A bara brith bonanza!

Last night the Welsh classes at the London Welsh Centre held their annual St David's Day party. This year, it featured a bara brith competition - with an impressive seven entries. Everyone put great effort into the tasting and judging!

More on the Welsh produce market

Don't forget the Welsh produce market being held in St Christopher's Place, off Oxford Street, tomorrow (Friday 27 Feb). Among the producers there will be makers of cakes, brownies, steamed puddings, organic meat pies, smoked meat and fish, and cheeses. All are winners of True Taste Wales food and drink awards, guaranteeing you a delicious St David's Day.

If you can't make it on Friday, some of the stallholders also offer mail order. Brownies by post would make a superb gift; or for a more traditional Welsh dinner, you can order organic Welsh lamb, bara brith, welsh cakes, and even cheeses aged at the bottom of a coal mine.

The market is open 12.30-7pm. For more info, click here.

London Welsh trades: dairies (1)

This fading signage, a short walk from the London Welsh Centre, is a reminder that the area was a centre for Welsh dairies in the nineteenth century. Although the Dairy Outfit Co was not itself a Welsh company, it supplied dairies with a wide range of equipment so would have had many Welsh customers.

In the early nineteenth century, Welsh milk girls sold their products on the streets. Soon, though, the trade became more settled with a move to corner dairy stores which also sold butter and cheese. Some even had their own cows on-site. Over time, many expanded to become general stores: the original corner shops.

Reminder: celebrate St David's Day with music

There was lovely, see!

Another successful comedy night on Friday! Here are a few photos: L-R Paul Harry Allen, Rik Moore, Zoe Lyons and MC Marian Pashley.

Eat Welsh in London

Enjoy food from Wales in the run-up to St David's Day, thanks to a Welsh produce market in St Christopher's Place (just off Oxford Street). Meet the award-winning producers and stock up on some fabulous artisanal food including cheese, pate and chocolate brownies.

It's on Friday 27 February, open all afternoon until 7pm.

It's not all doom and gloom...

... Don't forget this evening's night of comedy, There's Lovely See. Join us at the London Welsh Centre on Gray's Inn Road at 8pm - tickets include a free drink!

London Welsh Centre in the news (2)

Thank you to Stuart Hughes for pointing us to this video of his full BBC Wales report:

London Welsh Centre in the news

The London Welsh Centre is featured on BBC News today. There's bad news - the Centre risks closure if it doesn't get more support - but members and supporters are determined to turn things around. News presenter Huw Edwards comments, 'I'm not prepared to imagine life for the London Welsh without the centre'.

Read the full story here.

Easy ways you can help:

• Attend some events - check this blog for regular information!
• Join the Centre - it's good value and includes a quarterly colour magazine; reduced entry for events like the comedy nights; and use of facilities including the bar.
• Get involved - lots of organisations including choirs, Welsh classes, literary events, and more are based there.
  

London Welsh trades: cattle drovers

Welsh cattle drovers had been coming to London since before the thirteenth century, and for hundreds of years the trade kept growing. By the 1700s, cattle were used as a form of money transfer: cows were safer than cash on the two or three-week journey. Many received their final fattening-up in the fields of rural Islington, and finished their journey in Smithfield.

As London grew, so did the cattle trade. It prospered under the Tudors and expanded with the city in the eighteenth century - tens of thousands of cattle made the journey every year. Often, blacksmiths travelled with them as the cows wore horseshoe-like shoes. The drovers also carried money, messages and news in both directions. Because their trustworthiness was so important, they were licensed and had to be married householders over 30 years old.

This lively trade eventually died away in the 1850s, when the railways replaced drovers travelling on foot. However, all those trading contacts didn't go to waste. The cattle drovers would be replaced by the famous Welsh dairies of Victorian London.

There's Lovely See - Welsh comedy night

Have a laugh this Friday at There's Lovely See, the fabulous comedy club with a Welsh accent. Friday's line-up includes Zoe Lyons, Rik Moore, Paul Harry Allen and MC Marian Pashley.

These nights have been a great success, featuring quality comedy acts in the friendly London Welsh Centre bar. Definitely an evening not to be missed - in the words of Time Out, 'grab a leek and get down there'!

Practical info: Friday 20 February, 8pm at the London Welsh Centre, Gray's Inn Road, WC1X 8UE
Admission: £10 including free drink (£8 Centre members).

Advance bookings: administrator@lwcentre.demon.co.uk

St David's Day with the London Welsh Chorale

The London Welsh Chorale is a mixed-voice choir which has performed at venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John's Smith Square and Southwark Cathedral. You've probably already heard them: they sang the theme tune for the UEFA Champion's League!

You have two opportunities to hear them live next weekend - 28 Feb/1 March - at the London Welsh Centre. On Saturday evening is a concert conducted by Gareth Hancock with soprano Carolyn Foulkes - a very appropriate way to celebrate St David's Day (call 020 7837 3722 for tickets: £16 including reserved seating and programme). On Sunday afternoon, they will accompany storytelling by Mary Medlicott: join them for tea and Welsh cakes from 4pm (tickets £8/children £4, available on the door).

The choir are currently celebrating their 25th anniversary year. They have an extensive repertoire, including Welsh compositions. Recordings include Earth Rejoices! and Cenin Aur - A Century of Welsh Music. If you're interested in joining them, they rehearse every Tuesday evening at the London Welsh Centre: contact secretary@londonwelshchorale.org.uk

One-day Welsh language course

Fancy learning Welsh but feel worried about mutations, consonants that turn out to be vowels, and the fact you haven't spoken it since school/some time last century/ever? We have the perfect solution!

The one-day Welsh course on Saturday 7 March is a chance to try out lessons in friendly, relaxed classes with an expert tutor. What's more, it's a bargain at £25 for a full day, including tea and coffee.

There are classes at all levels for those who've already taken the plunge - everyone is welcome. For more information and to book, click here.

Location: London Welsh Centre, 157-163 Gray's Inn Road, WC1
Times: 9.30-5.30
Register by: 27 February 2009