Always eager to incorporate food into our coastal adventures, we were very excited to discover that Ulster Wildlife were hosting a number of events to learn about what we can eat along our shoreline. We took a trip to Carlingford on a very rainy Saturday where we were warmly greeted by Dermot Hughes of Forage Ireland.
Over a couple of hours, Dermot led our group along the shore and showed us a variety of plants and seafood that we can easily pick, eat and cook. I was very surprised at just how much there was; from leaves that tasted of horseradish to several types of molluscs, there was easily enough for a hearty and tasty meal. And very nutritious too – Dermot told us how the peppery-tasting scurvy grass was so named because sailors used to eat it to cure the scurvy they developed from a lack of vitamin C whilst at sea.
There were a number of berries along the route, some edible, some not. The elderberries were lovely. A caramel-flavoured berry, on the other hand, sadly left us gagging.
We found quite a variety of seaweed on offer too: sweet kelp, gut weed, and sea lettuce among others. I would never have thought you could just lift seaweed from the beach and eat it without washing it or drying it out, but the sweet kelp was surprisingly palatable, and I’m still alive to tell the tale. There was something very enjoyable about snacking on bits of fresh algae as we made our way along the shore.
After battling the elements for a couple of hours, we made our way back to very literally warm our cockles. Dermot quickly got some water boiling over a camping stove and threw all the greenery into one pot, and the periwinkles, cockles and mussels into the other. And as easy as that, we were able to feast on all the food we picked up on our short walk on the beach. The seaweed mixed with some butter tasted very like cabbage, and you could really taste all the different flavours of the fresh molluscs.
It was so satisfying to be able to lift a meal from the ground and prepare it so simply. And we lifted a lot too. If you plan to go foraging I would definitely recommend going with someone who knows what they’re doing though. There is so much scattered about the shore that it can be confusing to know what’s edible and what isn’t. Dermot really knew his stuff and I thoroughly recommend doing one of his walks to see what else we can forage.
-Rachel
Nooks and Crannies of the Irish Coast 