I grew up by the Thames estuary. The view over the water is of smoking industrial chimneys and power stations. The landscape is flat, muted and grey. The skies are bigger here. The greyness comes from the mud flats and salt marshes.
Sometimes you think you’ve found sand but instead it’s lots of broken cockle shells. In the summer the sun heats the mud, which warms the seawater to a perfect wallowing temperature. The estuary is always busy with traffic: people like to watch the freighters pass through on their way to Tilbury docks whilst eating cockles out of polystyrene trays. You have to hold onto the little tray tightly or the wind will blow it away. A pint of cockles sometimes comes in a white plastic bag. I like to slosh lots of malt vinegar and tabasco on them, then plenty of white pepper before giving the bag a hefty shake. When you get fresh oysters from the cockle sheds and eat them whilst sitting on the sea wall, champagne is inappropriate: I have a pint of stout.
Porter mussels
Half pint porter
Pint of mussels in shell (cleaned)
Thyme
Butter
Heat the butter and thyme till melted and nearly brown, add mussels, cook in butter before adding the porter slowly, watching for the mussels to open. Add more butter at the end to thicken the sauce.
Things that grow along Benfleet creek: apples, pears, damsons, plums, horse radish, sea purslane, samphire, salsify, brambles, hazelnuts, rocket, cherries, roses, fennel, elder, gorse, sweet violets, three cornered leek
I’ve started a new project in the form of a tinyletter called ‘Women Cook For Me’ you can subscribe here http://tinyletter.com/sophieedavidson or just follow this blog!
There’s a video of me talking in my room on the Wandering Bears website where I say my favourite photographic tool is my camera (true) and have a weird voice because I had a cold. ENJOY!
I need some pairs of friends/couples/friends who are basically couples to take photos of for Birdsong next week in London!! Send me an e-mail with some pics of yourself and your pal if you’re free!
Girls by Boys: Rebecca by Nic Shonfeld for Issue 9 ‚Growing Sideways’. Styling by David Nolan. Grooming by Carol Morley. See a preview of the print feature here.
My best friend by my fave boss!!!
(I assisted on this shoot and it involved an excellent lunch)
