Mussels on menu, all thanks to taste

Feb 21 2008 by Jane Hall, The Journal

WILD Holy Island mussels are on the menu for the first time at a popular Tyneside restaurant, thanks to The Journal Taste North East England Campaign.

Diners at Il Forno at Tynemouth Metro Station, North Tyneside, now have three dishes to choose from featuring the edible molluscs after co-owner Keith Heavisides answered mussel man Steve Oldale’s plea made through The Journal for more restaurants to buy and offer his unique commodity.

The Italian eaterie has taken delivery of its first 30-kilo order – with the promise of more and larger consignments to come.

It was on Thursday last week that The Journal, as part of our Taste North East England Campaign to encourage people to buy local, use local and eat local, featured Mr Oldale, the only person licensed to harvest wild mussels between the Wash and Aberdeen.

From September to April the 53-year-old can be found plying his trade in the waters around Holy Island off the north Northumberland coast.

But while he enjoys his work, Mr Oldale revealed he has difficulties selling the mussels on and wanted North East restaurants to offer them as a unique seasonal dish.

Il Forno already buys locally-caught wet fish from North Shields Fish Quay, and Mr Oldale’s appeal whetted the appetite of Mr Heavisides.

An ecstatic Mr Oldale said: “This is all thanks to The Journal Taste North East England Campaign. Mr Heavisides saw my story and deliberately sought me out when I visited the farmers’ market at Tynemouth last weekend.

“Diners can be assured the mussels are as fresh as you can get – harvested at 9am and delivered by 12. That’s my strongest selling point, the freshness of the mussels.”

Mr Heavisides said he was immediately blown away by the taste. “Mussels are a huge seller for us. We get all our fish from North Shields Fish Quay but can’t get mussels so we have been using farmed Scottish ones.

“I’m confident now we are working with Steve our sales of mussels will go through the roof. I was blown away both by the taste and the size of these Holy Island ones. The farmed ones are not only small but taste very run-of-the-mill compared to the wild ones, which really do taste of the sea.

“We have ordered 30 kilos for this week and I expect we will continue to take at least that weight, if not up to 50 or 60 kilos.

“Steve’s mussels are more expensive, we are paying twice as much as for the farmed. But they are local and there is no comparison on taste. I believe our customers will be prepared to pay more for the privilege of eating them.”

Il Forno will serve them up three ways, either cooked simply with olive oil, garlic and parsley, in a creamed sauce or used in a seafood risotto.

Mr Heavisides said that but for The Journal it was unlikely he would have discovered Mr Oldale. “If I hadn’t read about him I wouldn’t have known Steve has a stall at the farmers’ market and actively sought him out.

“But having found him I am surprised so few others buy from him. His wild mussels are a unique local product and deserve to be reaching a wider audience.”

Mr Oldale sells wholesale to the likes of Ridley’s Fish and Game at Acomb, near Hexham, and direct at farmers’ markets in Darlington, Tynemouth, Hexham, Morpeth, Alnwick, Kelso and Peebles.

He said both Il Forno’s order and The Journal Taste North East England Campaign had helped put his Berwick-based business, Northumberland Mussels, on a surer footing. “The campaign has been a real help. A lot of people read the piece in The Journal and have commented on it . It has helped increase my profile and shown me that people do want to help.”

He is licensed to harvest 10 tonnes of wild mussels from the waters of Holy Island, but is only taking around three-and-a-half tonnes a year. More orders would mean he could extend his season.

Steve Oldale can be contacted on (01289) 332216.