Don’t get in a laver over seaweed

January and February are months when little is happening to quicken the pulse of the forager. A few species linger on or present the advance party for something that is best in March or April, but few indeed are strictly winter species. One of them, however, is the seaweed known as winter laver, Porphyra linearis. It is something I am always delighted to see — to me it is as good as summer’s first elderflower.

There are several species of laver around the British coast. The most common, , is