Sligo Oyster Experience is delivering a pure taste of the Wild Atlantic Way from the shore straight to your door this Christmas with the launch of its ‘Fresh From The Sea’ Signature Oyster Gift Boxes – available for nationwide next day delivery right up until Friday December 23rd 2022.
Founder, Aisling Kelly Hunter, who provides guided tours and tastings at the Coney Island Oyster Farm in Co. Sligo, where her husband Glenn – an oyster farmer – works, is now giving gourmets the opportunity to enjoy the Sligo Oyster Experience at home this festive season.
In pairing the farm’s delicious oysters with tasty accompaniments including Wildwood’s Barrel Aged Balsamic Blackberry Vinegar, Scarlet For Yer Ma’s Hot Sauces, and Prannie Rhatigan’s Irish Seaweed Blend, she has curated a range of Seafood Gift Boxes with a real wow factor.
Each one comes complete with a dozen ‘fresh from the sea’ Sligo Bay Oysters, a choice of Champagne or white wine, recipe book, handmade oyster shell candle, lemon and red onion for serving, and the option of including a shucking knife for an additional €10.00 – everything you need for a fully immersive seafood experience this Christmas.
‘Fresh From The Sea’ Oysters & Champagne Gift Box
(€100.00 + €8.00 nationwide delivery charge)
-Rustic wooden box of 12 ‘fresh from the sea’ Sligo Bay Oysters
-75cl bottle of Hervé Mathelin Cuvée Brut Première
–Wildwood Barrel Aged Wild Balsamic Blackberry Vinegar
–Scarlet For Yer Ma Whiskey Hot Sauce
–Irish Seaweed Blend by Prannie Rhatigan
-Handmade Sligo Oyster Experience oyster shell candle
–Sligo Oyster Experience recipe book
-Lemon & Red Onion for serving
‘Fresh From The Sea’ Oysters & Chablis Gift Box
(€75.00 + €8.00 nationwide delivery charge)
-Rustic wooden box of 12 ‘fresh from the sea’ Sligo Bay Oysters
-75cl bottle of Domaine Seguinot-Bordet Chablis (2020)
–Wildwood Barrel Aged Wild Balsamic Blackberry Vinegar
–Scarlet For Yer Ma Original Hot Sauce
-Handmade Sligo Oyster Experience oyster shell candle
–Sligo Oyster Experience recipe book
-Lemon & Red Onion for serving
‘Fresh From The Sea’ Oysters & Sauvignon Blanc Gift Box
(€59.00 + €8.00 nationwide delivery charge)
-Rustic wooden box of 12 ‘fresh from the sea’ Sligo Bay Oysters
-75cl bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (2019)
–Wildwood Barrel Aged Wild Balsamic Blackberry Vinegar
-Handmade Sligo Oyster Experience oyster shell candle
–Sligo Oyster Experience recipe book
-Lemon & Red Onion for serving
What Makes Sligo Bay Oysters Unique?
Sligo is arguably the home of the oyster, with the Irish word for Sligo, ‘Sligeach’, meaning ‘abounding in shells’. The grand expanse of Sligo Bay where Coney Island Oyster Farm is located, flanked by the majestic mountains of Benbulben and Knocknarea, has provided the ideal conditions for oyster cultivation for over two centuries.
The rich minerals that flow down from the mountains into the inlets where land and sea meet are a source of great nutrients and heavily influence the unique flavour of the farm’s oysters, which are in high demand in the likes of France, China and the Middle East.
Each week the farm ships their premium Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas species) for export worldwide, as well as supplying local restaurants such as Stoked in Strandhill, Fish & Bean in Rosses Point, and Aisling’s very own WB’s Coffee House in Sligo – which has been home to her Sligo Oyster Experience since its launch in 2018.
The farm’s oysters are packaged straight from the sea and purified on-site before being shipped to their final destination the very next day, meaning that recipients of the Sligo Oyster Experience Gift Boxes will get to enjoy them as fresh as possible.
As the Sligo Oyster Experience will be shipping oysters that have a best before date of 10 days after their harvest date (when stored in the fridge at 1°C to 4°C) right up until Friday December 23rd, it means that they can be enjoyed throughout Christmas week up to and including New Year’s Eve – THE perfect show-stopping seafood centrepiece for when you’re hosting friends and family.