the most common methods of food preparation and kitchen utensils included the griddle, the tripod (which was used for roasting), the bakestone and a great iron pot which would be suspended over a fire. Salted herrings would also be roasted on the tripod, as an alternative to baking. The traditional importance of fishing, and in particular the herring trade, is reflected in the coat of arms of the county, which were officially granted on October 21, 1937, and which have emblazoned in the top right quarter a herring against a background of the sea, to signify the fishing industry of Ceredigion Mackerel (Macrell) are also plentiful in Cardigan Bay. They are in season from late June to early September and are considered to have an excellent flavour when fresh. Bobby Freeman commented that this fish is at its best when "the sea-green colours are very brilliant and beautiful, and the eyes are bright". In Ceredigion, Mackerel was usually fried in vegetable oil or olive oil. The olive oil used to be imported into the Ceredigion ports that used to trade with the Mediterranean. It is reported that in the 1880s the fishermen of Aberaeron and New Quay once caught over one million mackerel over two nights. The fish were sold for a farthing each and what remained unsold from the mammoth catch was used on the fields as fertilizer. Monkfish is commonly caught in Cardigan Bay and Colin Pressdee comments that this fish is particularly suitable for kebabs due to the solid texture of the flesh, which is not grainy or flaky. He comments that the large tail can also be roasted French-style, like a leg of lamb and explains that this gives it the French name of 'gigot de mer'. He notes that in Ceredigion, some restaurants cook the fish in this way and accompany it with a red wine sauce. Teifi Fish Bake is a traditional local fish dish made from fillets of cod and smoked haddock which are skinned, cubed and covered in a parsley sauce. Diced potato and Teifi cheese are added before the dish is baked and garnished with fresh parsley. [Welsh Calendar Cookbook, P 12] Shellfish gathered from the shore once formed an important source of food for Ceredigion families. One traditional dish included scrambled eggs to which limpets (llygaid meheryn) and common periwinkles (gwichiaid) were added, these were then fried in bacon fat.