Famous for its succulent oysters, which have been harvested off these warm shores since Roman times, Whitstable has an unspoiled charm far removed from other regional resorts.

And then he refused to share my lavish platter of cold, plump, briny, crisp and succulent oysters.

The soft, succulent oysters have a briny flavor that seems to pop in the mouth and flood the palate with a marshy tang.

The menu emphasis on seafood begins with a raw bar, where plump, succulent oysters on the half shell are the prime attraction.

Choicest was the wild mushroom strudel: succulent oyster and shiitake mushrooms enveloped in crisp pastry.

The pristine waters of the Southern Ocean produce succulent, gleaming oysters with an unbeatable flavour.

Fresh seafood, like the succulent oysters from Clevedon, is abundant - and being reinvented by the influence of different cultures on Kiwi custom.

But watermen still bring in salty, succulent oysters every year, and those are abundant at bay restaurants, raw bars, seafood stores and festivals.

Arranged on a footed platter (exactly at slurping level) of crushed ice, the plump, succulent, just-opened oysters are so fresh they almost don't need the Champagne mignonette.

For the rest of the country, even the world, New York was one big, fat, succulent oyster on the half shell.