FOR more than 100 years, one family has been selling cockles and laverbread to the people of the Amman Valley. Business owner Liz Williams of Gower Coast Seafoods can be found at every Ammanford Outdoor Market, which is held every Friday in Quay Street. Liz has attended for the past 20 years, following in her husband’s family’s footsteps before her.
The business was started in 1912 by Liz’s mother-in-law, Miriam Williams from Penclawdd, who started selling cockles when she was just eight-years-old with her mother in Pantyffynnon, Ammanford.
Liz said: “Miriam’s uncles went to live in Pantyffynnon because they had work in the coal mines, and that is why she ended up going there to sell.”
As Miriam got older she sold further afield, travelling by bus to Brynamman, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and even as far as Trap.
Liz continued: “Miriam would get on the bus with her baskets of cockles and bags of shell cockles. She would ask the conductor to stop the bus at certain places and he would then place a basket of cockles and a bag of shell cockles on walls. Miriam would stay on the bus with the rest of her cockles until her stop and then would start walking back selling her cockles by knocking on peoples doors. As she walked back she would pick up the cockles that were left on the walls and carry on selling. Some people, if they were going out, would leave a bowl with the money and Miriam would leave the cockles.”
“Some people would ask her in for a cup of tea or something to eat, or even on wet days would let her dry her clothes in front of the fire whilst she had a rest. My husband then started selling with his mother around the doors but when he started driving he would go around and Miriam would sit outside the Cross Inn in Ammanford, and that’s when we started to trade in Ammanford town,” Liz added.
Liz’s husband, Jeff, took over the selling in Ammanford and their son, Spencer, after him. The cockles and laverbread are collected, cooked and sold by the family who live in Crofty, just a mile from Penclawdd.
The only time the family hasn’t been selling in the town was during the Sea Empress oil disaster in 1996 which resulted in them not being able to work for 17 weeks.
Liz added: “The people of Ammanford are lovely, really good down-to-earth people. I really enjoy going there to meet, talk, and have a joke and a bit of banter with everyone. Ammanford people are very loyal and I see my customers every week and I mostly know their order when they come to our stall. Some of my customers now are the children and grandchildren of Miriam’s customers.”
Gower Coast Seafoods can be found every Friday at Ammanford Outdoor Market, Quay Street between 9am and 4:30.
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