Cymru ar Ffilm: O'r Pridd i'r Plat Cymru ar Ffilm

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-There was a revolution

-in 20th century Wales.

-In rural areas and big cities...

-..the lives of thousands

-of people were transformed...

-..by political, economic

-and technological changes.

-The traditional Welsh way of life

-ended and a new one was born.

-The BBC's reporters and film crews

-witnessed it all.

-The fruits of their labour can be

-found in thousands of film cans...

-..many of which haven't been opened

-since the day they were broadcast.

-I'm going to share some of

-those treasures with you.

-The films, the stories

-and the characters...

-..which record the history

-of our nation.

-Over the last century,

-the food on our plate...

-..and our attitude towards it

-has changed dramatically.

-From growing our own food

-on our own land...

-..to a life of convenience

-and indulgence.

-Simple home food has made way

-for an exotic choice...

-..from the four corners

-of the globe.

-Some of BBC Wales' early films...

-..show a tough,

-self-sufficient lifestyle...

-..and a tradition of home-made food

-that was quickly disappearing.

-If you climb 600 or 700 feet

-above sea level...

-..above Capel Uchaf

-and Llynog Fawr in Eifionydd...

-..you could easily lose track

-of time.

-You won't see 1964 farming methods

-used here...

-..because time has stood still

-at Tanclawdd for years.

-The clocks have stopped

-although life goes on.

-At this small holding, the process

-of churning milk to make butter...

-..hadn't changed for centuries.

-Every day.

-And the cattle are drying up,

-of course.

-The cattle are getting dry.

-Mrs Pritchard is getting old now

-and leaves the physical work...

-..to her daughter Nan.

-I make about six pounds. I used to

-make a lot more. About 11.

-I used to, yes.

-Mind you, this is very handy.

-Very handy.

-Why does the family at Tanclawdd

-persevere with a process...

-..which has mostly disappeared?

-The answer is simple. They are

-churning because they have to.

-The milk lorry can't reach here.

-The milk has to be turned into

-something which can be sold.

-They've been making butter here

-for generations...

-..and the craft is safe for

-at least one more generation.

-If the land was more fertile,

-life would be a lot easier...

-..but if that meant losing

-another rural craft...

-..the world would be poorer for it.

-For the older generation, memories

-were still alive of bleak times...

-..when nothing was wasted.

-Every scrap of meat

-helped feed someone.

-To make sheep's head soup...

-..you need to have the head

-of a sheep, like this one.

-You have to remove the brain

-and clean it.

-Then you remove the eyes.

-You do this the previous night.

-You also soak it in salt water.

-The following morning, you get

-a cauldron of boiling water...

-..and put the head in,

-teeth and all...

-..and boil it for three hours.

-Mrs Davies, do you have anything

-but sheep's head soup?

-You can't have it every day.

-On Mondays we have split pea soup.

-There's a sheep's head in that too.

-On Tuesdays we have rice and milk.

-On Wednesdays, pearl barley.

-On Thursdays, rice and milk

-with currants in it.

-And on Fridays, split peas.

-I've had a look at the soup and I

-can't imagine eating anything...

-..with teeth and eyes in it.

-When it has cooked enough,

-the bones will come out.

-I cut the meat up

-and put it back in.

-What about the teeth?

-They come out. They're bones.

-And the eyes?

-There aren't any eyes.

-You don't eat eyes with the teeth,

-then?

-We don't eat teeth either!

-Do you think the children of today

-would enjoy sheep's head soup?

-They're more finicky today!

-Look out anyone who left food

-on their plate.

-And if meat was short...

-..at least the sea offered plenty

-of fish for people on the coast.

-The Nefyn herring in Llyn was

-famous throughout the country.

-# The Nefyn herring

-# There's nothing like it

-for easing a famine

-# Buy the Nefyn herring

-# Fresh from the sea

-# And all of you who sleep

-so soundly

-# Without a thought of the sea

-or the waves

-# That's where we were,

-without a shadow on the sea

-# Hunting the fish

-# Buy the Nefyn herring

-# Fresh from the sea. #

-Nefyn used to be very well known

-for its herring.

-Hundreds upon hundreds

-would come to shore...

-..in nets.

-But we can't find a scrap

-for lunch these days!

-It's impossible.

-I don't know where they've gone.

-No idea.

-Unless they're caught in these

-giant nets on the boats...

-..which drag them in.

-There was an old man

-who would go around.

-"Nefyn herring!"

-That's what he would always shout.

-He would always call them

-Nefyn herring...

-..no matter where

-he had got them from.

-Although Nefyn herring

-were disappearing...

-..there was another

-treasure on the seabed...

-..and an old fashioned

-way of collecting it.

-Very hard and tiring work.

-As Moc Morgan found out in Conwy.

-Scouring the depths of the river

-mouth with their long rakes...

-..for the mussels.

-John Roberts,

-how much luck are you having today?

-I'm doing alright.

-How many do you expect to

-collect in a morning?

-Around four, five or six bags.

-Is it true that there are a lot

-of millionaires collecting here?!

-Millionaires? No,

-there aren't any of those here.

-Some head to the shore and search

-land that's only dry...

-..for about an hour or two

-between high tide and low tide.

-Mrs Roberts, I said earlier this

-was hard work for strong men...

-..and now I see a woman

-doing the work.

-You have a respect for the sea,

-haven't you?

-A respect beyond everything.

-Beyond everything.

-I've just spoken with John Roberts

-and you're his aunt.

-Yes.

-Let me ask you then,

-how old are you?

-Well...

-I've turned 70.

-Oh, Mrs Roberts,

-thank you very much.

-Let me do something for you.

-Let me carry this basket

-to the boat for you.

-I would be very grateful indeed.

-The tide says that it's time

-to head for home...

-..after a hard day's work

-The small boats once again

-congregate...

-..under the shadow

-of the large boat.

-And I have to say, it looks like

-it's been a profitable morning.

-Although the haul of mussels

-is safe in the boats...

-..like every other fish, they have

-to be cleaned and prepared...

-..before they are ready

-for the customer.

-The sea was a pantry,

-but also a motorway...

-..to take boys like Onion Johnnies

-from Brittany to Wales...

-..for months every year

-to sell their produce.

-A house on top of the quay

-in Porthmadog...

-..is the headquarters of the onion

-sellers of Carmarthenshire...

-..and parts of Merionethshire.

-Every year, throughout the autumn

-and winter months...

-..there are echoes of Breton

-accents in the old house.

-And the quick fingers tie onions

-together throughout the day.

-There are four in the Porthmadog

-group, all working together.

-Once, 11 made the annual

-pilgrimage to Wales.

-The bike is still a crucial

-part of the business...

-..and it is a business after all.

-They are here to make a living...

-..because they can't make

-ends meet at home.

-In Roscoff, Claude Davidon

-remembers sailing...

-..from Roscoff to Porthmadog.

-Some of his children

-went to school there.

-I talked to him

-about the old times...

-..in a strange mixture

-of Breton and Welsh.

-HE SPEAKS BRETON

-Every step of the way by sea?

-How long are you

-staying in Porthmadog?

-How long?

-How long?

-

-Yes. Six months?

-Six months, seven months,

-eight months every year.

-Do you? And you're very happy here?

-Very happy in Porthmadog.

-We'll be back next August.

-They will be back

-at the end of August...

-..and their bikes will be creaking

-under the weight of the onions.

-And it seems we'll be happy

-to pay a crown for a rope.

-Every Onion Johnnie

-is getting older...

-..and they reduce in number

-year after year.

-Thank you very much.

-They're very nice.

-Erm...

-Alright. Thank you very much.

-Nice to see you.

-Thank you and until next August...

-Thank you and until next August...

-

-August. There we are.

-Thank you.

-Thank you. Goodbye.

-Johnny still comes to Wales

-with his onions...

-..and he's still welcome

-in our house.

-But in its day, it was the only

-foreign food on our plates.

-As a rule, local produce from the

-farm or the garden was on the menu.

-We ate to live,

-we didn't live to eat.

-But there were big changes afoot.

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-After the war, Wales wasn't

-a land of milk and honey.

-Food rationing didn't come

-to an end until the '50s.

-By the '60s, fridges and electric

-ovens were common in homes...

-..and there were cooking lessons

-on television...

-..with Fanny Cradock starring.

-But the food was still

-quite traditional.

-There are many traditional foods

-available in Wales.

-But tonight, I'd like

-to talk to you...

-..about a very special supper.

-A supper that is very well known

-in the Rhandirmwyn area.

-It's a supper for fishermen and

-it's called The Licence Supper.

-This supper takes place every year

-at the beginning of March.

-In this supper, the whole family

-would come together...

-..to celebrate acquiring a licence

-to catch trout in the area.

-And this is the supper for you now.

-First of all,

-turn to the pork flank.

-It's a fatty meat and you always

-need to use fatty meat...

-..because in the old days...

-..there was no red meat

-available in March.

-Then, the trout.

-It doesn't matter what size

-the trout are.

-Plenty of pepper and parsley.

-Put a lid on it and place it in the

-oven for around half an hour.

-The oven temperature needs

-to be moderately hot, of course.

-Half an hour has passed...

-..and I'm hoping that everything

-is ready now.

-A traditional supper,

-ready for the table.

-From the table to the pub.

-And for a time, when drinking

-and driving was a hot topic...

-..there was more than beer

-behind the bar.

-Gwydion, a glass of bitter...

-..and two glasses of milk

-for the boys, please.

-Yes, the man asked for milk.

-You heard correctly...

-..because in this pub in Llanelli,

-the Ty Melin...

-..they sell milk as an answer

-to the breathalyzer tests.

-Four other pubs in Carmarthenshire

-sell milk...

-..one in Caernarfonshire

-and one in Denbighshire.

-Mr Jones, I see you're

-drinking milk here.

-Yes. I was born and raised on milk.

-In the village of Ferryside.

-You don't see any difference then?

-You don't see any difference then?

-

-No. I enjoy it.

-I'm 80 now, you see.

-If I hadn't been drinking milk,

-I would have conked out!

-It keeps you going.

-It keeps me going, yes.

-I don't see you drinking it here.

-I was drinking it

-before you came in.

-I can't drink it all the time.

-Mr Davies, they say you sell milk

-but I see you're drinking beer.

-Yes. I enjoy them both.

-I've been drinking two pints

-of milk every day for years.

-Well, why aren't you

-drinking milk here now?

-It's to change my mood and spirit

-in the night.

-You don't get the same spirit

-from milk?

-No. I don't think so.

-Mrs Jones, if I may.

-How much milk have you sold?

-Four pints since last Thursday.

-And I don't think

-we'll sell much more.

-You don't?

-You don't?

-

-I don't think so.

-The boys in this pub prefer

-to drink beer than milk.

-What do you have to say

-about this milk, Mr Phillips?

-Milk's an important part

-of people's lives.

-I think we should all drink

-a pint or two a day.

-But unfortunately,

-I don't like milk!

-As middle class wages increased,

-the good life was within reach.

-High quality meals with wine

-in tasteful restaurants.

-One who enjoyed eating in

-restaurants around Wales...

-..was former Archdruid, Cynan.

-Cynan, how do you critique?

-The perfect restaurant would have

-to be in a desirable location.

-So it's worth you going there

-for an evening meal.

-A tasteful room.

-The cutlery on the table

-has to be sparkling clean.

-Everything has to be perfect.

-Those serving you

-should be pleasant...

-..and even better if the waitresses

-speak Welsh.

-An interest

-in your individual choices...

-..and the standard of food and

-the standard of the wine menu.

-All those should be present

-before receiving full marks.

-An extensive menu?

-Of course. Plenty of choice

-and a la carte...

-..so every member of your party

-can have something different...

-..if that's what they want.

-You want a perfect setting,

-perfect service...

-..and perfect food with plenty of

-choice. What about the price?

-I have to... It isn't...

-They vary, of course.

-I don't think a meal is expensive

-if you get your money's worth.

-What I object to is...

-..there is an establishment

-in Cardiff, for example...

-..and they charged twice

-the appropriate price...

-..for a bottle of wine.

-Not everyone who orders wine

-isn't a fool.

-That's it,

-I'll never go back there.

-It's alright if they want

-to charge a bit extra...

-..than you'd pay in a shop

-but charging twice as much...

-..is profiteering.

-So you'll never go there again?

-So you'll never go there again?

-

-Never.

-The village shop or the

-grocer's on the corner...

-..used to be the place to buy food.

-But by the beginning of the 1970s

-there were changes afoot.

-Thanks to the supermarkets,

-convenience arrived...

-..with choices

-that had never been seen before.

-Meri Rhiannon, as a

-Caerphilly housewife...

-..what is you reaction to the

-arrival of this huge supermarket...

-..to the town?

-It's been thrown at us somehow.

-We've had the leaflets through the

-doors saying prices have been cut.

-It shocks me. There are so many

-markets in the town already...

-..that another one and a bigger one

-has arrived here.

-It has shocked me.

-As housewives, how do you expect

-to benefit from these places?

-The opening hours benefit

-housewives...

-..especially those who work.

-That's valuable for us.

-One effect the development has on

-Caerphilly is fewer people...

-..will shop in the town

-which can lead to unemployment.

-What affect has it already had

-on local shops?

-Several companies are already

-looking at their balance sheets...

-..and wondering

-whether they can continue...

-..to keep their shops open or will

-they take this opportunity...

-..to close and make redundancies.

-It's a shame.

-Also, this new kind of shopping

-brings an impersonal attitude...

-..into an area such as Caerphilly.

-From nine o'clock

-tomorrow morning...

-..shoppers will be free to

-use the new supermarket.

-Customers can use 25 checkouts

-to go through to pay.

-The owners are confident they are

-meeting the needs...

-..the ordinary shopper

-but there will also be a place...

-..for the smaller shopper.

-Time will tell

-whether this is true or not.

-In a world where tinned food

-filled the shelves...

-..and ready meals filled

-the supermarket freezers...

-..churning butter or

-making sheep's head soup...

-..seemed like ancient

-traditions.

-The convenience of the modern world

-was welcomed in Wales...

-..and we came to favour

-new, exotic foods.

-With the cuts in the

-steel industry...

-..thousands of people are looking

-for new and different jobs.

-What can be more different than

-leaving the steel mills...

-..to come and work at the

-Joe Moruzzi ice cream factory...

-..and Uncle Wong's Chinese

-ready meals factory?

-100,000 Chinese ready meals

-are produced here every week.

-They use Asian herbs and fruit

-as well as local meat...

-..to make high quality ready meals.

-There is huge emphasis on the

-content and cleanliness.

-The owner, Thomas Wong,

-knows how to run a business.

-He set up the plastics industry

-in Malaysia...

-..where he employed 1500 people.

-Only 25 are employed here but there

-are plans to expand the business...

-..and to employ 50 people.

-Five different meals

-are currently produced.

-Chow mein, curry, sweet and sour

-pork, chicken and rice...

-..and egg fried rice.

-It's hoped the food will be

-distributed to supermarkets...

-..across Britain

-by the end of the year...

-..with every meal costing 1.00.

-Uncle Wong was ahead of his time.

-He saw that growing and preparing

-meals was too much work...

-..for the busy people

-of the modern era.

-But in the age of the microwave,

-I find it difficult to believe...

-..that I'm the only one

-who sometimes long for...

-..for a simple Welsh meal.

-Breads and butter milk maybe.

-# There's lovely money in London

-to have an evening meal

-# And walk with my love

-until nine or ten o'clock

-# Oh, the small beer

-# The small beer

-# Have a mouthful

-of a small beer. #

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