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Cockles

Garnant, Carmarthenshire

Cockle-gathering on Llan-saint beach. Mrs Lettice Rees, Llan-saint, Carmarthenshire.

© Margaret Brentnall, London

Cockle-gathering tools - a large sieve, a rake and cocses.

© Margaret Brentnall, London

Women would go from door to door in many villages in south Wales, selling cockles.  Cockles already boiled and taken out of their shells were carried in a wooden pail balanced on the seller’s head.  These cockles were known as cocs rhython.  The untreated cockles, still in their shells, were carried in a large basket on the arm and were known as cocs cregin.  The former were sold for about nine pence per pint and the latter for about sixpence per pint.

Fish

The Recipe

You will need

  • approximately one quart cockles (shelled)
  • milk
  • chives or parsley, finely chopped
  • salt
  • flour

Method

  1. Boil the cockles in a reasonable quantity of milk, add the chives or parsley and season with salt. 
  2. Blend a little flour with cold milk, pour it gradually into the boiling mixture, stir well and bring to the boil again.
  3.  This thick ‘sauce’ was usually served with bread and butter.

Garnant, Carmarthenshire.

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