A loaf of bread, the Walrus said, Is what we chiefly need: pepper and vinegar besides. Are very good indeed. Now if youre ready, oysters dear, we can begin to feed. 

So sings the Walrus in Alice in Wonderland to a mass of nervous molluscs. Keeping this little ditty to myself, I survey the plate of glistening oysters in front of me at Terra Mare. 

Not looking at all nervous, they’re fat, plump and juicy, with no hint of the dreaded milkiness, which can make oysters so off-putting.

Oysters seem to be the ideal summer food – light, delicate and perfect guzzled with champagne. Unfortunately, the summer months are also when most oysters are in their spawning phase. And this is what renders them milky.

So, take the shortening of the days and the cooling of the wind as your cue to tuck into these briny bivalves.

Now that you know when, you can also decide which ones you prefer. There are many species of oysters, which fall into these categories: river, wild and cultivated.

River oysters are longer and flatter than their maritime cousins. Some say that they are creamier and more buttery, too. A good example of mud-reared oysters can be found at The Breede River Lodge .

Wild oysters can grow larger than farmed ones as they are often left to develop in the briny depths (or shallows); the trouble comes in when over-fishing wrecks the seabed. 

The cultivated kind are on most restaurants’ menus, here too the scope is wide – some have deep shells, others shallow; there are bite-sized versions and whopping big great ones too.

At Jardine, oysters are accompanied with red wine shallot vinaigrette. Order half a dozen at Bizerca, and you won’t be given such classic treatment. Instead the dish will come with a Cape gooseberry salsa and a lime tomatillo.

My humble plate of more-ish molluscs is served freshly shucked with just a hint of pepper and Tabasco and finished off with a squeeze of lemon. 

In the immortal words of the Walrus, my oysters have had a pleasant run, and this is scarcely odd, because I’m about to eat every one.

By Malu Lambert

Head down to Knysna for the Pick N Pay Kynsna Oyster Festival, between 2 and 11 July.

Get your wintery oyster fix at these restaurants
Linger Longer
Twankey at The Taj
The Noisy Oyster 
Montego Bay Seafood and Oyster and Sushi Bar
Muisbosskerm
Nobu
Oyster Bar
Pepenero
Zachary’s