Thirty years ago, Whitstable was a rather nondescript town on the north Kent coast, licking its wounds. The fishing industry, upon which it once relied, had declined dramatically and investment was hard to come by.
But food, drink and its unspoilt charms have seen tourism emerge as its saving grace. Today it stands as one of the south east’s most popular visitor destinations.
Its narrow streets are lined with independent stores; acclaimed restaurants mingle with high-end boutiques and, in peak summer, its shingle shores overlooking the Thames Estuary are hidden beneath a blanket of day-trippers.
Many of those visitors will struggle to resist a plate of the town’s acclaimed (and ubiquitous) oysters – served on the quayside of its pretty working harbour –
