By Coco, resident connoisseur at Coco’s Canapés
You wouldn’t think it, but our very own English waters are home to some rather distinguished residents. Not the holidaying yacht set (though them too) – I mean octopuses. Clever, elusive, and far too stylish to be caught in the same net as the ordinary. They’re not the deep-sea monsters of myth – they’re shapeshifters with taste, thriving closer to home than most people realise.
Along the southern coast, from Cornwall up toward Dorset and Kent, the common octopus has been making a quiet comeback. Some say it’s the warmer waters; others claim it’s the abundance of crabs to snack on. I prefer to think it’s simply good taste – after all, the English coast has a certain understated glamour when you’re eight-armed and discerning.
What fascinates me most is their personality. Each one is said to be as individual as a chef in a bustling kitchen – curious, bold, and incapable of leaving things where they found them. (I know a few of those myself.) They can slip through gaps no wider than a corkscrew and vanish into sand in the blink of an eye. If I had that trick, I’d be unstoppable at canapé tastings.
No drama, no flight itinerary – just quiet confidence beneath the tide.
Our octopus canapé pays tribute to this remarkable creature without pretence – tender, delicately marinated with lemon, paprika, and olive oil, finished with saffron and the faintest kiss of smoke. It’s the sort of bite that proves simplicity can be utterly showstopping when done perfectly.
There’s something quietly poetic about serving octopus from our own shores. No drama, no flight itinerary – just quiet confidence beneath the tide. Proof that brilliance doesn’t always need fanfare; some glide through English waters, minding their business, waiting to be discovered by someone with taste (and a touch of curiosity).
Until next time,
Coco