Leek cupcakes? Roast lamb beer? Creative ways to celebrate St David's Day

A savoury leek cupcake

The First Minister, Carwyn Jones, has celebrated ahead of St David's Day by ringing the prestigious Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange

The First Minister is in America taking part in a series of meetings and events to help raise the profile of Wales in the States. He called opening trading on Wall Street "an honour".

Watch Ian Lang's report below.

Back home in Wales, businesses in Chirk and Conwy have been testing out unusual ways of marking St David's Day tomorrow. They've come up with some new twists on old favourites, as Ian Lang finds out.

ST DAVID DAY'S LEEKY CUPCAKES RECIPE

Makes: About 12 cupcakes

Prep time: About 20 minutes

Cooking time: About 20 minutes

Oven temperature: Gas Mark 6, 200 degrees Celcius, 400ºF

Marjorie and her family came up with the recipe for their tea rooms

INGREDIENTS

½ a leek (washed and finely chopped)

4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon of olive oil (for frying)

325g self-raising flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tablespoons caster sugar

60g of coarsely grated Welsh Cheddar cheese

120ml full fat milk

120ml olive oil

60ml sour cream

2 free range Welsh eggs

Pinch of white pepper

TOPPING

400 grams cream cheese

130 grams sour cream

2 tsp Welsh honey

Chives (finely chopped)

Green food colouring

Leeks (shaped and cut to place on top)

The cupcakes are garnished with chopped leek

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200oc and place cupcake cases into cupcake tin.

2. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil into frying pan. Add finely chopped leek and bacon into frying pan and fry lightly until leek is soft and bacon is crispy. Once cooked, drain leek and bacon from olive and allow to cool.

3. Sift flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Stir in caster sugar and add welsh cheddar cheese, bacon and leek.

4. Put milk, olive oil, sour cream, eggs & pepper into a jug and whisk together.

5. Add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with metal spoon or alternatively use an electric mixer.

6. Half fill cupcake cases with mixture.

7. Place in hot oven for 20 minutes until top is golden brown or place cake skewer and ensure it comes out clean.

8. Allow to cool fully.

9. To make the topping ix cream cheese, sour cream and honey together with a small amount of green food colouring and decorate cupcake.

10. Sprinkle on finely chopped chives over the savoury cupcakes and add the shaped leek for appearance.