This is a day to celebrate the wild resource of the undersea as we engage in hand-diving and cooking our very own spider crab in this most minimal-intervention, sustainable, natural and respectful method of finding food. Explore the rocky Irish Antlantic coastline in search of these delicious wild crustaceans amongst many other wonderful delights of the seashore. A fantastic way to truly connect with the ocean as you hunt for and cook your lunch from the wild using only natural methods.

It is important to observe animals in their habitat, connecting us to the landscape through their eating. It adds value to your food, and is the epitome of understanding provenance as you selectively take them from the wild. This is a day to learn how to respect nature by falling in love with it again, as a whole new respect for it is established with this traditional approach to feeding yourself directly from the landscape, and in doing so, we become it. To learn to cook them well, over a bubbling pot of boiling seawater from the beach it was caught, is to discover why in parts of Spain and Portugal this delicious crustacean is favoured over roast chicken as the main event for Sunday lunch.

THE SHAPE OF THE DAY

09:30 - 10:00 THE BEACH

Meet at Traharta Beach for coffee and tea around the table in the canopy tent. There will be a short presentation about the importance and joys of learning how to find food from the shalllows and seashore, what to expect to find underwater, marine biology and techniques of how best to take from the wild successfully and responsibly.

10:00 - 10:30 DIVE PREPARATION

We discuss in depth the different tools and equipment needed and safe diving technique for successful shallow diving. This includes mental preparation for safety and efficiency.

11:00 - 12:00 THE DIVE

You will be individually guided to the shallows, where you will duck dive for your wild spider crab in approximately 2m of water, and successfully bring it back to shore.

12:00 - 13:00 PRACTICAL CRAB COOKING SESSION

If the weather is bad we will move on to the Booley for the next part of the day

Enough crab is selected for lunch, with any excess returned to the water or stored in a bucket of fresh seaweed for you to take home. A fire is lit on the beach, and your crab is cooked in seawater.

Moving to the table we learn how to break down the spider crab into its respective brown and white meats, retaining shells for broth making, enjoying the communal mess and a glass of something delicious

13:00 - 14:00 LUNCH

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MENU

Foraged shore-crabs deep fried in dripping and seasoned with fermented wild garlic

Traditional open-crab sandwich with home made bread and country butter, wild greens

Bisque

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14:00 - 15:00 Farewell Coffee

Bellies and hearts full, it’s time to share coffee round the fire before heading home, onto new adventures!

PLEASE BRING:

Westuit (required), mask, snorkel, wetsuit shoes, fins (optional), waterproofs, walking boots/wellies, water canteen.

If you are unable to bring any or all of these items, please contact max@uptherethelast.com.

This course partners very well with the coastal foraging courses at the Woodcock Smokery Keep with local artisan Sally Barnes.