flex those mussels...

For the amateur forager, mussels are probably one of the easiest of the shellfish to correctly identify on the rocks around our shores. They are also some of the easiest to find, harvest and cook.

It goes without saying that any foraged food should only come from a location that you know to be pollution and chemical free, and if you are in any doubt, don’t.

But, when you have found and harvested your clean, tasty and tightly shut mussels, there are a myriad of ways you can cook them, right there on the beach.

The most obvious is to boil them in the same way you would on your kitchen stove – fine – quick, hassle free and tasty. Boil for a few minutes then discard any that fail to open. Eat with brown bread and butter and a sprinkling of vinegar.

We have been cooking our mussels this way for a while, but we thought we’d try another way…the barbecue.

Fortunately this is a great deal easier than it sounds, and does not involve any splitting or skewering of the tiny morsels – instead, just stick them straight on the hot grill and wait for them to open (again, discard any that don’t). Keep an eye on the coals as the opening mussels will spit a little water out, so try not to cook too many at a time or you will spend forever relighting your barbie.

The result? Lovely, hot and smoky mussels – very different from the normal mussels you would have sampled and a perfect accompaniment to an afternoon on the beach.

the zebras of the sea...

Despite the bad wrap they get, we think that mackerel are probably one of the tastiest fish to be found in the seas around the UK.

They are also one of the easiest to catch, and for a novice or once a year holiday angler, they provide brilliant sport and a tasty dinner for the bbq.

So - how do you catch a mackerel? Well, firstly you need a rod and reel - nothing expensive or fancy, we have had some fantastic success with a simple and cheap spinning rod set up, (ours cost about £20)

Got your rod? Now for the bait...

Even though mackerel are possibly one of the most beautiful fish, they are possibly the most daft, and will snap at anything that even vaguely looks like it could be dinner. Foil, sparkly bits - even a bare hook if you are having a good day, if they are in the same place as your lure you are pretty much guaranteed a catch.

We like to use a set of feathers (six white or coloured feathers set in a line, on the line, disguising the hooks) or a set of lures (five or six 'fake fish' set in a line, on the line, again disguising the hooks).

Cast out your chosen lures, let them sink a little bit, then retrieve them slowly, by both reeling and pulling in with your rod. Remember - you are trying to imitate a little shoal of little fishies for the predatory mackerel to lunge for.

If the mackerel are passing your way, you can get a bite on each hook with each cast, but as exciting as it is, try not to catch 'mackerel fever' - fish to only take in the mackerel that you will use or barter for something else - be a responsible angler!

Once you have your zebras of the sea, you should gut them as soon as possible to preserve the wonderfully sweet flesh, and cook them as soon as possible. Easy.

Fun, free food, in beautiful settings around the UK - go mackerel fishing on your next seaside trip!

a royal affair...

It is not often that you get invited to camp on the Royal lawn, so when we were invited to visit and stay at the Sandringham Flower Show we of course jumped at the offer.


Situated in the beautiful county of Norfolk, the Sandringham Estate occupies 20,000 acres of land - 600 of which are formed of woodland and heathland - full of wildlife and open to the public for free all year long.

You can visit the house, the museum or, depending on the time of year you are around, even pilfer the produce from the pick your own orchards or Christmas tree plantations (for a fee of course!)

We were there for the Flower Show, which is a staggeringly sized event given that it is only on for one day every year.

As well as the beautiful show gardens, the floral tents and produce show, there were wonderful local produce stands, nursery stands and craftsman exhibits. Even though a huge amount of visitors flowed through the gates there was the air of a very large village show - albeit in a grand and royal setting...

So - we had a lovely wander around the gardens, and did a little wander around the surrounding countryside and stunning coastline that makes up Norfolk, including the fantastic lavender fields and breathtaking seaside paths and villages.

We stopped at Wells-next-the-sea and ate some beautiful and fresh winkles and chips, washed down with a sweet and thirst quenching local cider (from the Whin Hill cider and perry shop - cleverly situated right next door to the car park...)

Sandringham and Norfolk - beautiful, scented and tasted like a dream...

And we can highly recommend camping on the royal lawns (with permission of course), and to prove it all - here is the photo of us outside the Royal Gates...

want to visit the Sandringham Estate? Have a look here at campsites that might suit, so you can camp on the Royal lawns as well - now that's a good addition to the logbook...