Opening Oysters

You will need a thick tea-towel, a bowl for debris, and a bowl for the oysters and their juices.

You’ll also need an oyster knife, or a similarly sturdy, short thick knife. We’re going to describe this for a right handed person, but bear in mind that the teatowel will protect you from the shell, but not the knife, so be careful!

• Drape the towel over your left hand, and grasp your oyster firmly in it, so the flatter side is uppermost, and the ‘hinge’ is pointing towards the right
• Firmly push the tip of your knife into the hinge, between the upper and lower shell. Wiggle it about carefully – you’re trying to slice through the muscle that holds the shell shut
• As the muscle starts to give, twist the knife while cutting so you force the two halves of the shell apart
• As it goes further, you can cut around the edges of the shells where they meet until you can pull the top shell off completely
• Cut the oyster from the top shell and discard the shell, then cut the cut the oyster from the lower shell
• Tip it with all its juice into a bowl. Alternatively, tip it straight into your mouth, or into a shot glass of vodka, tomato juice and Tabasco