A staple meal in the coal mining communities of South Wales (as well as across the border in the English Midlands) since at least the 19th century, faggots are a showcase of Welsh culinary  ingenuity at its best.

With only the cheapest cuts available to them, Welsh housewives would take the – not particularly appealing – ingredients of minced pork liver and lung, breadcrumbs, sage and seasoning, pack them into a ball, wrap them in the stomach lining of a pig, and roast them in the oven. What came out was a surprisingly delicate version of a meatball, which served as a centrepiece for a hearty dinner along with peas and gravy – or even served cold with bread and butter for an-after supper snack.

Despite relying on less desirable cuts of meat, the dish was so beloved that there are reports of women in South Wales selling up to 100 of the little meatballs each week to neighbours from windows and front porches. 

Though the recipe for faggots has changed through the years (typically now featuring less lung), this appetite for the unusual, wallet-friendly dish has not diminished, and remains a much-loved pub dinner in Wales today.

As mentioned, the dish is a classic dinnertime option, served with gravy, peas, and, in modern iterations (including ours), mash. However, the cold version, eaten as a supper snack, is reserved only for the most adventurous foodies.

Ironically, given these cuts of meat were initially selected for this recipe due to being inexpensive and readily available, securing the ingredients to make homemade faggots today can be a little tricky. With notice, most butchers should be able to provide you with offal, although you may have to buy a whole pig's liver, which will be more than you need in this recipe. Feel free to scale up the recipe and freeze faggots if desired. 

When preparing the heart, remove all the hard fat around the top of the muscle then cut it in half before removing any tubes, clotted blood and ligaments. After trimming you should have two firm, clean pieces of muscle.

Rather than creating a dozen or so small faggots, you could make a few larger ones, if preferred. If opting for this method, split the mix into four and proceed as advised. However, being substantially bigger, they will need an extra 20 minutes (that’s 50 minutes rather than 30 minutes) to cook through once you turn the heat down.

The same recipe here also works well for lamb faggots. Substitute the pork with fatty lamb mince, heart and liver. And swap the chopped sage with finely chopped rosemary. Lovely with minted peas!

For perfectly smooth mashed potatoes I strongly recommend using a potato ricer. Alternatively, if you’d prefer not to serve the faggots with mash, they are equally delicious served with marrow fat peas.

Serves: 4 | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins 

Ingredients

For the faggots:

4 onions

20g butter

1 litre beef or chicken stock

1 tsp tomato puree

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ tsp mace

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tsp fresh sage, chopped

100g breadcrumbs

300g pork mince, with a good amount of fat (minced belly works well)

200g pork liver

1 pig’s heart

250g caul fat (soaked for at least an hour in cold water)

For the mashed potatoes:

1kg floury potatoes

50g butter

100ml milk

¼ nutmeg seed, finely grated

Method

Step 1: First get the gravy on. Slice 2 onions and fry on a medium heat with the butter until soft, this should take approximately 10-15 minutes. Now stir in the tomato puree and then add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then keep warm as you prepare the faggots.

Step 2: Finely dice the remaining onions and fry in the vegetable oil for 5 minutes before stirring in the garlic, spices and herbs and cooking for a further 2 minutes, then cool.

Step 3: Preheat the oven (220C; fan 200C; gas 7), then finely chop the liver and heart (see “notes from the chef” section above for more details on this). Add to a large bowl with the minced pork, breadcrumbs, onions and salt. Mix well then shape into 12 meatballs.

Step 4: Lay the caul fat out on your counter and cut into 12 equal squares. Place a meatball onto each square of caul fat and wrap the fat around each one. Place into a snug roasting tin with the joining ends of the caul fat beneath each faggot.

Step 5: Roast for 15 minutes or until lightly coloured. Drain off any excess oil in the pan before pouring over the gravy. Turn the heat down (170C; fan 140C; gas 3), cover with foil and roast for a further 30 minutes.

Step 6: While the faggots are roasting, prepare the mashed potatoes. Peel and quarter the potatoes and bring them to the boil in well salted water. In another pan bring the milk, butter, nutmeg and black pepper to a simmer. Once the potatoes are tender, which should take around 15 minutes depending on size, mash them and pour in the butter and milk mixture and beat until smooth.

Step 7: Divide and plate up the mashed potato, then top each portion with a couple of the meatballs, complete with generous spoonfuls of gravy, ready for serving. 

This recipe was researched and tested by chef Alex Vines. Alex developed his signature “simple yet attentive” cooking style during a decade working in renowned London restaurants. Originally from Cardiff, Alex champions the use of seasonal and local produce, mirroring the principles of traditional Welsh recipes. Follow Alex on Instagram.