Breakfast & Beyond - Episode 17:
The art of seaweed pressing with Julia Bird of Molesworth & Bird
Today’s episode was one of my favourites to record – for the first time, we took Breakfast & Beyond on location, and I was lucky enough to spend the most blissful morning walking, listening, learning, swimming and sharing breakfast at the rugged Cornish coast with seaweed artist Julia Bird.
Julia co-founded Molesworth & Bird with fellow artist and friend Melanie Molesworth back in 2018, translating their mutual love for art and the ocean into a business, hand-pressing seaweed that they forage from the shores of their local beaches – Julia in Cornwall, and Melanie in Dorset.
From the original pressings, Molesworth & Bird now create a range of seaweed-inspired homewares such as cushions, bags, enamelware and cards, along with hosting seaweed pressing workshops helping others to learn from, and be inspired by, the ocean.
Sustainability is etched into each element of Julia’s work – from the choice she made to step away from a busy London career as a magazine stylist, to the gentle rhythm of foraging, collecting and pressing seaweed, always with a deep consideration and respect for the natural environment.
“Being beside the sea, around the sea, that’s what inspires me .. it switches something on and I just feel enlivened, it makes me feel creative”
So for this episode, allow me to take you on a journey to the quiet corner of the Cornish coastline that is Julia’s world, and I hope you enjoy - and learn - just as much from her story as I did.
Welcome to Episode 17 of Breakfast & Beyond .. listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher & Tune-In
Breakfast: recipes, producers & growers …
Breakfast was simple and seasonal, carried down to the coastline to eat as we talked, foraged and swam. To connect my cooking with the coastline, I used dried seaweed flakes from The Cornish Seaweed Company for the picked veg, and whilst sautéing the mushrooms along with some freshly picked rock samphire.
Blackberry & Elderberry Tartlets (see recipe)
Wild Mushroom & Rock Samphire Omelette (see recipe) accompanied by Seaweed Pickled Veg (see recipe)
Vegetables (carrot, beetroot & courgette) from my Real Food Garden veg box
Cheese from Cornish Gouda Co
Dried seaweed flakes from The Cornish Seaweed Company
Blackberries, elderberries and field mushrooms foraged from, and eggs sourced from, home - Botelet Farm
Salt from the Cornish Sea Salt Co
VitaminSEA juice by the Cornish Seaberry Company
Coffee by Lars & Margo
Sustainable living issue: Seaweed & the value of art
I’ve shared some links below that develop the themes I discuss with Julia, to help you delve further into the fascinating world of seaweed, art, and the role of both in addressing climate change.
Guide to UK Seaweed Identification - by NHBS.
‘Ecology of Seaweed and it’s environmental significance’ - by the University of California
Seaweed Collections Online - online project which aims to gather, analyse and share data on the seaweed species of the British Isles by mobilising collections data from a network of national and regional museums.
‘Seaweeds: a hidden habitat under threat’ - article by the Natural History Museum, discussing the impact of climate change on seaweed.
‘Seaweed ‘forests’ can help fight climate change’ - article by National Geographic
Guide to seaweed foraging - from The Guardian
‘Seaweed Foraging in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly’ - book by Rachel Lambert of Wild Walks South West
Seaweed Recipes - from The Cornish Seaweed Co
‘The arts have a leading role to play in tackling climate change’ - article by Nicholas Serota in The Guardian
‘Art and climate change - inspiring a sustainable future’ - article by Ellen Moyer in Huffpost
Sustainable Development Goals
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 targets representing a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. ‘Everyone is needed to reach these ambitious targets. The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context’ (UNDP). Translating these global objectives to tease out their relevance at the individual and small-organisational scale can inspire us to connect with these important global themes and consider what we are doing - and what more we can do - to make a contribution that supports our own work and wellbeing along with benefiting other people and the planet.
In Episode 17 our discussion referenced the following Sustainable Development Goals:
3 - Good Health & Wellbeing - Molesworth & Bird is based on decision of Julia and Melanie to build their work around what was a hobby - visiting their local beaches to forage for and then press seaweeds, and as the company has grown, they keep this authentic rhythm to their lives, valuing the contribution to health and wellbeing that spending time in nature, at the coast, through the seasons, often accompanied by cold water swimming, brings for them - and for others who are inspired by their work.
8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth - as Molesworth & Bird grows, Julia and Melanie increasingly offer opportunities for decent work and economic growth to others, in addition to growing their own independent sustainable business. For example, they use a company who specialise in digital printing with an eye to reducing as much as possible their environmental footprint, and many of the Molesworth & Bird products are made by local women.
12 - Responsible Consumption & Production - Julia and Melanie create their seaweed-pressed products in a considered, slow and sustainable way, growing their business slowly and organically time, and making sure that as much as possible, the resources they use are recycled and biodegradable. Each seaweed pressing takes place over many days in a process of collecting, arranging, drying and pressing before taking to the next stage as a print or product and requires patience rather than pace for it to work well.
14 - Life Below Water - The ethos of Molesworth & Bird is about sharing and celebrating the beauty of the natural world, inspiring others to take a closer look at and build their understanding and love of marine life - and of seaweed in particular. It is arguably the case that more connection we feel to the natural world, the more likely we are to be actively involved in protecting it.
Episode 17 Partner: VitaminSEA from The Cornish Seaberry Company
This episode is brought to you in partnership with VitaminSEA – a new and insanely delicious healthy drink, created by the Cornish Seaberry Company.
Have you come across seaberries - also known as sea buckthorn? These orange delights grow wild along the Cornish coastline, and their benefits were discovered by Cornish Seaberry Company founder Seth Pascoe while trekking in the Himalaya. The Sherpas told Seth about the berries’ impressive health properties – from being extremely high in antioxidants (which boost our immune system) as well as containing the full compliment of omega oils - and feeling inspired, Seth returned to Cornwall and planted his own orchards. Fast forward eight years, which has given time for Seth’s orchards to mature, and these powerful little neon-orange berries are now the foundation of the Cornish Seaberry Company.
VitaminSEA is the latest offering, and I can’t recommend this juice highly enough – it makes for a powerful and beautifully punchy start to the day, and I also love drinking it as a healthy sundowner. VitaminSEA is a brilliant way to enjoy the benefits of seaberries, there are only three ingredients in each can of juice: seaberries, paired with pure apple and lemon juice to balance the tangy flavour. There are no nasties in VitaminSEA – which come in packs of six fantastically funky cans – no added sugar, colourings or flavourings, just a can of zingy goodness!
Each can of VitaminSEA gives you 76% of your daily vitamin C requirement, alongside all the other health benefits – so it really is a perfect way to start the day. I loved drinking VitaminSEA with Julia and John as we breakfasted at the beach, and I’d really love for you to try it too.
Listeners of Breakfast & Beyond are kindly being offered a 10% discount on VitaminSEA, so do give it a try and bring the taste of the Cornish coastline into your breakfast routine! Enter the discount code BREAKFAST on the website – cornishseaberry.co.uk - as you check-out, and the discount will be applied.
Huge thanks to Seth at the Cornish Seaberry Company!
I am so grateful to John Hersey - dear friend and talented photographer - for accompanying Julia and I to the coastline for a morning of conversation, food and the most glorious sea swim. A selection of John’s images are shared below, offering the visual story .. and you’ll hear John’s voice pop up during the episode! Do check out John’s work via his website and Instagram.
Thank you for listening!
Thank you for listening to Breakfast & Beyond: Conversations from Cornwall on Sustainable Living. If you enjoyed listening I’d love it if you could subscribe to the podcast, rate it, and share episodes with friends and family who would enjoy them. You can listen and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tune-In or wherever you find your podcasts.
I’d love to know your thoughts - please join the conversation and get in touch by email tia@botelet.com or instagram. Thank you and I look forward to sharing next month’s episode with you.
The Breakfast & Beyond podcast is hosted at our home Botelet Farm in South East Cornwall, where my husband’s family have lived and farmed for over 150 years, and three generations still share the farmhouse today. Set in a peaceful valley upstream of Fowey, we welcome visitors to stay in historic cottages, and there’s a yurt for those who love to immerse themselves in nature.
