Sea vegetables traditionally found on British coastlines are hitting supermarket shelves following a surge in demand linked to the foraging trend.
Samphire and sea aster, both native British plants, will appear at Waitrose fresh fish counters this summer.
Demand for samphire outstripped supply at the supermarket last year as the foraging trend raised its profile and made the green vegetable a foodies’ must-have.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Rick Stein are among the celebrity chefs who have sung the praises of samphire, typically found in marshlands and mudflats around estuaries.
British samphire will be sold at Waitrose fish counters for the first timethanks to the supermarket securing its own dedicated supply.
Waitrose fresh produce buyer Rhonwen Cunningham said: “Samphire became so popular during 2010 that customer demand outstripped our supply, so we’ve worked hard to get more of this delicious green vegetable into our stores.
“British-grown sea aster and samphire will be available at Waitrose this summer while the season lasts – so shoppers won’t have to go foraging in the wild for them.”
Danish eaterie Noma - which recently retained its crown as the world’s best restaurant- put foraging on the culinary map by serving up local wild plants.
Samphire and sea aster are classed as sea vegetables, not seaweed, and have a light delicate flavour.
They take just a few minutes to steam cook or sautee and are usually served with fish, seafood or saltmarsh lamb.
A third sea vegetable called Okahijiki, originally from Japan, makes its UK supermarket debut at Waitrose in late June. It has a fresh, light taste and is already served in restaurants on the Continent.
