Coastline Projects: Foraging, Cooking and Reflection

This tool was developed as part of Cultural Cwtsh, which was an online creative wellbeing hub for the health and care workforce in Wales, created by the Arts Council of Wales in collaboration with artists across the country.

In partnership with the Arts Council of Wales, we’re excited to share this mental wellbeing tool, alongside with many other creative resources, with everyone in Wales!

Hello, I’m Gilly Booth, an artist who works with moving image, sound and installation.

Having grown up in Manorbier, a village situated on the coastal path, I’ve always been drawn to the contemplative and immersive aspects of the coastline, whether foraging for seaweed or walking along the coast.

I hope these videos inspire you to visit the Pembrokeshire coastline to forage, cook and reflect.

Resource supplied by Gilly Booth and Matt Powell.

Part 1 – Foraging

This film follows renowned chef and forager Matt Powell looking for edible seaweed and shoreline plants around the coast of Pembrokeshire. In the distance the seaweed hut, used in the past for drying the laver seaweed, can be seen.

Matt describes how to identify and cut seaweed/shoreline plants leaving a holdfast to allow further growth. He uses his wealth of knowledge of foraging to create inspirational dishes served at his restaurant ‘Annwn’ in Narbeth, Wales.

Part 2 – Cooking

Matt specifically created these five recipes for this project – dishes based on foraged seaweed and shoreline plants which contain many vitamins and nutrients and are described as ‘superfoods’.

Matt is an artist in the kitchen and illustrates how to make and present the dishes.

The final result, which looks complex, is actually simple to prepare.

You can cook all the dishes and eat together or create individually. If you do not have access to the coastline you can substitute with bought ingredients.

Menu

• seaweed vinegar
• pickled seaweeds
• seaweed broth (dashi) with laverbread
• shoreline plants dressed in seaweed vinegar
• beetroot in a seaweed dressing

The recipes can be downloaded here as a PDF.

Part 3 – Reflection

This film records a 360 degree rotation of the Pembrokeshire coastline from the ‘view’ of the lighthouse at Strumble Head.

The film has been edited to fit with the rhythm of beams from the lighthouse – 4 flashes every 16 seconds, which is particular to this lighthouse.

I hope this film provides a hypnotic, calm, and visually rich experience.