PERFECT PAIRINGS

Whether it’s a citrussy chardonnay paired with a gooey brie or a pint of rich stout with a plate of plump oysters, Welsh food is at its best combined with a top local tipple

- CHRISTIE DIETZ

GOWER SALT MARSH LAMB (PDO) & PENDERYN PEATED WHISKY

Weobley Castle Farm has stood on open farmland on the north coast of Gower, with a view towards West Wales, for more than a century. For the past 70 years, the farm and its sheep, which are born and raised on the salt marshes, have been in the care of the Pritchard family. Today, that’s Rowland Pritchard and his two sons, Daniel and Will — the third generation.

The Pritchards’ flock of around 1,000 sheep — plus another 1,000 or so lambs come spring — spend most of their lives on the salt marshes, returning to the farm only for a night or two every couple of weeks, when the tide is high. Their meat acquires distinctive characteristics from their unique environment, particularly from the vegetation on which they graze. “The marsh has grass not found anywhere else, plus samphire and sorrel, all of which gets covered by salt water from the tide. All these things make a difference to the flavour,” Will explains.

He describes their meat as being “darker and leaner” than pasture-raised lamb, adding that the animals’ unique diet means the “flavour is sweeter, more succulent, and doesn’t have a strong lamby, gamey taste”. The farm’s award-winning Gower Salt Marsh Lamb is only available in season (July until Christmas) and was recently awarded PDO (protected designation of origin) status, under Defra’s UK Geographical Indication (GI) scheme.

When it comes to preparing the lamb to eat, Will says, “it’s important with most cuts to try and have some pink in the middle to keep it juicy”. He advises “not to mess about with too many or too strong flavours, or you can drown out the flavour of the meat”.