shetlandpaul, why are your winkles inedible?
whelks are food of the gods!particularly when their still warm. ive a good m8 who dredges oysters on the fal, by hand, sustainably. he always gives me his whelks, greenback crab, well anything that isnt oysters tbh, he once brought me a dozen natives at 9am on boxing day, you just cant buy that! its always worth looking on the foreshore, take a hand fork and see what else you can find. most shellfish can be purged in abucket of fresh water with salt added and all of it can be eaten unless its from polluted water.