Happy ormering

Who needs the glorious 12th when you can have the soggy 11th? If you happen to find yourself on Guernsey in the Channel Islands today, you could be taking part in the first official day of ormering this year.

A good day for ormering (once the tide goes out that is)

The green ormer (Haliotis tuberculata) is a species of sea snail and belongs to the abalone family. The flesh of the green ormer is prized as a delicacy on the island so as a result, you can't just don your waders and go searching under rocks on any given day of the year - there is a strict code of conduct in place...

"... persons are permitted to collect ormers on the days of the full moon, new moon and the two days following between January 1st and April 30th, 2013 (inclusive)."

 

If you've overlooked the soggy 11th and double booked yourself today, fear not, there's a full list of future dates here but leave the scuba gear at home....

"A person may not take or gain possession of any ormer whilst totally or partially submerged and either breathing with the aid of submarine breathing apparatus (including a snorkel and any other diving device whatsoever), or wearing a diving suit, face visor, mask or goggles: and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly."

Ormers shells (sadly empty when i found them on the beach)

An ormer will take around 4 years to grow to 9cm in length, they can reach as much as 15cm in length and can live for over a decade. After a successful forage, all that's left is to cook it up for tea tonight. Traditionally, they are used in a casserole recipe that dates back to the 17th century, here's a modern day equivalent recipe from esteemed local chef Tony Leck.

Good luck finding one (and managing to eat it all).