Farmed and fished in the crystal clear waters of Brancaster Staithe Harbour by father and son team Cyril and Ben Southerland. The Oyster Farm
Our oyster farm is situated in Brancaster Staithe Harbour where the oysters are grown on trestles in the creeks, taking advantage of all the natural nutrients that run through the salt marshes. The oysters themselves are purchased from oyster hatcheries when
they are very small, around the size of your little finger nail. We spread them in to further larger mesh bags until they reach the desired size when they are harvested by hand, washed and depurated ready to go to market. The depuration process is the final stage before marketing. This process involves placing the oysters in tanks of sea water which is circulated through Ultra-Violet lights that purify the water that the oysters are filtering. After this process the shellfish are ready for consumption. Although the waters in Brancaster Staithe harbour are some of the cleanest in Britain, by using depuration tanks we find that we can regulate our product more effectively. By monitoring the water temperature and environment that the oysters are kept in just before they go to market we are able to deliver a consistently outstanding product which can be delivered to the outlets we supply as and when they are needed. The Mussel Farm
We harvest mussels during the months of October – March. Whilst in other areas of the country mussels are harvested all year round, we have always supplied mussels as a seasonal product as we find that in this area the meat quality, flavour and the shelf life of the product is best at this time. The mussels are grown, like the oysters, in the creeks of Brancaster Staithe harbour although, unlike the oysters, mussels are grown on the sea floor. All our mussels are collected when they are at the juvenile stage from wild settlements around The Wash. They are then placed in the harbour where they can feed on the nutrients running off the salt marshes and grow in to the delicious product which so many people travel so far to enjoy! Crabs and Lobsters
We catch crabs and lobsters during the months of April – September. As the cold winter days start to disappear, we start going out to sea on our fishing boat The Alison Christine. Creel fishing is an extremely sustainable way of fishing with all small and breeding stock returned to the sea unharmed. Only the very best quality brown crab and lobsters are retained and brought ashore where we process them and deliver delicious dressed crab and lobsters to our customers. http://www.brancasteroysters.co.uk
