Tomorrow when I go to the office I’m going to have rather a swanky answer to the question ‘what did you get up at the weekend’?
I went oyster fishing, and have the sunburn, the slightly queasy sensation from sea-sickness and over-indulgence, and the cut hands to prove it. I was in Whitstable and 
thereabouts making a film about the history of the oyster industry for a new BBC2 series on the history of food. We visited medieval fishtraps on the beach at Seasalter, the area called Shellness on the Isle of Sheppey (clue’s in the name for its connection to oysters) and we went on the Misty out of Whitstable raking up oysters from the bottom with its skipper Andy and Richard from the Whitstable Oyster Company. As you can see in the photo, we also caught a starfish.
(These are the bad guys – like vampires they latch onto and suck the poor old oysters out of their shells.)
I can now discourse knowledgeably on the differences between native and Pacific rock oysters but, as the scratches show, I still can’t easily get the darned things open.
Thanks for that. Looks like a lovely way to spend the weekend. Especially in such glorious weather. You must feel very healthy and invigorated. Never tried oysters myself. Is it correct that you should swallow them down in one go?
Look forward to seeing the programme.
Kind regards.
What a wonderful and glorious way to spend the weekend. Oysters where a fine Roman tradition, some of the finest quality oysters to be found in the whole Roman Empire came from these shores.
As popular as oysters are I have never really seen what people see in them. With all the zinc, copper and iodine contained in them it would be like sucking on a salty battery. I always remember a business lunch in a fine restaurant when my client ordered a plate of oysters. When I politely declined to take part in this oyster feast; he remarked that it was an acquired taste. An ‘acquired taste’ is code for your whole physical body is about to coil against this experience it in a futile attempt to stop you from eating it; unlike a bag of ready salted crisps.
The new series sounds very interesting, I wish you well on the filming, looking forward to seeing it on TV.
Crikey! I was in the sea just of Herne Bay!
Sheppy is quite an experience!
I would hope you managed to visit Whitstable castle (I work here from time to time as a volunteer) the place was built on Alum. Might be an idea to shoe horn the place into your next series??
The second picture of the starfish reminds me a bit of a Daffodil!
The differences between native and Pacific rock oysters?
http://tinyurl.com/644qe7a
Thanks for the comments! I’m loving the cartoon about the native and Pacific oysters! And NO don’t swallow them whole. Chew them and at least try to appreciate them! They cost £2 each, for heaven’s sake. Lucy
Looks fun! Another series on TV sounds great to!
Elliott
We were in Sheerness a couple of weekends ago. Oysters all over the beach, but we weren’t sure exactly how clean the water is there. Should have remembered that Whitstable is just down th coast!
Whitstable is a lovely little town, Lucy! It’s a pity you didn’t seem to have had time to explore the town centre – it’s a rarity these days, with hardly any ‘multiples’ and loads of small, independents.
You must, surely, have visited the Harbour What did you think of it?