Guest post: tales from an oyster lady

Possibly the ultimate food of love, oysters can be a little daunting if you've never tried them before. So if you need an excuse to try them, or maybe even to dish them up to someone special, then we'd like to hand over to a lady who knows a lot more about them than we do. Scottish oysters are the best we've tasted, so here is a guest post by Judith Vajk, offering an insight into life as a oyster farmer, top tips and oyster facts, just in time for Valentine's Day:

"I had my first oyster in 1984 in Saint Vaast, a small seaside town in Normandy known for its oysters. I had moved to France for work and was introduced to Hugo, who worked on an oyster farm. I cannot say I enjoyed my first oyster; I do find that the first one can take you by surprise as you are unsure of exactly how it will taste. However, after a couple more I enjoyed the pure flavour of the sea that is indeed the true taste of an oyster.

[At The Caledonian Company] we farm the Pacific oyster which does not spawn in Scotland but grows happily in our clean, cold waters. The Pacific oyster is an easier oyster to grow than the native Scottish oyster. Natives are slower growing and are not so happy grown in bags – they would rather lie on the sea-bed. We grow our oysters in mesh bags, with varying sized holes depending on the size of the oyster. The bags sit on trestle tables on the sea-bed. At low-tide we drive out on a tractor and get to work, turning the bags, bringing in oysters to be graded for sale. If we did not turn the bags regularly the oysters would grow into each other and we would not be able to sell them individually.

In Scotland, we sell oysters throughout the year. Because they do not spawn here they do not become very milky in the summer months. However, they are probably at their best in the colder months – and naturally chilled! The most common question I get asked about oysters is with regards to their aphrodisiac qualities – surely, that depends on who you are eating them with! But I do know they are the highest food source of zinc – very important in the production of the male hormone, testosterone. The second question is whether to swallow or chew an oyster? I definitely advise to just give the oyster a couple of bites to release all the flavour that is contained within the oyster.

The best way to open an oyster is carefully and with a proper oyster knife! Place the oyster, cup-shape shell down, on a tea-towel; this helps keep the oyster steady. Hold the oyster firmly and taking an oyster knife, put the point into the natural space that is between the two shells at the hinge (pointed) end. With careful pressure gently work the knife between the two shells then twist the knife to ‘pop’ the shell. Bring the knife along, between the two shells, cutting the muscle from the top shell, and remove the shell. Sweep your knife along the bottom shell, releasing the oyster muscle there too.

Oysters are wonderful with a squeeze of lemon, and we do like one or two drops of Tabasco with the lemon. Chopped shallots with red wine vinegar is a delicious alternative and adds a rosy glow to the oyster.

We do supply one wholesaler, Charlie Magee, who distributes our oysters in Edinburgh to fishmongers and restaurants in the city [including supplying Tom Kitchin]. I also attend Perth Farmers’ Market on the first Saturday of the month. Though saying that, I won’t be there in March as we are going to the European Oyster Shucking Championship in Sweden to cheer our son on who is the Scottish champion.

So, how did I get into oyster farming? Well, I married the man who fed me my first oyster!"

Easter Feasting

We don't need much of an excuse to gather friends and family to feast in our household. Easter provided a good focus for our culinary attentions and a new challenge: to cook while balancing a baby in one arm or with such efficiency that the entire feast could take place during sleep time or, as was reality, cook while baby was sleeping and end up feeding her at the table and eating one handed. Who can blame her? She wanted an Easter feast of her own. (And, I admit, I had help chopping the lamb and shelling the langoustine...)

Charlie and Evelyn's informal Easter table.

Tender lamb chump from George Bower's.

Served with a rich red currant jus, sweet potatoes, spring onions and mint.

Double decker strawberry meringue.

And, for Easter Saturday, a shellfish/seafood platter complete with oysters, langoustine, crevettes, smoked mackerel, hot smoked salmon, smoked salmon, dressed crab and lobster. Simply served with Herbie's baguette, mayonnaise, lemon juice and washed down with a clean South African chenin blanc.

You can't quite make it out in the photos above, but this is the look we were going for:

Buy this fishy table runner here.

The menu for Sunday started with chocolate but also featured potato cakes with seafood, pork with braised chicory, green beans with lentils and lots of cheese. Clearly there were too many calories for photos, sorry.

Foodies Festival

On Saturday, we headed, with empty stomachs, to Foodies. The beautiful Arthur's Seat backdrop and sunshine really made the day, not to mention the many, many eating and tasting options. We chose fabulous, freshly shucked, Ballimore Oysters, to start, followed by amazing Arbroath Smokies, washed down with ginger beer or Festival beer (which later sold out). And then spent a couple of hours wandering, basking in the sun and stopping off at the bar. Delicious.

The sun always shines on Loch Leven

This is a special place. Our favourite place for lunch. In the world.

You should go there. Soon.

The Gourmet

I missed my flight home from London last week and needed a quick distraction from the frustration and the airport spending. I bought and read this:

I was buried in it, even in the security queue. It even caught the lady next to me's attention. "That must be a good read, what is it?" She asked. I can, and did, definitely recommend.

I love oysters, so this description was especially pleasing,

Four fine de claire oyster, cold and salty, with neither lemon nor seasoning. Swallowed slowly, blessed for the imperious chill with which they cloaked my palate... Four oysters, unembellished. A complete and uncompromising prelude, royal in unpolished modesty. A glass of dry white wine, chilled, with fruity refinement...

If a bar of chocolate costs over £1, I wonder what they'd charge for a warm and wobbly plane oyster. Ugh!

If this doesn't tempt you, be sure to check out this by the same author :

and failing that, go to here for a long distance book club.

Will there be restaurants in heaven?

There's something about the contentment and satisfaction of a good restaurant that makes me think the answer must be yes. If you mix that feeling with the discovery of a new place, in a new country and add holiday relaxation and excellent wine enjoyed with C, you have my idea of heaven on earth. We found that in Franschhoek, South Africa. Given the amount we ate and drank we should still be full now.

Franschhoek has an unbelievable concentration of excellent restaurants in a beautiful, small village and to make it even better, is surrounded by vineyards like this, wineries like this oh, and mountain views like this.

We liked it. A lot. View above from Dieu Donne by me.

With so much eating to be done, we began immediately with dinner at Bouillabaisse indulging in oysters straight up for C and with pineapple and chilli for me. Followed by open duck won tons which were so good they were impossible to savour slowly. Other highlights, and it's hard to choose highlights when nothing but passes your lips for four days, included Le Bon Vivant where we had a fabulous and creative tasting menu including rare tuna with tomato mousse, basil crisp, and onion strings and met the talented chef Pierre Hendricks (Dutch not French - confusing name). Also, Le Quartier Francais which served an outstanding everything especially the open lasagne with rabbit confit and mushroom foam. C was inspired, pretty much to the point of drooling and I'm sure his take on this dish will be coming to Charlie and Evelyn's Table real soon.
So that's why it's been a bit quiet here but we are back now with lots to share, lots to do and busy preparations for our third supper this weekend.