Blackwater Estuary, Essex · England
Colchester Native Oyster Fishery
The Roman-era native oyster fishery of the Colne and Blackwater.
"The Colne Estuary is where the oyster industry in Britain began. It is still where the best ones come from."
— The Company Shed, West Mersea
Placeholder profile
This is a working draft based on public information. A proper profile will follow once Samuel spends a morning on the boats out of West Mersea with Richard Haward’s Oysters or the wider Company Shed operation.
What is here now
Native oysters (Ostrea edulis) have been fished from the Colne and Blackwater estuaries in Essex since Roman occupation, which is documented in Latin literature and confirmed archaeologically by oyster middens dating to the first century AD. The Romans preferred them so much that they were shipped back to Rome packed in ice from the Alps.
Modern fishing on the estuary is small. The bed suffered a near-collapse in the twentieth century from disease and dredging. What remains is a small collection of family fishermen working ancient beds, plus a few dedicated restoration efforts trying to bring the wider Essex population back up to historical levels.
Every Colchester Native on a London menu today came from one of a handful of families.
Why they matter to OYSTR
Two thousand years of continuous fishing. The Essex native is the oyster that Wiltons has been serving since Wiltons was Wiltons. Any credible OYSTR profile must lead with them.
The restoration project on the wider Essex bed is one of the main destinations for the mission percentage of OYSTR subscription revenue in Y1.
What is coming
A proper visit is scheduled for October. The finished profile will name the specific fishermen currently working the beds, follow one from tide to shed to market, and document the difference between a native pulled that morning and one shipped down from a wholesaler at Billingsgate.
Where you can eat these oysters
- Wiltons, London
- Sweetings, London
- Bibendum Oyster Bar, London
Every venue in the OYSTR app credits its supplying farm. Download the app to find the closest room serving oysters from Colchester Native Oyster Fishery.
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