Samphire?

JodyBPM

When I was a child, we always used to holiday in North Norfolk, and one of the things we used to do was pick samphire from the marshes and eat it boiled quickly with a knob of butter, a great big plate of it, served with fresh bread and butter - it was delicious!

Now I'm all grown up with children of my own, I'm taking great pleasure in doing a lot of the things that I used to do as a child with my children. One of the things I'd love to do is go tredging over the marshes in wellies picking our dinner.

We're unlikely to be going to Norfolk any time soon, where I would have a reasonable idea of where to find samphire, but we have a holiday caravan in Thanet, Kent, so I wondered if there was anywhere to pick samphire around there? I know that I'm looking for coastal marshlands, and that the season starts from June onwards, but I don't know the area that well yet, so am not sure where to start looking!

Anyone got any idea of areas to try that would be in sensible driving distance of Thanet? (Oh,and whilst I'm at it, where are the best places to go crabbing? I took the children out to go crabbing in Minnis Bay, but we had no luck at all, whereas again, in Norfolk, I remember catching loads!)

Stephen_Leak

I don't know about wild samphire but, if all else fails, I've seen it for sale in ASDA.

Elvisia

I have seen it in sale in my local fruit and veg shop! They only had a tiny basket of it though, made me laugh as I can't imagine any of the locals knowing what samphire is, I only know because I knew someone who kept going on about it.

JodyBPM

Do you know what? I'm sure it just wouldn't taste the same unless we picked it ourselves! TBH its more about the activity than the eating of it for me!

Thanks for the suggestions though, if all else fails, I will consider buying it if necessary, but I'd rather pull my wellies on and go a-gathering!

nuatha

JodyBPM wrote: »

Do you know what? I'm sure it just wouldn't taste the same unless we picked it ourselves! TBH its more about the activity than the eating of it for me!

Thanks for the suggestions though, if all else fails, I will consider buying it if necessary, but I'd rather pull my wellies on and go a-gathering!

Good for you, and that way there is a good chance that your children will be doing the same with your grandchildren.
Unfortunately I'm at the wrong end of the country to know good sites near Thanet, but I do know that crabbing up here isn't as productive as it used to be. (And handline fishing was a lot more productive when my Dad was a lad, than it was in the same places when I was young and pickings are even slimmer now).
Good hunting

JodyBPM

nuatha wrote: »

Good for you, and that way there is a good chance that your children will be doing the same with your grandchildren.

I really hope so! I spent most of my teens and my twenties thinking that all the stuff my parents used to do was daft, but now in my thirties with children of my own, I'm rediscovering and valuing it all. Its my mum who taught me how to sew, my parents who blackberry/samphire/rosehip/elderflower etc picked with us, home baking, wine making, jam and chutney making, all this stuff I learnt at my parents elbows, and I really hope that I'm passing it all on to my children! (My 7 yr old dd can already confidently knock up an envelope fold cushion cover or a simple elasticated gathered skirt on my vintage hand Singer, and both of my children would be able to make pastry or a victoria sponge (with supervision of course), so even if they reject it all later, I'm sure it will be lodged somewhere in their minds, for them to bring out when they have children of their own!)

Unfortunately I'm at the wrong end of the country to know good sites near Thanet, but I do know that crabbing up here isn't as productive as it used to be. (And handline fishing was a lot more productive when my Dad was a lad, than it was in the same places when I was young and pickings are even slimmer now).
Good hunting

Interesting about the crabbing. Was many years ago that I used to sit at high tide with my legs hanging over the quay at Wells Next the Sea, but we used to fill our buckets with crabs in no time at all, but we failed to catch anything when we took the children out in Kent last year. Maybe there are less crabs around (crabbing for fun,not for food btw, they all got thrown back!)

calicocat

I love samphire,didn't know asda sold it so may have to go in (been trying to avoid s.markets).

Would also love it if anyone knows where in northumberland I could pick some if it's ok to muscle in on the question a bit (oops). I don't even know if it grows up here to be honest.

Hope you find somewhere,and a great activity to do with the kiddies.

chalkysoil

I bought some in Asda recently (rtc) it was from Israel ! It seemed saltier than Norfolk Samphire to me.
At Dover, the new bit of land nature reserve thingy is called Samphire Hoe, after a Shakespeare reference to samphire on the cliffs at Dover.
I've never found any yet though ... If I was looking in Thanet I'd go to Pegwell Bay, the place where the Hovercraft used to be. I've found wild tomatoes and herbs growing there.

nuatha

calicocat wrote: »

I love samphire,didn't know asda sold it so may have to go in (been trying to avoid s.markets).

Would also love it if anyone knows where in northumberland I could pick some if it's ok to muscle in on the question a bit (oops). I don't even know if it grows up here to be honest.

Hope you find somewhere,and a great activity to do with the kiddies.

I've seen Samphire in Asda Blyth.
I've picked samphire at Budle Bay, Alnmouth (those sands are dangerous) Dunstanburgh and so far failed to find it in the Newbiggin/Blyth end of the coast - which is probably more about lack of dedicated hunting than it not being there.

manchestermargo

Also seen Samphire in Mo**isons.

Gillybean103

I live on the North Norfolk coast and i've never had samphire, i keep meaning to just never get round to it.

I've seen it in some supermarkets, just can't remember which one