Welcome! My first post on what I hope to be, not only a hugely self-indulgent journey, but also (I would like to think) an informative and informal study of the colossal diversity of fish and shellfish that we reap from our shallow seas around the UK. From catch methods to procuring, preparation and the ultimate joy of consuming seafood that I have grown up with, learned about and enthused about all my life.

I grew up in coastal Suffolk and one of my earliest and most enduring memories, is that of my father walking up the garden path with a still-flapping Lobster in his hand, having only minutes before, wrested it from its wracky lair under rocks on the low tide mark.

That and subsequent fishing trips, rock-pooling and shrimping expeditions and an abundance of stories from local fisherman ensured that by the age of twelve I had my own little dinghy and a few donated lobster pots, with which I happily whiled away my school holidays whilst crewing for “Uncle Doug” a local fisherman and boyhood friend of my father.

After school came my career choice and although I spent the ensuing years and until now in agriculture (another passion, another story), the salt water has continued to flow in my blood and I find myself inextricably drawn back to the sea and its inhabitants.

I’m not an expert, but I have a knowledge of and moreover a passion for the marine life of our shores. I hope to share it with you.