Welsh cuisine butter was the primary cooking medium and basis for sauces. Salt was an important ingredient in Welsh butter, but also in early Welsh cheeses, which would sit in brine during the cheesemaking process. The Welsh were also early adopters of roasting cheese. An early incarnation of Welsh rarebit was being made in medieval times, and by the middle of the 15th century rarebit was considered a national dish. The acid soil of Wales meant that the milk produced by their cattle created a soft cheese, which was not as good for roasting, so Welsh people would trade for harder cheeses
Welsh Rarebit (radio programme) and from June 1941 – when production was taken over by Mai Jones, who was also responsible for such other entertainment shows as "Saturday Starlight" – "Welsh Rarebit" also featured from time to time in the schedules of the BBC Home Service. Although chiefly a variety show, the programme also included such regular features as Eynon Evans playing "Tommy Troubles" and "Dai's Letter to the Forces", a sentimental reflection of life in Wales read by Lyn Joshua. "Welsh Rarebit" featured a host of Welsh entertainers, many of whom became household names; regulars included Wyn Calvin, Maudie Edwards, Eynon Evans, Vera