Oysters are catching on

Oysters, unlike their more popular shelled companions, have not yet managed to work their way out of high-end restaurant fridges and into domestic kitchens in the UK. They are thought by many to be too exotic and difficult to prepare.

Today, they are however available in many supermarkets - Tesco sell them at 50p each, sourced from Ireland and Scotland; while Asda sell them for 50p each, sourced from Ireland.

And according to high street supermarket chain Asda, there has been a constant uplift in sales of oysters during the last few years.

“They are becoming more popular,” an Asda’s spokespersonsaid.

“We’ve seen sales increase around 22 per cent in the last year and 38 per cent over the last three years.” 

As people become more concerned about depleting fish stocks, and eating sustainably and locally, the figures suggest that we might be starting to look at oysters in a new light. Drew Smith, author of Oysters: A World History, explains that 100 years ago oysters were harvested on almost every part of the UK coastline, and were very popular among all classes of society. But Smith explains that over-fishing, two world wars and a lack of investment in Britain’s fishing industry caused the oyster trade to collapse.

“Oysters were a great part of British cooking. And when people emigrated to America they took that love with them – and that’s why they’re still popular there,” he said.