TERRE ET MER

For a taste of the sea, nothing beats an oyster. And an oyster by the sea is even better. Sitting on the beach in France’s ‘oyster capital’, Cancale, with a plate of half-a-dozen huitres balanced on my lap, I look out across the water at the oyster-growing racks that stretch along the beach for half a mile. In the distance, the tiny tidal island of Mont Saint-Michel pricks the horizon, while behind me, people are buying platters just like mine from the beachfront market.

Earlier, I’d spent an hour wandering out among the racks, squelching around on the sandy mud with my guide, Inga Smyczynski, a former oyster farmer who runs local tour company Ostreika. It was fascinating to learn just how much work goes into producing the oysters, and the experience certainly seems to have worked up a hunger in me. But just as I’m about to tuck in, Inga leans over and stops me from squeezing a lemon over the shucked bivalves. Handing me a round-ended knife and a pat of butter flecked with seaweed flakes, she shows me how to smear it on. This is oyster-eating, Breton-style.

I chew them a little before swallowing, their briny aroma filling my senses, the creamy, salty butter mingling with their slightly sweet, metallic flavour. It’s the ultimate terre et mer (‘land and sea’) combination, a theme that seems to characterise the cuisine of Brittany, whether you’re