Whitstable in England's Kent is an oyster-lover's paradise. With amazing beach views and lots of outdoor seating The Lobster Shack is the perfect summer destination. The colder the water, the better the oysters so, although the native season begins September 1, hang on until at least October when the native oysters are really worth the hour and 20 minute train journey down from London Victoria. Disease, war and fashion put paid to the town's oyster fishery in the 1920s, but a revival, led by the current (private) owners of the Whitstable Oyster Company, has made the town's succulent mollusc a valued and desirable commodity again. This tiny, pink fronted restaurant dates … "We would like to thank them for their excellent work and we look forward to you all next year when we can celebrate Whitstable’s oysters with you once again. The town of Whitstable, on the east coast of Kent has been synonymous with oysters for hundreds of years. As good as it is, the Royal Oyster Stores, in its striking brick building on the beach, can be something of a tourist draw in oyster season. Or we could take a ninety minute train ride to Whitstable to have some oysters. Probably longer in fact - the Romans in Britain farmed and exported Whitstable oysters to the Imperial Capital 2,000 years ago. Often they were crewed by two or three men and a boy. Oysters have been fished from Whitstable Bay since Roman times to date. The Lobster Shack is a beach bar serving a selection of hot and cold seafood, with daily specials, amazing local beers and local wine. Various good shots as they pull them in and empty them out. Farmed rock oysters (the tan oyster on the right) are available all the time and plenty of other fish and seafood, including lobsters, are landed by the local fishermen. The hand cut chips were very, very good. Adult admission is £3; students admission is £2, and one child is admitted free with each paying adult.. Chargrilled Sardines £8. We buy or dredge Native oysters from the common ground historically known as … Now, she sits surrounded by wildflowers in a narrow garden on a street called Island Wall. Instead, expect the best local ingredients, simply cooked. There are a couple of things that Whitstable is known for. Now the pebble beach, near town is lined with a ramshackle assortment of huts, some of which still store fishermens gear, some of which are small artists studios and galleries and some of which are secret bolt holes for raffish vacationers. Whitstable Town centre with its charming architecture, excellent independent pubs, and many craft and artisan food shops is a just a short walk away. The boats were built strong with a shallow draft to ply the shallow waters over the beds. Out of fashion as a place for seaside breaks for many years, it has always had its share of independent, small boat fishermen. (Check National Rail Enquiries for times). For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here. "The decision to cancel was taken by FULL, the company organising the festival on our behalf, with our support. The town's pride and joy, the Whitstable Native Oyster (left in the photo above) is small and bluish, firm and with a clean taste of the sea. A spokesman said: "We're sad to announce that this year's Whitstable Oyster Festival has been cancelled. Pro Tip: When there’s an R in the month, its native oyster season (rock oysters are available all year). From The Times: August 31, 1920The oyster season opened on August 4, but it is not until the beginning of September that the public cares to eat oysters, and September 1 is regarded by the trade as The oysters for one that are in season only during months that have an "r" in them. Very good C/U of one girl eating an oyster then winking at the camera. Plan meals, try new foods and explore cuisines with tested recipes from the country's top chefs. It includes traditional events such as the vibrant oyster parade, the landing and blessing of the oysters, a food fair, the 'mud tug' and building 'grotters' - small candlelit mounds of oyster shells - on the beach at sunset. "This would have been our third year of producing the event and we were looking forward to putting on an amazing show with wide-ranging additions and improvements for the people of Whitstable," he said. Information on signs in the garden around her tells of the shipwrights and blacksmiths that once built Whitstable's oyster fleet right on the beach. It was a no brainer really. This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), The extension of the lockdown confirmed by the government this afternoon. The ambiance may be laid back and casual but the oyster's shucked to order in front of you and the sea view (and the prices) are first class. The PGI is administered by “The Ancient Oyster Companies of Whitstable and Faversham.” To be sold as a Whitstable Oyster, an oyster must be from the oyster beds around Whitstable. Outside of the restaurant's scheduled lunch and dinner hours, visitors can enjoy a beer, a plateful of oysters and some bread and butter at wooden trestle tables in the bar. What's for dinner? The popular family-friendly weekender - an homage to the humble mollusc for which Whitstable is famous - takes place in the town every summer, usually during July. The Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company, which operates several restaurants and a hotel in Whitstable, can trace its history back to the late 1700s and (according to some reports) as early as the 1400s. Oysters Whitstable has been farmed since Roman times and the annual Oyster Festival dates back to the Norman period. By then no native oysters were grown at all in the area, but were simply shipped in from beds on the south coast, cleaned up and purified. The Whitstable Oyster Company, Whitstable: See 1,623 unbiased reviews of The Whitstable Oyster Company, rated 4 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #17 of 110 restaurants in Whitstable. Being in the gorgeous seaside town of Whitstable in Kent, where oysters are farmed and sold fresh along the marina, I … "While it is the right decision in the circumstances, we know this news will be disappointing for many people and thank you for your understanding.". Kent. The succulent "Native" oysters are unlike any other and have been harvested here since medieval times. The Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company traces its roots back to 1793, when it was set up by an Act of Parliament, but oysters have been a part of Whitstable’s history for far longer. She currently lives in London. Grilled WOFCo rock oysters ‘Nola’ (garlic butter & parmesan) £12. Whitstable (/ ˈ hw ɪ t s t ə b əl /) is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England, 5 miles (8 km) north of Canterbury and 2 miles (3 km) west of Herne Bay.It has a population of about 32,000. "The extension of the lockdown confirmed by the government this afternoon would have caused further issues for suppliers to the festival. The popularity of Whitstable's native oysters grew for hundreds of years, reaching its apogee in the 1850s, when the company, then a cooperative of local fishermen and oyster farmers, shipped as many as 80 million oysters a year to London's Billingsgate Market. The Whitstable Oyster Company, Whitstable: See 1,623 unbiased reviews of The Whitstable Oyster Company, rated 4 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #17 of 110 restaurants in Whitstable. Black truffle taramasalata with chargrilled sourdough toast £9. Follow the story of Whitstable's oyster yawls and other marine traditions (the diving helmet was invented here) at the town's museum and gallery on Oxford Street in Whitstable. The town has an oyster festival, but don't expect to eat any natives then - they hold it in July when the oyster season is over and the fishermen have time to celebrate. The annual Whitstable Oyster Festival [July 22-24 this year] is also worth a visit; there is music and Morris dancing, and a procession, plus arts events. "The health of everybody involved in the festival - visitors, staff, volunteers, event organisers, suppliers and sponsors - is of paramount importance. The Whitstable Oyster Company has been growing oysters in the words of ancient documents since time immemorial. FULL's production director Kev Sutherland said the firm had planned a number of new additions, before taking the "difficult decision" to cancel. Trying to find the right nursery, school, college, university or training provider in Kent or Medway? Whitstable Oyster Company – a restaurant from the 2020 MICHELIN Guide United Kingdom. Item title reads- Whitstable. Shallow draft sailing craft still manoeuvre the oyster beds, sharing space on the beach with many small pleasure boats, but "The Favourite", in the top photo, harks back to Whitstable's Victorian fishery.She was the last of the traditional wooden oyster yawls in Whitstable and the only one now in public ownership. The Last of the Sailing Yawls - "The Favourite", Fisherman's Huts Are Now Quirky Hideaways. Read more: All the latest news from Whitstable, We have two family tickets for four to give away to Christmas at the Castle. Located in a handsome, 18th century brick building with a venerable beamed ceiling, the restaurant offers a big selection of local fish, shellfish and crustaceans. By using Tripsavvy, you accept our. Unlike some English seaside towns, that (since the seaside became popular in the mid 19th century) are little more than extended amusement arcades, Whitstable has the salty charm of a working fishing village. "In addition to the government rightly enforcing a prolonged period of social isolation, it would not be right to place any additional strain on the emergency services, who we are lucky enough to have working alongside us at our events. View the latest coronavirus stats including new cases, rolling rate and case rate compared to average. When the sun’s out it’s hard to beat rolling your trousers up and picking your way … Because for every person who adores the plump, lusty silkiness of an oyster, another ten believe they taste, not to put too fine a point on it, like snot. The Romans loved Whitstable oysters and were sending them home in around 80AD. It cannot be postponed to a later date due to overlapping with other events and the pressure this would put on the emergency services. 1/2 doz Whitstable Oyster Co Rock Oysters £16. This company was under the control of a Board of Directors and consisted of shareholders. For him, an oyster may be like eating a mermaid, but for me, it’s like eating a piece of ancient and delicious British history. Whilst it was understood that the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company (WOFC) have deployed Oyster trestles in this location since 2009 the concerns were … Visit their website to find out more. First incorporated by an Act of Parliment in 1793 as the "Company of Free Fishers and Dredgers of Whitstable"; the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company's Oyster Farm covers an area of inter-tidal waters at Whitstable Bay, near the seaside town of Whitstable, Kent, England. The Oyster bar and The Forge are two great places to eat in Whitstable. Moules Mariniere £11. Today we are hands on with more than half a dozen methods of production. Whitstable Oyster Festival Home The seaside town of Whitstable, on the north coast of Kent in south east England, is known for its brightly-coloured beach huts, traditional seaside charm, and oysters. Here are some other good choices: In the Victorian heyday of Whitstable's oyster fisheries, at least 150 sailing yawls, sometimes called oyster smacks, harvested the cultivated oyster beds. Here are some other good choices: Wheeler's Oyster Bar 8 High Street, Whitstable, +44 (0)1227 273 311. When and Where to Eat English Oysters in England, The Top Things to Do in Plymouth, England, Spend a Day at One of the 7 Best Beaches Near London, The 12 Best Things to Do Along England's Jurassic Coast, A Seafood Lover's Guide to Eating Out in Rhode Island, The 9 Best Things to Do in California's Marin County, North Coast of France: The Ultimate Road Trip From Dieppe to Calais, The Best Beaches on the Caribbean Island of Curaçao, Faces of Kent - Great Days Out on London's Doorstep, Tripsavvy uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Best Oysters in Whitstable, Kent: Find 16,751 Tripadvisor traveller reviews of THE BEST Oysters and search by price, location, and more. The once thriving Whitstable Royal Oyster Company by then comprising of a derelict building, £342 worth of equipment and £40,000 of debt was bought by Barrie Green and John Knight in 1976. Built in 1890, she was a working vessel until machined gunned in 1944 during WWII. Oystermen are far too busy once the season opens so they celebrate in July. The seaside town … It’s my son Freddy’s last day of the holidays, and he has bivalves on his mind. There is no elaborate haute cuisine here. Coronavirus is devastating families across the country. But oyster-eating in Whitstable dates back even further … Grilled WOFCo rock oysters ‘Royale’ (black truffle butter & Champagne) £12. Harvesting oysters at Whitstable Oyster Company farm from trestle tables 50m offshore. "But safety must always come first. (Check National Rail Enquiries for times). You’re reminded of them at every turn. I visited the company's Royal Naval Oyster Stores restaurant in September and struck up a conversation in the casual oyster bar with some businessmen who had come down from a nearby conference just to eat oysters. Our Education Directory has everything you could possibly need! The Whitstable Oyster Company, Whitstable: See 1,601 unbiased reviews of The Whitstable Oyster Company, rated 4 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #20 of 108 restaurants in Whitstable. Whitstable Oyster Festival has become the latest major Kent event to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Oyster season. While some locals opt to avoid the town during the busy period, the festival brings huge crowds of visitors to Whitstable, bringing a boost of trade to local business. "The Favourite" commemorates Whitstable's shipbuilding industry. The property is a stone’s throw from the Saxon Shore Coastal Path. Ferne Arfin is a freelance travel writer who covers the U.K. and Greece for TripSavvy. The MICHELIN inspectors’ point of view, information on prices, types of cuisine and opening hours on the MICHELIN Guide's official website ABOUT OYSTER SHELL VILLA. Eat oysters at: The Royal Naval Oyster Stores, owned by the Whitstable Oyster Company who revived the town's fishery after World War II. Whitstable High Street and many good restaurants are all within a lovely 20 minutes walking along the coast path – but there are also regular buses to Whitstable and Canterbury from a stop near the house. My Whitstable lunch is part of an industry that has gone from almost dormant in the early 1980s to producing over a million oysters a year. Safety must always come first. Here we pay tribute to those who have died from the virus in Kent. "We have the utmost respect for them and wish to express our admiration for their dedication and professionalism, which is proving so vital at this time. In an enterprising act of recycling, the owners of the Continental Hotel, who also own the Whitstable Oyster Company, have converted a group of cockle farmers' storage sheds into unusual ocean view accommodations (bottom left in the photo above) They're available for a minimum of two night stays. From the piles and piles of shells by the beach to the farming ropes strung up on racks on the promenade. The Whitstable Oyster Festival has its roots in Norman times when fishermen held a service of thanksgiving around the feast day of St James of Compostella, considered the patron saint of oystermen. Photograph: Tim Stubbings Photography Green’s father, Barrie, … At Whitstable harbour you can watch mongers taking the oysters from the shells Credit: Alamy. Whitstable’s famous native oysters are at their best from September through to April. She was hauled up to the garden of Favourite Cottage just a few feet from where she was built. In the meantime, please follow the advice and stay safe. Whitstable was famous for its 'Native Oysters' which were collected from beds beyond the low water mark from Roman times until the mid-20th century. First up, Whitstable Native Oysters: Grown to market size on the seabed, Whitstable Native Oysters are fished further out to sea near Whitstable Bay at the seaside town of Whitstable, Kent, England. M/S as they pour the oysters out of a … If you are planning on heading for Whitstable outside the traditional oyster season (months with an R from September to April) you can still try some oysters. As it happens, the town's traditional Whitstable Oyster Festival takes place in the off-season for native oysters. "Both we and the council also have a responsibility to our staff, event workers, suppliers and sponsors, so all developments have been closely monitored before making the final decision. M/S of four attractive young ladies in their bathing suits hauling in the oysters on a dredger. It flourishes in the shallow, coastal waters of the Thames Estuary where fresh and salt water mix and where the microscopic algae oysters eat is plentiful. But Canterbury City Council has announced today that the festival will not be going ahead this year, following the government's announcement of an extension to coronavirus lockdown measures. Whitstable Oyster Festival has become the latest major Kent event to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.. The Whitstable Oyster Company is one of the oldest companies in Europe and can trace its origins back to the 1400s. Being situated on a no through road, The Oyster Shell benefits from minimal traffic noise, and generally safe streets. Don Draper was clearly on to something. Up to Whitstable, on a blustery September day, at the very start of the native oyster season. ... post office and pub are within 5 minutes walk as is the beach and a playing field. The now debt-ridden Company was reconstituted in 1896 under the Companies Act and the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company was found. The company lays claim to being Europe's oldest surviving commercial enterprise. Soak up the vibes. With Native Oyster Season under way, it's time to introduce our UK Native Oysters. It's a tradition that dates from Norman times, when local fisherman held a festival and service of thanksgiving during the closed season for oysters, around the time of the feast day of St. James of Compostella, July 25. As good as it is, the Royal Oyster Stores, in its striking brick building on the beach, can be something of a tourist draw in oyster season. The oysters from Whitstable received European PGI status protection in 1992. The Whitstable Oyster Festival Association reports that 2,000 year old oyster shells excavated in modern Rome have been traced back to Whitstable.

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