what are winkles and whelks like?

[Frownette]

I was having a look at seafood platters and aside from the usuals there are winkles and whelks which I've never tried!

Never had whelks, but winkles are chewy and taste of the sea.

Thanks sorry

Rubbery, vinegary (if pickled) sometimes a bit gritty.

Do you need a toothpick to eat them?

Whelks are rubbery and chewy but taste yummy with proper mayo. You'd probably need more than a toothpick to get a whelk out of its shell- you normally get a metal stick to get them out.

I enjoy winkles after the faff of getting them out of the shell! Salty and chewy. Whelks are bigger and much chewier. A Sunday tea when I was a girl was winkles and shrimps (we'd all get the winkles out with needles and they'd sit in vinegar whilst we peeled the shrimps) and we'd have bread and butter and cake - usually either Angel or Battenburg.

nice that it brought back childhood memories @thatgingergirl

They both taste a bit more earthy than your usual mussel type seafood- that's why I can't get on with them. When you are cooking them there's a definite soil/land smell rather than fishy.
I suppose they're a bit more like snails.

Winkles are like eating long stringy snots and whelks are like chewing thick rubber bands. Imo of course😊

Grim! Something my cockney grandparents would have loved.

Yes Frownette - made me a bit wistful - over 50 years ago now!

My favourite, hard to describe but whelks are like a thicker calamari with more chew, and winkles are just delicious, if they are slimy they are off, don't eat them.

They are salty little things, taste gorgeous.

Never tried them but I think they look very unappetising. I generally don’t like eating stuff that lives in the sea though.
This thread isn’t making me want to try. Rubbery, chewy, gritty, earthy. 🤢

Hmm, I might have to continue my search. All I want is crevettes, oysters, dressed crab.

My favourite seafood place closed down as they were drug dealers on the side. Could order online I guess.

Winkles are delicious, or 'willicks' as we call them round here. They'reusually salty as they're boiled in salted water and they taste sort of meaty rather than fishy. I have fond childhood memories of going willick-picking on the rocks and mam boiling them all up in a huge pan of salted water (this stage stinks!) then sitting on the back step with a bowl and a pin, using the pin to flick out the 'eye' (black shiny disc that seals the shell shut) and then pull out the willick.

Whelks are horrible and rubbery.

Rubbery, chewy bogies (IMHO).