Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

THE sands around Fleetwood was my destination this week in search of seaside plants which once had an important use.

These days we import all sorts of exotic foods and make less and less use of what have become known as "traditional plants."

Sea Holly, for example, grows well on the Lancashire Coast and seems to be increasing.

In Elizabethan times the plant was "farmed" because of the high carbohydrate content of its roots.

Its old name was Eryngas and its use was a sweet was mentioned by Shakespeare in the Merry Wives of Windsor.

The roots were boiled and then sprinkled with honey.

It was eaten like rock so I suppose it is fitting that sea holly grows well around Blackpool.

Another coastal plant is the yellow flowered Silverweed.

Silverweed gets its name from the colour of the inside of its leaves.

During the mid 19th century, when potatoes were in short supply, the roots of silverweed were boiled and mashed with butter.

The taste, apparently, is similar to that of mashed potato.

Nowadays these useful plants are ignored but we still use blackberries.

Why not collect blackberries and make pies but, instead of sugar, use honey as a sweetener?