The Sea And Me

  Dead In The Water Two weeks ago I found myself five miles out in the North Sea , in the dark, with an engine that had just decided it had done enough for one lifetime. It didn’t fade quietly either. Smoke started pushing out from the engine and within moments it seized completely . One second the trawler was alive with its usual rhythm ,the hum of machinery, the steady pulse beneath the hull, and the next there was nothing but silence and the sound of water moving past a boat that could no longer move itself. When an engine dies at sea, you realise very quickly how much of your life depends on that single piece of metal. 🌊 It was night. Properly dark. The kind of dark you only really experience offshore. The water was choppy, the wind had a bite to it, and the North Sea had no interest in my plans . My batteries were slowly draining, so the lights were minimal. Out there, alone, drifting. For the first hour or so the mind does what the mind always does. It runs ahead ...

  Rich, comforting and deeply satisfying, the ultimate elevated fish pie Buy Fresh Fish Straight From The Trawler This is not just any fish pie. Flaky white fish, sweet prawns and smoked haddock are folded through a silky Dijon cream sauce with soft leeks and fresh herbs. Topped with buttery mashed potato and baked until golden and crisp, it’s indulgent comfort food at its finest. Creamy, savoury and perfectly balanced, this is the fish pie people ask for again. ✅ Why This Fish Pie Is So Good A mix of fish for depth of flavour Smoked haddock adds richness Dijon mustard gives subtle warmth Creamy but not heavy Golden, buttery mash topping 🛒 Ingredients (Serves 4) For the Filling 300g cod loin, skinless 200g smoked haddock 150g raw king prawns 1 tbsp butter 1 leek, finely sliced 1 tbsp plain flour 300ml whole milk 100ml double cream 1 tsp Dijon mustard Handful fresh parsley, chopped Salt and white pepper For the Mash Toppi...

  A celebration of refinement, delicate scallops bathed in silk smooth Champagne butter sauce Buy Scallops Fresh From Our Boat Few dishes whisper luxury quite like perfectly seared scallops. Their sweet, delicate flesh needs little adornment, only balance, restraint and impeccable technique. Here, they are paired with a velvety Champagne beurre blanc, enriched with cold butter and finished with a glistening spoon of Oscietra caviar. This is classic French elegance at its finest. Light yet indulgent, restrained yet opulent, a dish worthy of the most special table.

 We’ve been taught that food ends at the chopping board. Carrot tops? Waste. Spring onion roots? Waste. Lettuce cores? Waste. But step outside and place those same scraps in soil or water… and something surprising happens. They grow. Not as a miracle. Not as a trick. Simply because they were never waste to begin with. 🌿 The Secret Hidden in Scraps Many vegetables are not single use foods. They’re living plants with stored energy, growth points and survival instincts. When you cut them, you’re often leaving behind: 🌱 A root system 🌱 A growth crown 🌱 Dormant buds 🌱 Stored nutrients Give them moisture and light, and they continue the work they were already designed to do. Nature doesn’t see leftovers. It sees continuation. 🥕 What You Can Regrow from Scraps Here are some of the easiest kitchen scraps to bring back to life: 🌱 Spring Onions (Scallions) Place the white root ends in a jar of water. Within days, green shoots return. Plant them in soil and they’ll...

The sea has its own authority. You don’t need forecasts or screens to know when it’s decided against you. You can hear it in the wind before you open the door. You can feel it in the way the house seems to brace itself, as if it already knows what’s coming. Long before you see the water, you understand that today is not a working day. Out of Eyemouth just now, the sea is dangerous. Huge swells rolling through. Four metre waves lifting and dropping with real weight behind them. This isn’t the kind of rough you work around. It’s the kind you respect. The sea doesn’t announce danger loudly, it shows it. In the way the horizon heaves. In the way the wind tears at the tops of waves instead of brushing them. In the way even experienced hands know better than to test it. When the sea says no like this, you listen. You always listen. That isn’t fear. It’s understanding. There was a time when staying ashore felt like failure to me. If I wasn’t out working, I felt like I was wasting dayligh...

  Most people throw potato peelings away without a second thought. Into the bin. Into the compost. Forgotten. Yet anyone who composts knows a quiet secret: potato peelings don’t disappear - they return . Left to the soil, they often grow back into full, edible potatoes. Not by accident. By design. 🌱 The Potato’s Natural Will to Live Potatoes are not seeds, they are storage organs , packed with energy and nutrients meant to create new life. The “eyes” on a potato are growth points, waiting patiently for the right conditions. When you peel a potato and toss those skins into compost or soil, you’re often discarding: 🥔 Living tissue 🥔 Stored energy 🥔 Future plants Given moisture, warmth and darkness, potato peelings can and do regenerate, pushing roots downward and shoots upward, quietly turning scraps into sustenance. 🏺 A Food Built for Survival Potatoes became a global staple for a reason. For centuries, they fed entire populations because they are: ✔ Easy to grow ...

 Elegant, indulgent and unforgettable - a restaurant quality fish dish made at home Buy John Dory Fresh From Our Boat John Dory is one of the most prized fish in professional kitchens, and for good reason. Its firm yet delicate flesh has a subtle sweetness that pairs beautifully with rich sauces. In this dish, pan seared John Dory is finished with a luxurious shellfish butter, served alongside sweet roasted leeks and brightened with fresh lemon. It’s refined, indulgent, and far from the usual fish recipes, perfect for a special meal or impressive dinner party. ✅ Why This Recipe Is Exceptional John Dory has a naturally sweet, meaty texture Shellfish butter adds deep, savoury richness Roasted leeks bring gentle sweetness Simple technique with impressive results A true chef-style dish that still feels approachable 🛒 Ingredients (Serves 2) For the John Dory 2 John Dory fillets Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp olive oil 20g butter For the Roaste...

 January in the North Sea is not for the faint hearted. The cold cuts deeper. The decks are slick with ice. Snow blows sideways, driven hard by a wind that never seems to rest. Hands crack, oilskins stay wet for days, and sleep comes in short, broken spells. This is the season that tests you, not just as a fisherman, but as a human being. Yet winter also teaches lessons you won’t learn anywhere else. 1. Respect the Sea, Always The first rule of rough weather is simple: don’t fight the sea . The North Sea doesn’t care how experienced you are, how tough you think you are, or how much work needs doing. In winter, she demands patience and respect. Move slower. Think twice. Secure everything, then secure it again. Rough seas punish shortcuts. What keeps you safe isn’t bravery, it’s discipline . 2. Keep Warm, Keep Dry, Keep Moving Cold steals strength before you realise it. In winter, survival is about layers, routine, and movement: Change wet gloves whenever you can Ea...

 Growing quietly in lawns, footpaths and field edges, plantain ( Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata ) is one of nature’s most reliable healing foods. Often stepped on, mown down and overlooked, this humble plant has been trusted for centuries as both food and first aid . If there were ever a plant that wanted to help humans survive, it would be plantain. 🏺 An Ancient Ally of Everyday Life Plantain has been used since ancient times across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Roman soldiers reportedly carried it on long marches, while medieval healers called it the “bandage plant” . Historically, plantain was used to: 🌿 Heal wounds and bites 🌿 Soothe digestion and lungs 🌿 Reduce inflammation 🌿 Support skin repair It was never rare or exotic - it was dependable , which is why it endured. 🥬 Simple Leaves, Serious Nutrition Plantain may not look impressive, but it is quietly nutrient-rich. ✨ Vitamin A – skin & immune support ✨ Vitamin C – healing & collage...

 Long before supplements existed, humans gathered nourishment from the sea. Seaweed and kelp,  humble, drifting plants of the ocean, are among the most mineral rich foods on Earth , freely offered by coastlines around the world. Ignored by many and misunderstood by others, these ocean vegetables quietly support thyroid health, metabolism, immunity and cellular balance, all while growing without soil, fertiliser or fresh water. 🐚 Ancient Food of Coastal Cultures Seaweed has sustained coastal peoples for thousands of years. In Japan, Korea, Ireland, Iceland and Indigenous coastal cultures worldwide, sea vegetables were daily food, not health trends. Historically, kelp and seaweed were used to: 🌊 Prevent nutrient deficiencies 🌊 Support energy and warmth in cold climates 🌊 Strengthen bones, blood and metabolism 🌊 Maintain thyroid and hormonal balance In many places, seaweed was dried and stored for winter - a true survival food from the sea . 🧂 A Nutritional Profil...