Oysters which have been grown at a West Country site for the first time in 120 years have been given the highest status , which means they can be eaten directly from the sea . The oysters have been grown at Porlock Bay in Somerset for the first time since the natural crop was decimated by powerful trawlers which swept the beds clean . Now locals are reaping the benefits of a community-led project to reintroduce the shellfish industry to the area , with the ripening of the first crop . Oysters have been grown for the first time in 120 years in Porlock Bay in Somerset following a community-led project and have been grown in seawater classed as so pure they can be eaten directly from the sea . The oysters are considered to be grown in such pure seawater they have been given grade A status by the Food Standards Agency . This means they can be eaten directly from the sea without having to be treated or washed . Only one other area in the UK has the same status . Locals in Somerset have been seen with mobile stalls on the beach , offering people the chance to sample the first harvest from the waters for more than a century . Oysters from Porlock Bay were once a sought after delicacy , supplying many restaurants in London throughout the 1800s . But after the natural crop were ruined , a community project was launched . Porlock Bay oysters used to be served in London restaurants in the 1800s when the crop was plentiful . The crop has ripened for the first time in 120 years and sellers were seen on the beach with the shellfish . The oysters are being grown and harvested by a just five locals who have joined forces to bring the industry back to the area . The group , known as Porlock Futures , are trying to raise £90,000 to set up the business properly over the next five years . They hope to make the business the first community sustainable shellfish farm in England and Wales . Roger Hall , one of the organisers of Porlock Futures , told the Western Morning News : 'We need £90,000 to set the business up properly over next five years – that will pay for premises , stock , packaging , cleaning and so on . The new crop of oysters are considered such high quality they have been awarded grade A status . The crop of oysters has been grown by the Porlock Futures project , a group of five local volunteers . In trying to raise part of that money in the community , we sent letters out asking for a loan to match-fund any grants – and in less than three weeks we 've had 74 positive replies from people in the parish with around £40,000 on offer . ' Mr Hall said he hopes that Porlock Bay oysters could be back on the market , at least on a small scale , by mid-summer . Experts said that oysters taste differently depending on the water they are in and what they are feeding on .
Porlock Bay oysters used to be served in London restaurants in the 1800s . The crop was decimated when the seabed were swept by powerful trawlers . Small group joined forces to grow the shellfish on Somerset coast again . They enjoyed their first crop for 120 years and hope to expand industry . Oysters are grown in such pure water they can be eaten directly from sea .