The month of September sees the return of native oysters to restaurants and fishmongers up and down the country. The UK’s original species spawn from the end of April until the end of August, hence the saying oysters should only be eaten in months with an ‘R’ in the name.
Oysters have been eaten in the UK since they were popularised by the Romans and continued to be popular until the early 1900s when, due to pollution and overfishing, oysters were drastically reduced in numbers. It was around this time that oysters were introduced from the US; Pacific or ‘rock’ oysters could be grown in 2 years in comparison to the 4 years in which it takes to grow a native oyster and, as they are able to spawn at lower temperatures, they can be eaten all year round.