With British sea kale now in season, specialist growers, Westlands, give us more information about the unique plant.
Join the revival of this British native coastal delicacy; cultivated and blanched by specialist grower, Westlands, available as part of their Taste of the Sea collection.
Learn about Sea Kale
Sea kale+3
The plant
• Common names also include Sea Colewort, Sea Cabbage, Scurvy Grass and Halmyrides
• Its botanical name Crambe maritima is from the Greek Krambe meaning ‘cabbage’ and maritima ‘of the sea’
• It is a member of the cabbage family, Brassicaceae
• Its origin is the Atlantic coast of Europe, including Britain, along the Baltic coast and around the Black Sea
• Sometimes compared to its close relative the cultivated colewort, a primitive open-headed Medieval cabbage. It is classified as a different species to standard Kale
History
• Sea kale is mentioned in some of the earliest food references
• Once a common sight on British beaches growing above high tide mark; shingle would be heaped up around the crowns in spring to ‘blanch’ the emerging shoots
• The Romans preserved it in barrels for sea voyages, as its high vitamin C content helped against scurvy
• Sea kale reached its height of popularity in the early nineteenth century. It was mentioned in Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book of 1809 and was served to Prince Regent George IV at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton
• As with other foraged plants, it is now illegal to pick from the wild without the landowner’s permission
sea kale+3
Cultivation
• Once a common cultivated vegetable in Britain and France until around the Second World War, a few named cultivars were developed such as ‘Lily White’
• Sea kale is propagated by seed or root cuttings called ‘thongs’
• In late winter and early spring mature crowns are lifted, forced and blanched; very much like rhubarb. Harvesting is limited, as not take too much energy from the crown
• The blanching process creates a real delicacy - however stalks exposed to sunlight will turn green and bitter
Culinary
• The entire plant is edible; roots, shoots, leaves, flower buds and pods. Its best known for its tender, blanched ivory shoots; classically served much like asparagus with hollandaise sauce or just melted butter
• Its taste is described as a cross between white asparagus and celery – a subtle, tender, almost nutty flavour with a slight salty sweetness
• Leafstalks are eaten raw in salads; lightly steamed, boiled, pan fried or roasted; even pickled or fermented
• Classic food partners include white fish, shellfish, poached eggs, bacon, hollandaise or béchamel sauces
Westlands Sea kale is British grown in the Vale of Evesham and is now available in 2 size formats; Sea kale – the classic blanched, crisp white stalks with a subtle saltiness [80 g punnet] Micro Sea kale – NEW! Mini spears of delicate, salty white shoots [40 g punnet]
Seasonal availability – December to May
Westlands products are available nationwide from leading Foodservice suppliers and Wholesale Markets. Speak to your supplier or contact us at hello@westlandswow.co.uk to find a stockist in your area.
Westlands products are grown and packed to BRC Food Safety, Red Tractor Assurance and LEAF Marque standards. Sea kale is best stored away from light to prevent ‘greening’.
Come and see Westlands at the Great Hospitality Show, NEC on January 23-25, 2017, stand 660 in partnership with The Staff Canteen.
You could be commenting on this if you had an account! Click here to sign up.
In these challenging times…
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
The Staff Canteen team are as a passionate about the hospitality industry as those of you who work in it and that is why we aim to give you the best content every day. We want you to read the news which impacts you, first, listen to the opinions of your peers and equally tag a mate in a meme only this industry would understand! We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. You can help support us to achieve that goal from as little as £1 - which is less than a coffee. We appreciate every contribution.
Dermain Barrett
There are no comments yet.
You could be commenting on this if you had an account! Click here to sign up.