What is the months with an ‘r’ all about

Months with an ‘R’ is talked about often with oysters, but what is it all about..?

There are two types of oyster that grow in the British Isles.

Oysters that you would typically quaff with tabasco or shallot mignonette, are probably Pacific Rock Oysters (Magallana gigas) which are not indigenous to UK waters. However this species is suitable for farming methods and comprises of 99% of the world’s oyster consumption. These are available all year round!

However there is another species which is a true British Oysters, known as the Native Oyster (Ostrea. edulis). As the saying goes, these are only available in months with an ‘R’ in it(September-April). These oysters have a completely different taste to their foreign counterparts. These were those that were enjoyed by the Romans during their conquest, especially those from the Thames estuary, which they returned to Rome as a delicacy.

Reasons for their limited availability include:

– Ecological reasons, during the summer it is best to leave them undisturbed to reproduce and maintain a healthy fishery

– Taste/Texture, when they are spawning the creaminess of the oyster does not compliment the mineral/metallic complement of the oyster.