Stranraer Oyster Festival announces full programme

Stranraer Oyster Festival will take place next month, with visitors from all over the UK flocking to what has become one of the biggest food festivals in Scotland.

A must-visit for oyster enthusiasts, the event will take place between 15-17 September.

The opening ceremony will see the crew of The Vital Spark land one of the first native oyster catches of the season.

The oysters are piped ashore by Loch Ryan Pipe Band and the landing will be followed by an evening of live music, celebrity chef cookery demos and a spectacular fireworks and aerobatics display.

This year’s celebrity chefs highlights are TV favourite Michael Caines, Tony Singh, MasterChef runner-up Julie Lin and Guardian journalist Felicity Cloake.

Other chefs taking part this year include Ryan McCutcheon, Helen Cross, Douglas Lisi and David Alexander.

The ShuckOff! the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championships takes place on 16 September, pitting chefs, oyster growers, producers, fishermen and industry professionals against each other in a bid to claim the title of Scottish Oyster Shucking Champion.

The winner will go on to represent Scotland at the World Oyster Opening Championships in Galway, Ireland in late September.

Extreme Pond Dipping: The crew of the oyster boat will bring ashore a trailer full of an unsorted oyster bed catch. It gives visitors the opportunity to see and touch the shells and creatures that live on and around the oyster beds. It’s one of the highlights of a packed children’s activity programme.

Artisan Market: The festival market is an amazing showcase of local food, drink and craft. Some Oysterfest limited editions will include a 2023 Stranraer Oyster Festival blended malt scotch from Dark Sky Spirits, and an exclusive festival cider from Steilhead Cider inspired by the iconic Oystercatcher bird.

For tickets head to www.stranraeroysterfestival.com

Read more on Scottish Field’s News pages. 

Plus, don’t miss the July issue of Scottish Field magazine.