Chris Hadfield: Maldon Oysters

Today’s meeting was chaired by Past President Peter Kemp in the absence of President Francis on holiday in Spain, as we thought. However our Secretary, Jenny Black, told us that he had returned to this country because his wife Jackie had fallen ill.

Our speaker was Chris Hadfield of Maldon Oysters. He said that as a South African he himself was surprised to find himself farming oysters in Essex, a job which he loves. He has now been working for Maldon Oysters for fifteen years.

Humans have been eating oysters far longer than that. Oyster shells have been found in a cave in which humans were living 142,000 years ago. Colchester was famous for its oysters when it was the capital of Roman Britain, although no oysters are found there now.

Oysters are an excellent source of nutrition and protein. They grew popular again as a food item in the 18th century and became a favourite food of the poorer sections of the population. Obviously things have changed since then. They are now scarcer and regarded by some as a luxury item.

Maldon Oysters buy oysters from a supplier in Whitby when they are about the size of a thumbnail. They are then put in large nets in the Blackwater Estuary, where they are in a healthy and safe environment free from their natural predators. It takes two to three years to grow them to a size suitable for market. Different oysters can grow at different rates, for reasons no one has yet fathomed.

In Chris’s view oysters should, in accordance with tradition, be swallowed whole live from the shell, although he did recommend that they be chewed slightly before swallowing to bring out the flavour. He told us that the oysters do not suffer because they have no brain and no nervous system.

He recommended that the first oyster be eaten without any additions such as lemon juice. This enables the appreciation of the full pure oyster flavour. Subsequent oysters can be seasoned in the diner wishes.

He ended by offering to give us a tour of Maldon Oysters. Peter suggested that this be considered for one of our informal meetings next year.