Colchester Native Oysters

Native oysters are the oysters that the 'R' in the month saying comes from - as they are only available from September through to April.

The native oyster has a flat round shell, and the oyster itself is firm and meaty with big earthy flavours.

The Colchester native oyster is famous world over and a true Colchester native comes from our oyster farm, where they have been growing for thousands of years. It is these oysters that the Romans enjoyed, so much so that they towed them back to Rome by boat. The remains of oyster shells from our river have been found in the ruins of buildings in Rome, which still makes us stop in our wellies, in awe of the history that's held in our river and our oysters.

Size Guide

Native oysters are graded in a different way to rock oysters, we use a numerical system with 1 being the largest and 3 being the smallest. Our 3's currently don't have a lot of meat inside so we are leaving them in the river to fatten up.

1's are our largest sized native oyster

2's are our medium sized native oyster

How to care for your native oysters at home

We recommend that you keep the Oysters in the fridge with a damp tea towel or tissue on top. They are best eaten as soon as possible after delivery but should last up to two days if cared for properly.