Tough times in Anglesey (and Ŵyau Ynys Môn)
Ynys Môn, better known to non-Welsh speakers as Anglesey, is an island that lies a short distance off the Northwest coast of Wales across the Menai Strait and is the fifth largest island off the British mainland.
A large part of the local economy depends on tourism thanks to its outstanding rural beauty and dramatic coastlines, very typical of North Wales, but that’s not to say entirely dependant. Industry and agriculture also play big roles for the population of 69,000 people, two of its largest employers being the Wylfa nuclear power station and Anglesey Aluminium (owned by Rio Tinto). However, Anglesey faces testing times in the coming years. Wylfa is provisionally earmarked for closure in 2010 (a good or bad thing is not for me to comment) and as a result Rio Tinto have decided that the aluminium smelters cannot viably survive without their cheap source of energy. Combined job-losses could total over 2000 people, obviously a devastating blow for a community of this size.
But Anglesey has a few rays of hope on the horizon. There are discussions to keep Wylfa open until as late as 2014 which will at least secure those jobs for the near future (and hopefully beyond the recession) after which, German company RWE npower have an option on the site. But Anglesey has also secured part of a £38m EU regeneration grant aimed at helping the most deprived areas of Wales as well as private companies looking to invest in the area. Further to this, a new scheme is being rolled out to encourage the placement of students with existing island businesses designed to stem the “brain drain” of high achieving school-leavers and university graduates from leaving Anglesey, a statistic recorded as a massive 89% by the 2001 census.
Hopefully the proposed support will make a difference to Anglesey’s inhabitants. My own countless holiday experiences in North Wales (albeit never across the strait) have always been a joy and it would be terrible to see their community degenerate as is currently threatened.
Okay, no more ‘heavy’ stuff. Let’s see what Anglesey has to fill our bellies! Here’s a very tasty dish from the island.
Ŵyau Ynys Môn (lit. Anglesey Island Eggs) is a gratin of mashed potatoes and boiled eggs, topped with white sauce and cheese. Very simple to make and is destined to be a regular at Chez Greedydave.
- For Ŵyau Ynys Môn
- 450g boiled new potatoes
- 6 boiled eggs (shelled and halved)
- 1 large leek
- 100g grated Caerphilly cheese (or a good “melter”)
- 600ml milk
- 25g butter
- 25g plain flour (AP)
- 2 tbsp double cream
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- Nutmeg
- Salt & pepper
Chop the leek and simmer in the milk for 10 minutes before straining. Crush up the boiled potatoes (skins ‘n’ all) and mix in the cooked leeks, double cream and
seasoning. Meanwhile, make a white sauce by cooking the butter and flour together in a saucepan for a few seconds before whisking in the hot, leek-infused milk (about 400ml should do it) and a few grates of a nutmeg. Cook it out for a couple of minutes until reasonably thick, remove from the heat and stir in half of the cheese. Season to taste but you’ll need very little salt with all that cheese in there.
Spread the potato mixture across the base of a gratin dish, onto this place the halved boiled eggs and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Pour over the white sauce and scatter the rest of the cheese on top. Dot the surface with a little extra butter or drizzle with cold-pressed rapeseed oil and bake at 200°C in the oven for about 25 minutes until browned on top.
Hwyl fawr,
GDave
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GDave,
A great post this, sad times indeed and we forget how many small communities rely on the decisions of one business. The dish looks wonderful but then you’ve used Caerphilly so that’s won me over. A perfect choice of dish to match your choice of topic.
Miles
Comment by Miles − on Jun 7, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Miles,
That’s so true. My own town has just about managed to survive the downturn of the ship building industry, but it’s all too apparent that there are no 18-25 year olds willing to stick around. Very sad, but thanks for your comments.
GDave
Comment by greedydave − on Jun 7, 2009 at 10:56 pm
GD,
that looks superb - I could happily set about that - sadly too fattening for me to cook though
Ynys Môn rung a 1000 bells immediately - there is a place steeped in Pagan history and Arthurian legends - I was due to visit some years back but events conspired against me.
Cheers
Rod
Comment by Rod − on Jun 8, 2009 at 8:20 am
GDave,
This is real comfort food… I like potato topped pies, especially with cheese. Trust you use Halen Mon salt in this recipe? In fact Dave I fancy a weekend of salt harvesting…. learn what it’s all about and go home with a bag full, that would be my marketing ploy for the area. Does anyone out there really know how salt is harvested and prepared and what flavours and minerals are involved? Wellies on then and buckets and spades at the ready…. following weekend holiday ideas include pick your own pepper and how to recognize a ripe nutmeg
With group discount I think this could well be on the cards… we’ll take Miles new Ferrari and fill the boot 
Cid
Comment by Cid − on Jun 8, 2009 at 9:39 am
Rod,
Thanks for that. Ah yes, the waistline. Been meaning to do something about that.
GDave
Comment by greedydave − on Jun 8, 2009 at 11:28 am
Cid,
Alas, no Halen Môn in the store cupboard. There was a piece about Anglesey on TV recently (which actually sparked this post) and they filmed inside the Halen Môn factory. I’d love to do a tour sometime and find out how it’s done. Thanks for your comment.
GDave
Comment by greedydave − on Jun 8, 2009 at 11:28 am
GDave,
Interesting post as we often have no idea how eliminating one or two sustaining operations can bring a whole community to its knees. Very sad.
This island sounds beautiful. What is the agricultural role? I agree with Cid, your dish looks like pure, unadulterated comfort food. Are we the only ones who see it that way, Cid?
I’d have to make some substitutions, but you’ve given me some good ideas with this dish. It’s cold here today, perfect weather for baked potatoes and eggs.
Melissa
Comment by Melissa − on Jun 9, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Melissa,
I reckon we’re often the only ones who see things in a certain way
Still, let’s not worry too much about that, eccentric and gifted women is what this site needs…. now where do you suppose we’ll find some? 
Baked potatoes and eggs…. a simple affair but is it, I’ve had some appalling examples in cafes, reheated microwaved and rubbery… eggs cooked to death etc. But we all know a good fresh, free range egg is delicious. Over here we have taken to branding our egg boxes with chicken type, for instance Legbar or Burford Brown etc so people are finally making choices and slowly edging towards kinder farming methods…. we’ve got a way to go before we rid ourselves of battery hens and their miserable lives alas.
On a brighter note I’ve noticed the tv chefs cooking eggs in a heated water bath set at a low temperature for a much longer time…. wonder what Miles thinks to that?
Cid
Comment by Cid − on Jun 9, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Melissa,
Miles thinks it’s a waste of bloody time and the English public are, by and large, bored of it now. It’s a gimmick, nothing more.
Miles
Comment by Miles − on Jun 9, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Cid (and Miles — oh, and you too, GDave),
Yes, these poor boys probably rue the day we hooked up as sidekicks. Oh well, it makes life more interesting when there’s a mix of entertaining people. If nothing else, I hope we add a touch of flavor to the recipe.
As for the eggs, I am addicted to my eggs from the farm. None of this store-bought stuff for me. Big, thick, orange yolks that stand up and look completely different from “regular” eggs. I don’t know about the TV chefs and a heated water bath, but I love a good poached egg and freshly sauteed spinach on teff toast. It’s wonderful.
Melissa
Comment by Melissa − on Jun 9, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Melissa,
Thanks, you’re so right. It’s the little guy who gets hit hardest. By agricultural I was just speaking generally. It’s said that 70% of land in the UK is farmed. (unverified)
As for the dish, I have no doubts that you’ve got all sorts of tricks for thickening a white sauce.
GDave
Comment by greedydave − on Jun 10, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Folks,
I always thought that the water bath thing was designed to denature (cook) something at a fixed temperature all the way through which is the last thing we want with a boiled egg, isn’t it? We want the white to be set but the yolk to be soft and glossy. I think half of these molecular gastronomy chefs are egg-bound.
I’d love to be part of an egg scheme like Melissa’s. Haven’t seen anything similar over this side of the pond.
GDave
Comment by greedydave − on Jun 10, 2009 at 3:21 pm
GDave,
I have access to the best chicken, duck and goose eggs around. They are wonderful. And by the way, Tevis responded to you on my blog (that punk accordian band). I’m staying out of that one. I think the band is all cute girls and they call themselves the “button pushers” which is probably appropriate.
Melissa
Comment by Melissa − on Jun 10, 2009 at 4:26 pm