Leek

The Welsh wear a leek on St David’s Day – legend says it once told them apart from their enemies on the battlefield.

The leek is a biennial of the amaryllis family, grown as an annual vegetable. Instead of a bulb it forms a long white “shaft” of tightly wrapped leaf sheaths, which gives way to flat, blue-green leaves. In its second year it sends up a tall stalk topped with a globular umbel of white or pinkish flowers. It tastes milder than onion, tolerates cold well and can be harvested all winter. It was already grown in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Significance in the country

Legend has it that St David told Welsh warriors to pin leeks to their helmets so they could tell friend from foe in battle with the Saxons; Shakespeare alludes to the custom in “Henry V”. The leek is the badge of the Welsh Guards regiment, and cawl, a thick soup of leek and lamb, is regarded as the Welsh national dish.

Where it grows

Grown in gardens and fields throughout the country; as a symbol most present in Wales, while north-east England is famous for its traditional giant leek competitions.

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