Oysters are back on British menu – but will red tape stifle the shellfish boom?

Katie Emerson and Chris Hadfield of Maldon Oysters, at the company's oyster beds in Goldhanger Creek, Essex. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The Observer

You can see them on the specials boards of new restaurants and on chalkboards propped outside bars and pubs. Foodie TikTokers are eating them by the dozen. Healthy, available for £1 and even good for the environment, oysters are experiencing a boom in popularity.

But the UK industry is being hampered by a row over the farming of different species, with producers saying they are struggling to expand to meet demand. Brexit has also affected the UK shellfish industry by restricting imports and exports.