Cockles And Mussels, Alive, Alive Oh!

We used to sing "Molly Malone" at school in music lessons. Did you?

When I was a child, we would visit the family in Leigh On Sea, and my Mum would treat herself to a pint cup of cockles down at the sea front. They were dressed in vinegar - and she loved them. I found the whole idea awful, and refused to taste them.

I never wanted to eat mussels either. Then I married Bob, and he is half Belgian. He loves "moules et frites" - somewhere in the last 40 years I finally tried them, and now I too really enjoy a bowl of mussels [with chips, and mayo, and a hunk of baguette to mop up the broth] 

I read that the Essex cockle fishers are trying to revive our interest in their shellfish. About 45% of their catch is exported to Spain - and the UK cockle industry is valued at about £10M annually, half of which comes from the Thames Estuary. Should we all be eating more of these? 80% of the fish we eat is from the "Big Five" - cod, haddock, tuna, prawns and salmon, says the Marine Stewardship Council. They want  to prioritise 'locally sourced' fish. They're putting blue 'ecolabels' on sustainably sourced products and running a campaign called "Buy Blue, Protect Dinner" This started last September apparently, and promoted Norfolk Brown Shrimps [sorry, MSC that one completely passed me by!] and other fishy dishes

Maybe I should ask the Bunnings Man on Dereham Market. They sell cockles caught off the Norfolk Coast. Mind you, this fish doesn't come cheap - cockles are £18 per kilo, twice the price of Scottish Mussels. 

If I stick to the Flemish speciality, which we both enjoy, am I being shelfish?