#17 The art of seaweed pressing with Julia Bird of Molesworth & Bird

Breakfast & Beyond

Today’s episode was one of my favourites to record – for the first time, we took Breakfast & Beyond on location, and I was lucky enough to spend the most blissful morning walking, listening, learning, swimming and sharing breakfast at the rugged Cornish coast with seaweed artist Julia Bird.

Julia co-founded Molesworth & Bird with fellow artist and friend Melanie Molesworth back in 2018, translating their mutual love for art and the ocean into a business, hand-pressing seaweed that they forage from the shores of their local beaches – Julia in Cornwall, and Melanie in Dorset.

From the original prints and postcards, Molesworth & Bird now create a range of seaweed-inspired homewares such as cushions, bags, enamelware and cards, along with hosting seaweed pressing workshops helping others to learn from, and be inspired by, the ocean.

Sustainability is etched into each element of Julia’s work – from the choice she made to step away from a busy London career as a magazine stylist, to the gentle rhythm of foraging, collecting and pressing seaweed, always with a deep consideration and respect for the natural environment.

So for this episode, allow me to take you on a journey to the quiet corner of the Cornish coastline that is Julia’s world, and I hope you enjoy - and learn - just as much from her story as I did.

Breakfast at the beach consisted of Blackberry and Elderberry Tarlets with coffee, followed by Wild Mushroom & Rock Samphire Omelettes with Seaweed Pickled Veg. You can find these recipes along with more information about the themes that Julia and I discuss, via the Episode 17 web page.

Huge thanks to photographer and dear friend John Hersey for capturing stunning images from our breakfast conversation, you can find a selection of John’s images sharing the visual story via the Episode 17 web page, and do check out John’s portfolio and Instagram.

Thank you to the Cornish Seaberry Company for supporting this episode! Please do give their delicious, healthy, zingy drink VitaminSEA a try, and use the code BREAKFAST as you check out for a 10% discount.

Thank you for listening, I’d love to know your thoughts on today’s episode. You can join the conversation by getting in touch - [e-mail] or message via Instagram @breakfast_and_beyond.

I hope you can join me for Breakfast & Beyond x Heligan LIVE on Thursday 13th October for a morning of delicious food, great company and rich conversations with my guest speakers on all things sustainability. Tickets can be found via this link: https://www.heligan.com/events/breakfast-beyond-at-heligan

Please do subscribe to the podcast, and I’d be so grateful if you could rate and review this episode, then share it with people in your network who you know would enjoy listening. Thank you so much, welcome to Breakfast & Beyond.