Exploring seascapes through taste, memory, and stories

At the heart of Roe’s contribution is the Foodscapes sub-project, which explores how we can understand seascapes through the lens of food – how taste, memories, and stories deepen our connection to place. 

A creative research approach

In her presentation, Roe emphasized the importance of creativity in research. The team used a wide variety of methods – from interviewing locals and documenting oral histories to working with local artists, chefs, and ceramicists. 

They gathered data from historical archives, university libraries, community museums, and through public events like food festivals and “heritage open days.” These engagements provided not just facts, but stories, myths, memories, values, and deeply personal perspectives on the coast and its changing meaning over time.

A key backdrop to the project is the region’s industrial past. The northeast coast of England was once heavily industrialized, home to coal shipping ports and processing plants. Although the shoreline has largely been cleaned up and restored, many locals still perceive it as a degraded and potentially dangerous place.

To challenge and expand these perceptions, the team drew on stories from older residents who recalled childhood traditions like willick-piking, as well as old recipes and photographs that illustrated the community’s historical relationship with the sea. This was combined with outreach activities such as communal dinners with newer residents, booklets for children about what can be found along the shoreline, and board games inspired by local seafood. Together, these efforts helped reconnect people with the seascape.

A digital atlas for all: mapping food stories

With such a diverse body of material, the question emerged: how to best collect and present it in a way that is accessible and engaging to audiences beyond academia? 

Roe’s answer was to return to a childhood fascination – atlases. 

“When I was little, opening an atlas came with a sense of anticipation,” she recalled. “And they were so beautiful.”

The result is the Foodscape Atlas, a publicly available, interactive map built using Google Earth. Designed for both researchers and the general public, the atlas invites users to explore the coastline through food-related stories. Each story is geolocated on the map and grouped into one of ten thematic categories – such as Shellfish, Fishing for Dinner, and Drinks – that reflect the region’s cultural and ecological connections to food.

Each category weaves together stories from the past and present – combining archival photos, recipes, interviews, and reflections. The map is not just a geographical tool but a narrative one: it allows users to “travel” through a landscape rich in memory, meaning, and multisensory experience. It’s also an act of knowledge democratization, making local voices and community knowledge available to a global audience.

Landscapes Through the Lens of Food

“Food is a great starting point for exploring landscapes,” Roe noted during the presentation. “It shapes how you think about a place. And stories – they help us connect with people and build understanding. What do stories do? They help us make sense of the world.”

Roe left researchers and students in the audience with an important message about the pace and nature of research. 

“We walked, talked – and reflected in the landscape we were studying. Researchers often forget – you need time to think. To reflect on what you’re doing, and why.”

The Foodscape Atlas stands as an example of how storytelling, local engagement, and digital tools can come together to offer new ways of seeing and sensing the landscapes that sustain us.