A free taste of Dorset
Tiffany Francis looks at the foods available to forage on the Dorset coast
Published in September ’18
Tiffany Francis will be talking about foraging at the Dorchester Literary Festival next month
Every year visitors come to Lyme Regis to collect fossils from the Jurassic Coast, mesmerised by these pieces of the past that tell us so much about life on Earth. They gather intricate swirls and patterns etched into the rocks, and take them home to display them proudly on the mantelpiece. But this is not just a place for dead things – it is also full of life, and when the first hunter-gatherer humans landed on the Dorset coast, they thrived on the variety of wild edible plants that grow here. Dorset is still the perfect place to start reconnecting with the art of foraging.
Tiffany’s illustrations of some forageable plants
There is plenty of delicious, vitamin-rich food to forage on the shores of Dorset. Seaweeds are the best place to start, drifting through the water and prized for their nutrients all over the world. Bladderwrack is one of the most common seaweeds, found sprawled along the middle shore, and can also be spotted floating in the water at low tide, clinging to rocks, shells, timberwork and anything else to which it can attach itself. It’s the colour of dark olives and quite leathery, with pockets of air (bladders) swollen at the end of each branch and, like other seaweeds, secures itself onto rocks using a small rubbery foot. Of all the edible seaweeds in Britain, this is one of the richest in iodine and makes an incredibly healthy snack; in fact, it was the original source for the discovery of iodine in 1811. Gather branches in spring and early summer for the best flavour and bake lightly in the oven with garlic and rosemary to make healthy seaweed crisps.
Tiffany’s book
Kelp is another easy find; its Latin name, Laminaria digitate, means ‘blade fingers’, because it looks like a big wobbly hand waving through the water. Kelp is thick and leathery with one wide blade tailing off into strappy segments; it is usually found on low-tide rocky shores. It sometimes forms ‘kelp forests’ on large tidal stones and has historically been burnt to extract potash for the glass industry. Gather fresh blades in spring or summer and, as it is often used as a thickener in Japanese cuisine, try adding it to noodle soup with fresh ginger.
Slightly sweeter than regular varieties of kelp, sugar kelp can also be found in Dorset waters, and is traditionally known as the poor man’s weatherglass. When humidity changes, the blades can become limp, dry or brittle, so it was once used as a natural way to predict the weather. It is found on rocky shores, sand flats and rock pools at middle shore depth and beyond, and with its leathery fronds, iodine hue and crinkly edges, it looks like an old quill scribbling down the ocean’s secrets. Like regular kelp, the stalk ends with a tiny foot that helps the plant grip onto rocks and resist the power of the waves. Use this plant as you might use a bay leaf, adding to stews and casseroles to enhance the flavour. It can also be used raw in salads or dried and ground as a distinctive condiment.
Away from the water, search sea cliffs and dry soils for wild fennel, with its feathery green leaves that look a bit like dill and smell like aniseed when crushed between fingers. Fennel is a Marmite plant – you either love it or hate it – but if you love star anise, liquorice root or cultivated fennel bulbs, then this is the plant for you. Throughout spring, young leaves and stems taste great in soups, salads and light hotpots and make a particularly good accompaniment to oily fish, chicken breasts and minced meat. The leaves can also be combined with cheese, garlic and breadcrumbs to make fennel cakes, or they can be added to couscous dishes with orange zest. In October the seeds can be gathered and used to flavour cakes and bread, but beware their potent flavour!
Marsh samphire is another plant that grows across the south and east coasts of England, with plenty found in the mudflats and saltmarshes of the Dorset shores. Its love of growing beside the ocean means it has a succulent, salty flavour that is nevertheless quite fresh. Also known as glasswort, its leaves are fused together to give the illusion of fleshy, leafless stems, so that popping up against a stark, marshy landscape, it almost resembles a saltwater cactus. If there are plenty of specimens around and they are not at risk of overpicking, use scissors to snip away the tops of the plant like asparagus tips, and either eat raw as a salty snack or boil the trimmings in unsalted water for no more than 8-10 minutes. The soft flesh can then be removed from the stringy core and served as a side dish with butter, which is particularly good as an accompaniment to salmon. Watch out for the closely related Salicornia perennis which, although edible, is considerably less delicious.
Foraging wild food is the perfect way to reconnect with our landscape in the way we once did thousands of years ago. It also helps us to engage with the food on our plate and think about where it comes from, which, with its organic farms, local produce and love of all things tasty, is something Dorset is already well known for. Just remember to respect the coasts we all love so much: never pick more than you need, stay away from wildlife-sensitive areas, and only eat a species if you are 100% sure you have identified it correctly. When carried out correctly, foraging can be one of the healthiest and most environmentally friendly ways to feed our bodies and souls, so get out there, breathe the sweet sea air and enjoy a taste of the wild in every season.
Dorchester Literary Festival
Now in its fourth year, the Dorchester Literary Festival has more than 30 writers taking part over five days, including Vince Cable, Joanna Trollope, Orla Kiely, Jeremy Vine, Lynne Truss, Judy Murray, James Le Fanu and Mark Austin and of course Tiffany Francis on Foraging.
Authors will be talking on subjects as diverse as escaping a survivalist Mormon family; a wildlife vet’s adventures; improving your health in later years; the suffragette movement and seeking the abominable snowman. Events take place in venues around Dorchester from 17 to 21 October 2018. You can buy tickets on line at www.dorchesterliteraryfestival.com or through the Tourist Information Centre, based in Dorchester Library.
