Whitstable Bay on the north Kent coast , with a working harbour, boatyards, tackle shops and colourful fishermen’s cottages lining its small streets. The town’s oyster-rich waters have been famous for centuries. On St. James’s Day the locals hold an annual oyster festival, a lively occasion celebrated with oyster landings, tasting’s and a blessing of the fishing boats on St. Reeves’ Beach - an event dating back to at least the early 19th century. Oysters have been an important food since Neolithic times. The Greeks served them with wine and the Romans were so fond of them that they sent their slaves to the shores of the English Channel to harvest them. They are often said to possess aphrodisiac qualities, and there may well be a grain of truth in this particular ‘old wives’ tale’. According to the ancient Greeks, their goddess of love, Aphrodite, emerged from the sea on an oyster shell.

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