A blustery day in Whitstable

Famed for its crop of oysters (only eat in months with an ‘r’ )  and an increasing number of great cafes and restaurants, the north Kent seaside town of Whitstable is always worth visiting.

Welcome to Whitstable
Welcome to Whitstable

Popular with weekenders from London and boasting a thriving arts scene, the town has enticed tourists for decades. Attracting around 30,000 people, an annual oyster festival is held in late July to celebrate it culinary heritage. Fresh, locally caught shellfish fish is available anytime direct from the fisherman or from bustling hut and high street fishmongers. Whitstable oysters today are the more common rock oyster (Crassostrea gigas), introduced from the Pacific specifically for farming as it is more resilient than our native or flat oyster (Ostrea edulis).

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Preparing for the next crop of oysters

The festival is timed for good weather and the link to St. James of Compostela, the patron saint of Oystermen, whose feast day is in July.

The main street, known as Oxford Street, is home to many of the traditional fish and chip shops, delis, cafes and a dramatic Wetherspoon’s pub. The ‘Peter Cushing’ pub is set in a Art Nouveau-decorated cinema that pays homage to the eponymous horror-film actor, a popular local who lived in the town for many years before his death in 1994.

Oyster beds offshore Whitstable
Oyster beds offshore Whitstable

The harbour was built in 1831 and now hosts commercial shipping; diving, shipbuilding and fishing businesses and a thriving wind- and kite-surfing company.

There’s much to see and enjoy across the town. A shingle beach, converted fisherman’s huts and lots of narrow alleys such as Squeezed Gut Alley, Island Wall and Middle Wall and offers places to wander around, get lost and time to admire weatherboarded and sea-spray battered cottages – many now snapped up by second home-owners.

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Your choice of Whitstable fish

There are plenty of independent delis, greengrocers, butchers in the town although a couple of recently opened mini-supermarkets threaten this heritage.

Whitstable Produce Store has recently started stocking Zingiberi Bakery breads and cakes in their store alongside Kent Fine Foods and Hot Spiced Apple featuring 2014 Taste of Kent award-winners Little Stour Orchard juices, Dine Thyme pickle; Kent Crisps with their new Kent Chilli Farm chipotle flavour and a great collaboration between, Thanet Earth and Curiously Kentish which has the “Curious” chefs using Thanet Earth’s mis-shaped veg in a new range of sauces and chutneys.

On the beach path
On the beach path

Whitstable is one of a select group of British seaside town with a pub located right on the beach. Fondly known as the ‘Old Neppy’, The Old Neptune has a bohemian feel with live music, a range of beers and pints of Guinness and oysters, of course!

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Old Neppy”s sign on the beach
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Legendary local fish and chip shop
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Fisherman’s huts now converted for holiday lets
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Moroccan and Andalusian restaurant under the town’s main railway bridge
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Whitstable street art
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Shop local in Whitstable
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Best chips in town!

http://www.whitstableoysterfestival.co.uk IMG_0022 IMG_0079 IMG_0073 IMG_0068 IMG_0011 IMG_0061 IMG_0054

Bruce McMichael

Food writing, discovering food stories, meeting producers, chefs and food enthusiasts are all part of desire to inspire, inform my readers and fellow food lovers. I am a freelance writer, journalist and published author focusing on the international world of food and drink, culture and travel. In 2019 I graduated from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy with a Masters in Food Culture, Communication and Marketing. I am now a visiting Professor at the university teaching Food & Drink Writing. Based in London I travel widely, particularly across western Europe. I have chaired many conferences and meetings, spoken at conferences and events and often appear on radio and TV talking most about food, the business of food and being an entrepreneur. In 2017 I won an episode of the ITV (the UK-based national television channel) cooking competition show, 'Gordon Ramsay's Culinary Genius'. I took my children on holiday to Sicily with the prize money. As an experienced farmers' market manager and operator of a small marmalade/ preserves company, I am very familiar with the issues surrounding local food, farming, enterprise and the environment.

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