Pickled Samphire

I collect wild rock samphire from the walls bounding the gardens of a row of small cottages beside the lower ferry across the River Dart. No one else seems to be particularly interested in it – the elderly ladies who live in the cottages are happy to let me pick as much as I need.

The first tender shoots are ready to be culled in April, and it eventually flowers in August. While it is still young, samphire, lightly blanched, makes a wonderful addition to salads. Fresh fish steamed w