On the beach

This week there has once again been reports of palm oil being washed up on the beaches of Dorset and Hampshire. It is so frustrating that the ships that discard this oil at sea can't be identified and prosecuted. Dogs have eaten the lumps of oil (which looks like lard) causing them to become very ill. Birds have previously been discovered coated with oil and many have sadly died. Although the sightings of oil were in the east of the County, we have been more vigilant while walking on the beach.


In the winter months the  majority of boats apart from the working fishing boats are taken out of the water and moored on the harbour side. The wooden boats are always my favourites, and the one below I have been admiring all summer. It is good to see it at closer quarters. My father-in-law who was carpenter, worked on building wooden boats in Weymouth . When the company moved over to creating fibreglass ones, he hated working with the new material and left.


We are lucky in Dorset that the wooden boat-building craft is still alive, thanks to the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis. They train students over a 38 week period and the end of the course is celebrated by launching the boats they have created.

There is no river boat hire during the winter either!




Fans of Broadchurch will recognise this beach hut from the first series - it has been announced this week that the hut will be knocked down and a similar one rebuilt further inland. It will be sad to see it go, but it is so frighteningly close to the edge of the cliff.



We had friends around for a meal this weekend and one of my easy signature dishes is pavlova. I usually make it using raspberries but this is the first time we tried it with pears and chocolate. It made a nice change and was more appropriate for this time of year. What are your easy signature dishes?


Wishing you a good week!
Sarah x

Comments

  1. donna baker23 November 2015 at 21:18

    So beautiful. Wonder why they would dump palm oil? Crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kezzie23 November 2015 at 21:47

    I am SO intrigued by Pavlova with PEARS!?!?!?! I've only ever had it with summer berries- intriguing!
    That is so awful about the Palmoil- why, oh why!!! It's always a case of 'Let someone else deal with it' isn't it! I hope that Tavi and the other dogs are ok!
    That beach hut DOES look a bit scarily precarious!!!x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Seawashed23 November 2015 at 22:16

    Your winter sea is breathtaking. I am so sad to hear of the oil spills. It seems so careless of man. I am glad that you are able to still walk and play along the shore though with caution. I love seeing all the boats. I love where you live! I think I tell you that over and over. xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cathy23 November 2015 at 22:30

    I'm not familiar with pavlova. It looks yummy. My easy fall-back dessert is some sort of fruit cobbler because I always have frozen fruit on hand. Was the Russell Terrier just another dog on the beach you came upon? That is distressing about the palm oil!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Down by the sea24 November 2015 at 06:53

      I often make a crumble a cobbler would make a nice change! The Jack Russell was my brother's dog who has been featured here before. Sarah x

      Delete
  5. Lynn24 November 2015 at 00:29

    There was trouble in Cornwall with palm oil on the beaches and some dogs dying after eating it, and also others were very sick. definitely something to keep an eye out for. I like the sound of your pavlova too as a change from berries. Perfect for autumn and winter.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ANNE24 November 2015 at 02:47

    oh that pavlova looks delightful!! Sorry about the palm oil - how horrible! People can be so very stupid and short sighted sometimes.

    The boats are lovely. Hope you have a wonderful week! xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous24 November 2015 at 08:28

    It amazes me what gets dumped at sea. So thoughtless. I've not seen any lumps of lard-like stuff here but will keep a look out. Lovely photos of your shore and boats. I do love the look of old wooden boats - they have such character and charm with all the weathering. Fibre glass just isn't the same. Pear and choc pavlova - yum! My current regular is sticky toffee pudding for family gatherings. For an evening with friends I often make a chocolate cheesecake. My tummy is rumbling now..! Sam x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rosemary24 November 2015 at 09:17

    I think that I have mentioned before that my husband worked for a UN maritime agency and was closely associated with legislation to prevent ships from discharging harmful substances into the sea. The shipping of vegetables oils, such as palm oil, is now subject to strict rules, including the disposal of tank washings and cargoe residues. Unfortunately compliance with the rules depends on the integrity of the officers and crews, as enforcement is problematic. It is not satisfactory that ships are getting away with flouting the rules of the sea - it makes me think of the problems on our roads with manufacturers also flouting and deceiving the emissions from diesel vehicles!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Down by the sea24 November 2015 at 18:50

      Thanks Rosemary for the additional information, as you say there seems to be ways of people getting around the rules in all aspects of life! Sarah x

      Delete
  9. CJ24 November 2015 at 09:56

    The things that are dumped in the sea make me so very angry. It's utterly shameful. I loved to hear about the boat building. Leanne at Today's Stuff has written a lovely post about the changes in a coastal town today, it goes rather well with your post. It's easier to see the real seaside once all the tourists have gone I think. The pavlova looks delicious. I like to make Delia Smith's Ultimate Carrot Cake when we have people round for a buffet style tea. Always goes down well. Unless they're just being polite. CJ xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Castles Crowns and Cottages24 November 2015 at 10:56

    Oh Sarah, it's such a shame that our beautiful beaches are tainted with such waste, then our creatures are harmed. I hope there will be a stop to this. I know you watch over Tavi very carefully! And your pie.....OK, I am reminded of my favorite TV show: The Great British Baking Show! My husband and I love to watch it over and over for the fun recipes and hilarious comedy relief of Sue Perkins and her sidekick. I haven't baked in years so my signature recipe is a blurr to me at the moment, but I used to make a great cheesecake...maybe that's what I should bake for our Thanksgiving this Thursday!

    Have a super day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Down by the sea24 November 2015 at 18:48

      The Great British Bake off has just finished here for another year, we enjoy it too. I heard recently that it hadn't done so well in America and they were hoping to relaunch it over there to attract a larger audience. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sarah x

      Delete
  11. Sigrun24 November 2015 at 12:52

    I have never heard about Palmoil, very bad for the animals.
    Your pavlova looks great - I love a winterapple with cinnamon and cream or a crumble with cherrys ore apples.

    Sigrun

    ReplyDelete
  12. Claire24 November 2015 at 16:50

    Aww there are always hidden dangers on our lovely beaches. :( I do recognise that hut! Loved that series. x

    ReplyDelete
  13. Freda24 November 2015 at 17:05

    I am shocked about the palm oil and other things dumped at sea. Pavlova was once my favourite signature dish Sarah, then suddenly I couldn't seem to make it successfully! After four or five failures I gave up. Has this ever happened to you? I still can't explain it. Yours looks perfect and pears will be lovely with crispy meringue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Down by the sea24 November 2015 at 18:55

      I have always used a recipe from a cookery book we got when we first married (30 years ago!) I have had a few failures over the years. I tried a new recipe this time the one on BBC food using 4 egg whites. I usually use 3. It's usually never a good idea to try new recipes when entertaining but lucky this time it worked out! Sarah x

      Delete
  14. Coastal Ripples24 November 2015 at 17:20

    You must have to be super vigilant when out walking. We don't seem to suffer quite so badly here in Jersey but I guess your coastline is the nearest to the tankers pathway. That pavlova looks delicious, I'm looking forward to trying out Nigellas new version with lemon. I guess my quick desert would be some kind of crumble that always goes down well and there are usually frozen fruits in the freezer. B x

    ReplyDelete
  15. Leanne24 November 2015 at 17:48

    Hey Sarah,
    We had palm oil wash up last year. A friend of mine's dog was very ill after eating some. There's something about boats up out of the water, isn't there? Especially the wooden ones. Our little boat was taken out of the water last weekend, and is now at rest on the quayside. She looks a bit sorry for herself, I have to say. My signature dish is probably Banoffee Pie. It always goes down very well.
    Leanne xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Unknown24 November 2015 at 18:58

    Oh Sarah how awful to hear about the oil on the beaches. I must confess that I haven't heard that we have it on the Solent but perhaps I am watching too much SKY news and not enough local news....I hope not...it really does spoil the beach not to mention kill all the sea life! I love Pavlova and at one stage I made it so often my girls asked me please to try something else! I like your version with pears, I think it might be a lot less sweet but still delicious, I love the subtle flavour of pears with a hint of chocolate, I bet that went down a treat! Happy week for you. Sharon x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Mark Willis24 November 2015 at 19:50

    I didn't know that Palm Oil was so dangerous to dogs, but I'm strongly against any ships dumping anything at sea. You often hear about fuel oil tankers flushing their tanks at sea, so presumably this practice also applies to Palm Oil. In this day and age it's hard to understand how anyone could be quite so irresponsible, but some people only think about profit and turn a blind eye to environmental damage.

    ReplyDelete
  18. SeagullSuzie25 November 2015 at 10:48

    Same here Sarah, we have to watch out for the stuff and our vet puts out alerts too....it's such a irresponsible thing to do and all comes from greed. Interesting info from Rosemary in her reply.
    I have no signature dishes as I hate cooking, but I do make a very nice salad dressing from scratch :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. kristieinbc25 November 2015 at 14:51

    I've not heard about palm oil washing ashore. Why do the boats have palm oil? You must worry about Tavi possibly eating some of the washed up globs of oil. I do recognize the beach hut. And your pavlova looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Down by the sea25 November 2015 at 18:57

      50% of the ingredients on our supemmarket shelves contain palm oil so there are many tankers in the sea carrying this ingredient from one country to the other. The tanks need cleaning out and the oil can also then be mixed with dangerous solvents. When the sea is rough there is less chance of detection if they flush out their tanks. Sarah x

      Delete
  20. Julie25 November 2015 at 15:30

    The dumping of oil by ships is terrible isn't it? I do wish there was a way to find the culprits, I'm sure that would help.

    Your pavlova looks lovely, my mum makes a great one too but it is something I haven't tackled yet despite often thinking about it! I really should as I love eating them! Juliex

    ReplyDelete
  21. Susan25 November 2015 at 18:24

    Hello Sarah!
    I've been away for so long, what a lot I've been missing!
    That is so very sad about the palm oil, some better solution must surely be found for this sort of dumping at sea.
    Brilliant pictures, as always, yes, my favourite are the wooden boats too, it's wonderful that old traditions are being kept alive.
    The hut..Broadchurch, oh how I loved that series, can;t wait for a series 3, if there ever is one. Being in Greece I was worried I wouldn't be able to see the series, I managed to find it online and "binge watched" until goodness knows what time in the morning, much to my husband's disgust!
    Dogs are looking well, how they must love running around on those gorgeous beaches.
    Susan.x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Down by the sea25 November 2015 at 18:59

      Hi Susan, It's nice to hear from you again! There is a 3rd series of Broadchurch planned and they should be filming it next summer. It usually is then screened around January the following year. Sarah x

      Delete
  22. Gracie Saylor26 November 2015 at 05:43

    Hopefully the shocking views of oil and garbage in our bodies of water will spur each of us on to greater care and vigilance to prevent and/or remediate harm! I am not much of a cook, but were I to bring you a meal you would be apt to receive meatloaf, baked potatoes, green beans and salad with cookies for dessert :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. elaine 26 November 2015 at 07:45

    I love to see wooden boats unfortunately there doesn't seem to be many about these days. I love pavlova, well I used to, I haven't made one in eons. My signature dish I think is my special fish pie but the last time I made one for friends it went completely wrong. As for the palm oil I think it is disgusting that in this day and age that they can be allowed to get away with it.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Lowcarb team member26 November 2015 at 19:05

    It is such a shame when this dumping happens ...

    Your photo's are a joy, and I especially like those boats. We were fortunate to be walking by an estuary today and saw some boats too ... I may post about it soon, if I get the photo's organised that is!

    Enjoy the rest of your week.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  25. HWIT BLOGG27 November 2015 at 22:45

    Magic view and just beautiful pictures!
    Have a happy weekend,
    Titti

    ReplyDelete
  26. Annie Cholewa28 November 2015 at 12:11

    I don't think I have a signature dish anymore. I cook for friends far less often than I used to, we seem to have fallen into the habit of going to the local pub instead. My chestnut soup and my curries always got lots of praise, though not at the same meal, obviously.

    ReplyDelete
  27. handmade by amalia28 November 2015 at 14:08

    I enjoyed the photos, Sarah, so lovely. My go to desert is strawberry cheesecake that becomes other-fruit cheesecake when strawberries are not in season.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  28. Giga10 December 2015 at 19:23

    And again the beautiful sea and the beach (not in water) dog runs the same race as my Pepa. :)))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Down by the sea10 December 2015 at 20:17

      Pepa looks lovely too and reminds me of my brother's dog! Sarah x

      Delete

Post a Comment

Comments are the best thing about blogging so please join in and brighten my day!