Words by Lowri ap Robert for Penarth View.

For the first and only time, I am channelling my inner Margaret Thatcher and stating that – we are a grandmother.

With the arrival of the adorable Gruffydd Grundy on 5 July, I now accept that my days as a hottie of a certain age are over and that my future lies in offering moral guidance (hah!) and preparing delicious family meals.

Let us not delve too deep into the semantics of this but simply provide the menu for cawl which my own grandmother passed on to me.  It’s delicious. It’s nutritious. It’s cheap. And, without wishing to sound overly sentimental, it bonds families.

• Gently simmer a small leg of lamb in salted water on a very low heat for three hours
• After this time, remove the scum and fat and add two chopped onions, parsnips, swede, potato and carrots.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
• Add two chopped leeks and simmer for a further 20 minutes
• Serve the whole lot with crusty white bread and salted butter and hunks of strong cheese

I promise that you will feel proper Welsh and patriotic at the end of this meal and that your entire family will love each other and swear allegiance to Wales’ future. Ok, I don’t really promise that. But for an amazing, cheap, healthy WELSH meal, trust me on this one.