The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales has named Tathra Oysters as the producers of the best Sydney Rocks over the Easter long weekend.
The South Coast producers were just one of 30 entries in the competition, including four entries in the Boutique Class, which is a new addition to the program
The judging panel consisted of seafood expert John Susman and Restaurateur Martin Bosley, former Rockpool Chef Corey Costelloe as well as fellow aquaculture judges from Fish Butchery and The Apollo Group.
“We’ve had a stellar competition this year and I congratulate every exhibitor on the level of presentation,” says Susman, aquaculture chair of judges.
“Despite some challenging conditions for farmers, our judges were impressed. The industry understands that consistency of size, shape and condition is paramount, and I am proud to say we saw this dedication reflected across the competition.”
Each of the 30 participants received a medal in the 2024 competition – a first in the program’s history.
Bronze exhibits required 74 points, silver 82 points, and gold 90 points and over.
Tathra Oysters took out the top two spots in Class One Boutique Volume followed by Hazelgrove Oysters and Wapengo Rocks Wild Organic Oysters.
Class Two also saw Tathra take out the number one position followed by Leeuwin Coast, Wapengo Rocks Wild Organic Oysters, and Leeuwin Coast, whose products were all listed in the top five.
Judges commented that it was an “extraordinary outcome”, however noted that producers should “retain the uniqueness of oysters estuarine flavour” and avoid “long-term storage pre-sale”.
