claudia's blog

Edible Estuary

Artists Fran Gallardo and Stuart Bowditch setting out from Leigh on Sea, (South Essex) on a foraging expedition to Two Tree Island, to look for edible plants such as Sea Aster, Samphire and Sea Purslane. Other plants and flowers such as Sea Beet, Mug Wort, Fennel pollen. This act is part of the project Talking Dirty which proposes public, cooking and eating workshops in Leigh-on-Sea, that will create public tastings that explore environmental change.

A trip on a Cockle boat (BFI Archives), 1950

"Old Leigh still retains its charm as a fishing hamlet and cockles are still harvested from the Thames Estuary and served fresh from the boats. But in the 50s Leigh was alive with fishing smacks and home to a thriving industry supplying fresh cockles to the London markets. Harold captures the race against the tide and back breaking work to harvest the cockles and bring them back to shore where the job starts to clean them up ready for sale.