'Such a broad culture around Colchester oysters'

In Great Britain the oyster season runs between September and April

Getty Images A dark wooden board covered with six Colchester Native oysters with parsley, two slices of lemon and a shallot vinegar. — In Great Britain the oyster season runs between September and April

It was the history and culture surrounding the oyster farm that prompted a documentary maker to make a film about it – rather than the taste.

‘Oyster Land’ follows farmers on Mersea Island and explores the ancient oyster history of Colchester in Essex.

Matthew James Harrison spent two and a half years on the project and says: “There was such a broad culture around this creature”.

The film will be shown this winter at locations along the East Coast.

Matthew was inspired to make the documentary to reconnect with his hometown

Matthew J Harrison Matthew is wearing a green long sleeve jersey and a black baseball cap. He is holding and looking at the screen of his digital camera, which is on a tripod. — Matthew was inspired to make the documentary to reconnect with his hometown

Despite the name, Colchester’s native oysters are actually harvested from the shallow creeks at nearby Mersea Island.

And that has been happening since Roman times.

Matthew says the mollusk is the basis of Britain’s oldest city.

“It’s something that has sustained this city and that area for thousands of years,” he adds.

‘It lay in the foundations of old Colchester.’

And he means that literally… Oyster shells have been found in ancient Roman settlements.

Scientists have been working closely with Mersea oystermen to help restore the shellfish that live in the waters.

Matthew J Harrison A fisherman wearing bright yellow rain gear and a baseball cap examines the oysters he has caught in his net. Two blue winches hang above the net. — Scientists have been working closely with Mersea oystermen to help restore the shellfish that live in the waters.

The filmmaker told it Colchester Gazette that “when an oyster grows in an oyster bed, it soaks up the environment it is in and each oyster has a unique flavor.”

He continued: “When I made this film I tried to soak up all this richness of the people, their stories and the landscape, and make the film have that flavor of Mersea.”

He said his film also explores the local oyster fishery, the fishermen who work there and the wider community.

Matthew says he wants to make more documentaries about life on the Essex coast

The coast of the island of Mersea at sunset. Colchester oyster shells can be seen on the beach in the foreground, and a per can be seen in the background. The sun reflects the sea. — Matthew says he wants to make more documentaries about life on the Essex coast

But Matthew, who grew up in Essex, explains that it was his fascination with the modern fishing community that drove him to make this film, rather than his love of oysters.

He also has strong ties to Mersea Island as his grandmother lives there.

“There’s just something about this place that I’m really drawn to,” he told the BBC.

Despite growing up near Colchester, the filmmaker says he hadn’t tried an oyster until he started taking photos.

He adds, “You can literally taste everything. The entire ocean was in your mouth.”

The film was originally only going to be five minutes long, but is now almost half an hour.

Matthew says the film has inspired him to explore “a whole world of coastal documentaries” and thinks he will next focus on the culture of the Essex Islands, including Canvey Island and Mersea Island.