When English oysters are in season some of the best places to eat them are along the east coast of the UK. When and where should you try them?
The English coast, washed by cold waters and dotted with bays and shallow inlets, is ideal for oyster beds, both natural and farmed. But this natural treasure was once deemed unsuitable for the best tables. How things have changed.
While eating oysters today is a relatively expensive seasonal treat, in the 19th century they were so plentiful and cheap that they were the food of the poor. Finally, the English turned their noses to the aphrodisiac bivalve and lost their taste for them. In fact, in modern times, most of the native oyster harvest was shipped to France.
According to Natural England, in 1864 more than 700 million oysters were eaten in London. One hundred years later, overfishing had reduced the total nationwide to just 3 million.
Today, oysters are becoming abundant once again. In the fall and winter months, native oysters are widely available, although they are still an expensive delicacy. In parts of England, where non-native Pacific and rock oysters are farmed, they are available year-round.
Oyster myths
Did I say throughout the year? How about eating only oysters in months with an “R” in their name? For years, people have believed that oysters are unsafe to eat in May, June, July, and August. But that’s actually a myth that grew out of the fact that those months are the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere, and therefore the months when oysters are most likely to spoil. Today, raw oysters that are properly kept and quickly served on ice can be eaten year-round.
But there’s another reason not to eat England’s native oysters from May to August: it’s illegal. Native oysters, which take about 5 years to mature, reproduce during those non-R months and are protected by an Act of Parliament during the spawning season. If the weather has been warm, you may want to stick with non-native species grown in April (when the natives may have started spawning) and September (when the spawning season may not be over). When they are reproducing, native oysters are milky and not very nice.
If you’re determined to eat oysters, call ahead to make sure these restaurants are serving them. Even though non-native oysters are around year round, if the chef doesn’t think they’re ready, they won’t always be on the menu.
Where to eat excellent English oysters
- Whitby on the east coast of Yorkshire is a pretty seaside town with several good restaurants. The ruined abbey on a hill above the city is where Count Dracula made landfall in England in Bram Stoker’s novel. It was also where the Whitby Synod between the Roman and Celtic Churches, in 664, determined the dates of Easter. The cold waters of the North Sea make good oysters where there are shallow bays. Eat them in season in Whitby at:
- Moon and Sixpence where, in 2019, they serve raw Lindisfarne rock oysters on ice or hot fried oysters with Sriracha sauce.
- The Marine where they also serve local lobster and crab.
- Thornham The town of Thornham, near the north Norfolk coast, was once a refuge for smugglers. Now the streams running through the North Sea marshes are covered in rock oysters on the ridges, reaching maturity in the salty tidal waters. You can try them, in season, at:
- The Orange Tree – Chosen by the Good Pub Guide as the Norfolk Dining Pub of the Year every year since 2013, including most recently 2018.
- Orford . Visit this town along the Suffolk heritage coast for a chance to get one of the few tickets to visit the National Trust’s Orford Ness National Nature Reserve. Europe’s longest pebble spit with, according to the National Trust, 15% of the world’s vegetated pebble reserve, this rare and fragile landscape can only be reached by the Trust’s own ferry and explored along the designated roads. His secret is more than a hidden natural world. During the Cold War, it was a hidden military testing area and the remains of that use are scattered across the beach. Stop at Orford Castle, a complete and unusual medieval castle built by Henry II. After exploring, eat oysters at:
- Butley Orford Oysterage, part of a company that has been farming oysters in Butley Creek for over 60 years.
- Mersea Island, off the coast of Essex, near Colchester, is reached by an old causeway through the marshes that floods at high tides. The island is surrounded by oyster-rich water and has provided Colchester’s famous oysters since Roman times (the reason for the old causeway). Oysters from the Blackwater River to the west of the island have been cultivated and harvested by the Haward family for seven generations, since the mid-18th century. Their oysters are a mix of native (in season) and wild oysters available throughout the year. The River Colne and the Colne Estuary, to the east of the island, are the source of native oysters and rock for The Colchester Oyster Fishery, which have the current lease for beds that King Richard I granted to local authorities in 1189. The Lion’s Heart Eat Colchester Oysters at:
- The Company Shed, run by Hawards as a combination seafood shop and restaurant, this is a simple little place that regularly receives stellar praise from all the major food critics. Bring your own bread and wine.
- The Coast Inn, a restaurant and bar along the Mersea River in Blackwater that specializes in local seafood and mussels. Check first because oysters may not be on the menu when you visit.
- Mistley along the River Stour on the Essex / Suffolk borders, was once the home of the evil General Witchfinder. According to legend, he once owned, or at least lived in, The Mistley Thorn. These days it’s a hotel and restaurant about 10 miles northeast of Colchester. The American chef serves oysters year-round and Colchester natives in season.
- Whitstable in Kent is another of England’s ancient oyster fisheries. Oyster shells found in the Colosseum in Rome have been identified as from Whitstable. Today, the name “native Whitstable oysters” is protected by an EU geographic designation. Close to Canterbury and easily accessible on a day trip from London, Whitstable has a salty charm and some 17th and 18th century streets worth exploring. The city has an oyster festival, but don’t expect to eat any natives then – they celebrate it in July when oyster season ends and fishermen have time to celebrate. Eat oysters at:
- The Royal Naval Oyster Stores, owned by the Whitstable Oyster Company, which revived the town’s fishing after WWII.
- The Sportsman, a Michelin-starred gastropub in Seasalter, a mile from Whitstable. But don’t expect oysters here until late October or early November. The chef will not serve until the natives are really at their best.
- Wheelers Oyster Bar, a small pink-fronted restaurant that dates back to the city’s Victorian heyday. Everything is right outside the boat. Cash and BYOB only.
- The Crab and Winkle, a restaurant and fish market overlooking the working fishing harbor.
- Falmouth , on the south coast of Cornwall, hosts the 4-day Falmouth Oyster Festival each October, a celebration of Cornish shellfish and local oysters that kicks off the start of the oyster fishing season there. If you are a true oyster lover, there is no better way to eat oysters than fresh from a seaside stand. But, if you prefer to sit at a table, try some of these local restaurants:
- The Harborside Restaurant is part of the Greenbank Hotel. It has wonderful huge windows overlooking the Fal estuary and a terrace for dining in fine weather.
- Rick Stein’s Fish – The celebrity chef’s fish and chip shop serves oysters and seafood at an upstairs bar in season.
