love Swansea market as a student. Miss it all so much.

[@Ian-gw2vx]

Do they still sell lava bread ? @@BadgerBotherer1

[@helenburgin3613]

@@Ian-gw2vx yes they do, lava bread and cockles 👌

[@joannehutley5740]

I now want to make Welsh cakes after seeing yours. My mum always made all our cakes and never bought any from the shops. She made puddings, too, like fruit crumble or bread and butter pudding. Mum always served bread with lighter meals, which I never wanted. She grew up in a large family with little money, so I think it was something they must have done to fill them up.

[@opel123]

Dad baked cakes and we children helped. Mum made upside down cakes. Loved decorating little cakes.

[@lindahaynes3475]

When i lived in the valleys i made welsh cakes , bought the bake stone they are addictive.

[@munchkinheaven]

@ lindahaynes. Do you grease the stone first?

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

I can remember my mum making Welshcakes, and me eating them almost straight off the top of the oven 🙂 And every Sunday we had home-made apple tarts with apples from our garden. She was an excellent home cook. Luckily I was a cyclist, or I'd have been 20 stone!!

[@wendyH3907]

Hi Sean, my Dad was a Welsh man from the Valleys , my Grandmother made Welsh cakes and I remember she put dried fruit in them too. They were delicious. 😊

[@sandrabaker8135]

Well I think you have done a good job there. Trouble is I'm hungry now hahax

[@theharringtons2010]

Welsh Cakes are my favourite..my nan always had a fresh batch of welsh cakes waiting everytime I visited her..

[@melissalambert7615]

Read a charming bit in a cookbook about these. Before rural folks had phones you would just visit. Welsh cakes were a popular thing to make since they were so quick to make. You could start them as you saw your friend walking down the road. They'd be done by the time they got to your door.

[@HelenR72]

My Mum used to put sultanas in as we didn't like currants. She always slightly burnt a couple as that's how my Dad loved them.

[@DarkMoonEmporium]

I add lemon zest (and perhaps some of the juice of the lemon) to mine. Gives them some zing!

[@therealjohnreeves]

My mam's family are from haverford west, Johnston and Fishguard. My auntie Mavis made the best Welsh cakes, I spent most of my summer holidays in Wales. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@carolwhite6979]

I love Welsh cakes! I got my recipe from the mother of my best friend in middle school! We would sit at her table drinking pots of tea, playing cards and eating welsh cakes fresh from the pan! great memories!

[@mikeembe1261]

Those Welsh recipe books are all still available from the publishers. I got some from a Welsh castle shop some years ago and completed my set just the other day. Enjoy 😋

[@melgazer]

I love apple crumble and bread and butter crumble

[@MegaFlorida11]

I remember the women in my family that smoked. Would never be seen smoking on the streets. They would tell me its not lady like or its common. 😊

[@ess9078]

Back in the ,80s there was no fresh bread on Mondays , mum would bake. We'd have fresh warm scones for breakfast

[@Katgobou]

My mum always said, roll to thickness of a currant. Also I love a bit of burn on a welsh cake so they looked fine eventually

[@booksknitsthings]

Ive never eatenWelsh cakes, so its now on my bucket list to try

[@therealjohnreeves]

You can sometimes get them from supermarkets

[@booksknitsthings]

@@therealjohnreeves eek ...in truth I've a wheat problem anyway as I can't eat supermarket cakes at the best of times. The national cake here in Cornwall is called Saffron cake, or saffron bun - homemade tend to be the best. However, when I go to Wales this summer I'll definitely try a Welsh cake ideally from a bakery - apologies for such a long reply

[@christinesmyth5491]

Me too! Never tried. But am tempted. Need a bakestone though lol..

[@booksknitsthings]

I'm wondering if a pizza stone might do the same thing? 🌞

[@annetaylor5910]

Please don’t let your first experience of Welsh cakes be from a supermarket they are nothing like the real thing baked at home on a bake stone.

[@dianemcclure2334]

Friday is my bake day … start by prepping the shepherds pie .. then make the sausage rolls .. then onto the cakes x Last thing the shepherds pie goes in for dinner x Would be a family riot if it did not happen x lo .. enjoy your baking x… homemade always tastes bestx

[@declanconway2903]

Great video again. I remember going to the shop to get a 6d ice cream and wafers

[@victoriawallace647]

Having a go - best attitude 😊 beautiful

[@Juls27989]

I remember as a small child having to bath in a tin bath in front of the coal fire. And everything being cooked either on the gas stove hob or oven, no microwave then. Also my mother cutting a piece of bread from a loaf and putting it on the end of a long fork, toasting it over the flames of the coal fire, then spreading real butter on it, it was gorgeous 😋

[@kasandrabrown8611]

Love seeing you test the cakes as you bake them. 😂

[@2learn4ever]

Those big mixers everyone is buying these days are not necessary to make lovely cakes. I still bake my cakes with my very own hands.

[@sonjabirch5533]

Oh Sean thosecWelsh cakes looked so Yummy, you did brilliant job. I want one.😊

[@YolaWells]

I remember back in the 60s we had a bread and cke van that used knock on doors on a saturday we all stood at door pestering mum for a cake which we did get as during week there were no treats untill that saturday also my mum being polish made beautiful apple cakes and cheese cake also poppy seed cake

[@margaretg7861]

I might be tempted to make some of those Sean. They look lovely and tasty .

[@cookinmum]

When I was a child my mom would send me to the bakes at dawn to get rolls hot from the oven and the the butcher for the deli meats and that was our Saturday morning breakfast. I am from Scandinavia and miss many things from my childhood.

[@susanpearson8172]

Chalking the frount doorstep, my mum used to always do it.

[@thriftytowers7160]

I am def going to try making these myself.. when you said 'currants', I thought you said 'carrots'😝

[@TR-jc8pc]

they look delicious ,when I was a child I would watch my dad making bread from scratch in the camp oven, ,rewena bread(Maori bread) fresh out out of the oven and smeared with butter...delicious❤

[@CraigShortland]

You’re making me hungry😋

[@galebecker3487]

Hi Sean thank you for your recipe. When i make scones or Welsh cakes, I grate the cold butter into the flour, dipping now and in the flour so that it does not stick,then I use a fork to mix around. I find this much quicker but not sure if its traditional, it works for me🎉enjoy the rest of the Welshcakes. GALE X

[@welshmanjasonpatrick8607]

Very nice tea cakes if going up mountain don't for forget flash tea with welsh cakes

[@sueparsons6919]

Love wish cakes, haven't made them for years. My nan made them all the time when cooked she would sprikle sugar on top while warm. Yours looked really good nothing like homemade cakes.

[@tinamcloughlin2710]

Well done you, they look fabulous Sean. x

[@Tinamaria75]

Love welsh cakes, my mum and aunty would do a sunday tea with lots of home made cakes, jam tarts were always on the menu.❤

[@historybarf]

I’m gonna have to make and try those. I have a cast iron griddle I can use. We have nothing like those here in Tennessee.

[@ChristineHillier67]

Good morning Sean,ooh,the Welsh cakes look good! I will definitely give them a go.I used to love watching my mum bake,she used to make rock cakes and bread pudding 😋 I like baking as well and my favourites are carrot cake and lemon drizzle,not good for the waistline but it doesn't hurt now and then to indulge yourself 😂 take care Sean 💜

[@hootenanny1001]

Ahhhh, the memories. Thanks

[@helenprocessofgrowing8007]

I remember my Mother making Dropped Scones in a similar fashion,they are more like Scotch pancakes I think.She was an excellent baker especially of cakes.We also had trifle on a Sunday.We had to wear our Sunday best too even though we werent going anywhere! So no playing outside in the dirt for us.I loved Sunday dinner best meal of the week but hated the Sunday best rule 😂

[@markshaw5835]

Never done Welsh cakes but I do like making rock cake. Very similar mixtures but slightly different

[@Pammmyanne]

My grandmother use to make something like that. They had raisins and cinnamon in them and she would bake them in an iron skillet.

[@elizabethduggan8793]

Hello Sean…… did the fire brigade turn up? 😂. They looked delicious! Might have a go myself at those. See you soon xx❤☕️🫖

[@lorellstoneman74]

Thank you, Sean for sharing, all you do, your memories, and what ever project you are doing for the day. I'm in the U.S. I enjoy my garden too, and find it interesting, to hear your family traditions, and seeing the countryside. I especially loved the story about Rusty telling you his name....In another life you could come back as an allotment cat...He's like you, loves to roam about for the day, grab a bite to eat, visit, and see the sights, check out the gardens... and a good nap. Bless him always.

[@Mff48]

ohhhhh noooo,i am about to purchase a bakestone!!!! They look delivious! I went West Wales with my brother about 4 years ago,we ate dozens of them,lol so yummie! I so love hearing about your childhood sean and traditions.We used to go to Grandma's on a sunday and she always made a beautiful trifle and rock cakes......you have inspired me to make welsh cakes!!!!!!!

[@victoriahanke5086]

Well done! Fire brigade,,,hysterical! 😂♥️👍🏻🙋‍♀️

[@MP-xf3lp]

Hi sean,you need to add lard ,perfect😋

[@SharonJoseph-b7f]

Hi Sean. Welsh cakes are better with a bit of lard and butter and some nutmeg and cinnamon. And from experience I found cooking in a frying pan better than a bake stone. Cook them really low .flip them more than once. Once they feel firm not springy in the middle they are ready.

[@mikeadamson6696]

Hi Sean , a few years ago I tasted Lava bread for the first time and can not forget the taste , it was delicious ( I think it is the Iodine content ) , its not readily available here in London but would like to check where I could obtain it

[@Shelty47]

Loved my Mums Welsh cakes when I was a kid. Now we buy them from various shops and supermarkets but they never taste as good as Mums. 😊

[@hev2519]

Well done, they are not so easy to cook but oh so worth it. Lady who worked in a cafe local to my sister used to make the most wonderful welsh cakes, lovely memories of eating those with a big cuppa down by the cliffs near the lighthouse. I have to make my own now to get gluten free welsh cakes, not the same but better than nothing. I often make “cut and come again” fruit cake, my Mum loved it.

[@Deecula]

Now I'm hungry 😅 They look yummy!

[@ingeleonora-denouden6222]

I did not know Welsh cakes before. But I do know how to bake Dutch pancakes ('pannenkoeken'). Or Dutch apple pie ('appeltaart'). The pancakes are made in a flat pan, the pie in the oven. When I bake I need to close the door between the kitchen and the hallway, otherwise the alarm in the hallway will react as if there were a fire!

[@Angel-002]

I think the thickness was about right, but the heat under the baking stone needed to be turned down so they could cook more slowly. I think because it was so hot it was cooking the outer part & thrn when you left them on longer to cook through it burnt the outside. If it was on a lower heat you could cook them slowly & longer so they cook through & are more browned on the outside. Don't know what others think though. You should have opened your door for the smoke too....I bet it was stinging your eyes & throat😣 Bet they tasted good though.

[@jillmullen4445]

I remember my Gran saying it was "common as muck" to carry a plastic carrier bag 😊

[@joanneburford6364]

Home made lamingtons made with my nan were the best.

[@annmatthews3579]

A good friend makes us barra brith it delicious

[@judithmorganjudyteen]

So good !

[@stevendowden2579]

i love welsh cakes

[@helenbrown6194]

Season your bakestone by heating it to high temperature then brush over with cooking oil or lard,not butter it burns.wipe it off with paper towels.never wash it or it will rust.heat and reoil at the end of cooking store in a dry place

[@seanjamescameron]

Didn’t know that. Thank you.

[@butterflyj1967]

Ooh I'm going to try them Sean . The method seems very similar to scones. I wonder if the cooking stone needed wearing in a bit . Still looked yummy!

[@blisswithlisztheurbangarde7870]

I always make chicken burgers for my three boys and one day I thought I’d try making Welsh cakes. I served them to my boys and they got a surprise! The boys thought they were chicken burgers so were not expecting something sweet! Haha but the Welsh cakes were lovely

[@chrisrey572]

Nice job Sean. There is a trick getting use to a pan that keeps heat like that. Keep at it, I use that type of stone to make grilled cheese sandwiches. They go well with a good tomato soup! You need a over stove fan ❤

[@sharonjojo]

I saw that cake flop down between the cooker & the work top, hope you manage to get it out! made these beautiful little cakes many a time over the years & Bara brith too..well done you for the lovely ones you made! enjoy them on the mountain with a nice flask of tea. 😊👍🏻👍🏻

[@trishwilliams11]

Well done Sean on all fronts! They look delicious! I love your accompanying humour!

[@martinchamberlain8517]

My granddaughter made Welsh cakes the other day, the 5th generation at least to use the family bakestone.

[@cathybritt6312]

Look good but I've never made them. I wouldn't say no to 1. Sur the brigade would like it. Worth thd visit 😂❤

[@rassman48]

The black ones are to remind you you come from a coal mining Welsh town. But I do remember our Welsh neighbour (with the bad knees, but we still had her cooking stuff for us) used to say "Welsh cakes are simple to learn, but take lifetime to master", Which is lucky because she was in her 90s when she lived next door, so we got Welsh cakes at their best. I know I seemed to be using her to get good food, like cakes or lamb roasts or steak and kidney pies, but to be fair I did do her guttering every spring when I did my own.

[@richmorg8196]

We made homemade lasagne yesterday it is delicious

[@patcardiff2563]

I can remember my mother staying up all night Xmas time to boil her puddings she used to put in real silver sixpence for good luck those were the days she had seven children still cannot taste Xmas cake as good as hers

[@michaelduncan6287]

Can use a cast iron skillet turned upside down and cook on the bottom on a bit lower heat.

[@Jane_and_Meg]

Looked yummy Sean thank you! Yes when I was a younger the Sunday lunch pudding was homemade trifle - lovely!

[@mikeembe1261]

Bought cakes & tarts were rarity, mum made everything, yum 👍

[@ColinOBear]

The only thing better than baking is watching someone else do it. 😊 I make bread every Saturday morning and sometimes scones if a friend is coming over. Not made Welsh cakes yet, but watching you has made think ill have a try. Hope you have a good weekend. 🙂

[@lorrainemorris527]

I think your hot plate was too hot. The Welsh cakes are a very old Welsh tradition. You can split them and have jam or butter a family member she put golden syrup to the mixture it kept them really most. Swansea market sells Welsh cakes and Barra brith thay are really tasty 😋 The only thing you can't eat one or two maybe four with a nice pot of tea ☕ 🫖. Well done Sean 👌

[@petermurray4193]

You reminded me of dear Ruth Mott preparing your mixture with your hands, I occasionally make the pasties that my mum made, our version anyway, with potato and corned beef.

[@windrush08]

When I was growing up it was considered not a done thing to be eating whilst out and about. It still is like that in some parts of the world. But the take away and drive -thru style of eating has changed this.

[@jillachen7217]

Hello, I watched a documentary filmed in Japan, and no one eats while walking in the city, if so, they are politely talked to by the police on the beat, Jill from Baudette Minnesota USA ❤

[@northernkarma9296]

The telephone thing. I was literally just thinking about this yesterday. We would stomp on the floor because my brother had his bedroom in the basement (sounds creepy but it wasn't) So if the phone was for him we would stomp 3 times. Seems like back in the 80's everyone did that until it became comon to have a second phone on the other level (then we felt like we were rich!) Welsh cakes IMO would be something we would call "tea biscuits" here in Canada. I really don't know how the names got so mixed up over the years. I have a lovely 84 yr old neighbour who says I bake the BEST scones, but it's a recipe I use called 'Southern buttermilk biscuits'. So easy and yummy. But as long as he's happy, I'm happy. 😉

[@bertibear1300]

Love welshcakes.

[@sueparsons6919]

Well done your first effort of making welsh cakes look great. I usually sprinkle sugar on top once cooked.

[@jimmyquinn9639]

Lovely job sean a blind man would like to see them👍👍👍👍

[@paulajames1178]

My uncle Brian never cooked or made a cuppa tea. The exception that broke the rule was Welsh cakes using nan’s griddle. His ethos was ‘why keep a dog and bark myself’ my auntie however always burnt them, so took a stand leaving him no choice! Them were the days….

[@carolinecollett4349]

Burnt ones taste better

[@apace903]

Carrot cake, jam cake, coffee cake with crumble topping, . women didnt smoke in public. We always had to change into clean clothes to go to a shop. Children were quiet when company came. I agree with your Grandmother. She mafe it better I'm sure.😅.

[@missmaryhdream6560]

Love a crumpetbwithpphilly. Love homemade scone in air frier easy peasy x

[@diowen2725]

I've never had a Welsh cake, but I love a scone!!

[@alenkawebber4456]

Well done cakes looked delicious 🤤 thank you for sharing