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But, you may ask, why the association with leeks (sometimes substituted by the more attractive-looking daffodil)? After all, there are not many saints who are associated with vegetables. There are different theories. Some say that St David got Welsh soldiers to wear leeks in their helmets to distinguish them from the pagan Saxons in battle and that this was regarded as a sign of God's protection - though this could be a later tradition (perhaps associated with the battle of Agincourt, 1415) that was back-dated to the time of St David.

More plausible is the fact that St David lived an austere life, following a diet of water, herbs and vegetables - including the leek. He was known as the 'man of water,' for he drank nothing else and sometimes stood in a freezing cold lake, with water up to his neck, saying his prayers. A strict life that enabled him to reach the age of 147!

So the leek calls to mind the saint's austerities - including his vegetarianism long before it became fashionable - and so is appropriate food for thought as we approach the fourth Sunday of Lent.