International appeal is strong October 23 2012

THE HARVEST attracts visitors from all over the world and will have top local and London chefs preparing the freshest seafood. Oystermen have been gathering wild native oysters from the Carrick Roads for hundreds of years. Christopher Ranger is one of a new breed of Cornish business owners, passionate about locally sourced food harvested using traditional methods. "I grew up on The Roseland, and for the past four years I have been gathering native oysters, working under sail in a traditional Truro River oyster boat," explained Ranger, who was named in this year's Telegraph Good Produce Guide as the Best Fish and Seafood Supplier in the UK. "I pinch myself regularly when I see the other Truro River Oyster Boats 'hove too', drifting gracefully down the oyster beds and then realise my boat the Alf Smythers has her sails set exactly the same and I am doing a job that's hundreds of years old." Cornish Native Oysters supplies some of Cornwall's leading restaurants and hotels, but most of the oysters are destined for top London restaurants. Ranger added: "There is a brilliant food scene down here, which is backed up by the quality of the stallholders we have in Mylor this weekend. It's definitely an exciting time to be involved, but it is tough running a small business in the county." With plans to rebuild another 100-year-old oyster boat he saved from destruction, Ranger is looking for someone to help with the work and then skipper her on the fishery. "With two boats landing I could afford to employ someone in the purification room, meaning I could double the business and ultimately make it viable for the future." You can order Wild Native Oysters from the Cornish Food Box Company in Truro or online at www.cornishnativeoysters.co.uk. http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/International-appeal-strong/story-15657293-detail/story.html