LE MANOIR INSPIRED

Cornish Shellfish and wholesalers, New Wave Seafood have been supplying shellfish to Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin star restaurant, for many years.

However, in the summer of 2009, Executive Head Chef, Gary Jones expressed his very considerable concerns about serving raw oysters.

Regular reports from around the country of restaurant customers falling ill with norovirus, as a result of consuming raw oysters, fuelled his fear of harming Le Manoir clientele and of impairing their confidence in the restaurant.

The decision was made by Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons that they would not serve raw oysters unless they came with an assurance that they were norovirus free.

After some discussion between the three organisations, Cornish Shellfish took up the challenge.

Cornish Shellfish is run by Dr Steve Kestin. Before becoming a shellfish farmer, Dr Kestin spent 25 years at Bristol University Vet School carrying out wide ranging research on many aspects of animal and food production. He has more than 100 scientific publications and amongst other topics, was actively involved in aquaculture and food quality research. He was thus ideally qualified to investigate all that was known about norovirus in oysters, and building on that research, devise and evaluate methods for producing norovirus free oysters.

An independent laboratory capable of carrying out the complicated and advanced analysis necessary to identify norovirus in shellfish was identified. During the autumn and winter of 2009 a series of trials was carried out and the methods for handling, sampling and purifying the oysters were developed.

After six months of research and investigation, the totally purified Cornish Assured Oyster was born. Cornish Shellfish Ltd are proud to say that by early spring of 2010, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons again has raw oysters on the menu – Cornish Assured Oysters.