'Such a breadth of culture around an oyster'

In the UK, oyster season is between September and April

It was the history and the culture around oyster farming that prompted a documentary maker to make a film about them - rather than the taste.

'Oyster Land' follows farmers on Mersea Island and explores the ancient oyster history of Colchester in Essex.

Matthew James Harrison spent two and a half years on the project and says "there was such a breadth of culture surrounding this creature".

The film is being shown at venues along the east coast this winter.

Matthew was inspired to make the documentary to reconnect with his hometown

Despite the name, Colchester native oysters are actually harvested from the shallow creeks off nearby Mersea Island.

And that's been happening since Roman times.

Matthew says the mollusc is the foundation of the UK's oldest city.

"It is something that has sustained that town and area for thousands of years," he adds.

"It was in the foundations of ancient Colchester."

And he means that literally - oyster shells have been found in ancient Roman settlements.

Scientists have been working closely with oystermen from Mersea to help restore the shellfish living in the waters.

The film maker told Colchester Gazette that "when an oyster is growing in an oyster bed, it sucks up the environment that it’s in and each oyster has a unique taste to it".

He continued: “When making this film, I was trying to soak up all of this richness from the people, their stories and the landscape, and make the film have that flavour of Mersea.”

He said his film also explores local oyster fisheries, the fishermen that work there and the wider community.

Matthew says he wants to make more documentaries about life on the Essex coast

But Matthew, who grew up in Essex explains it was his fascination with the modern fishing community that made him want to make this film, rather than his love of oysters.

He also has strong connections to Mersea Island as his grandmother lives there.

"There's just something about the place that I'm really attracted to," he tells the BBC.

Despite growing up near Colchester, the filmmaker says he had not tried an oyster until he started shooting.

He adds: "You can taste absolutely everything. The whole of the ocean was in your mouth."

The film was originally supposed to only be five minutes long, but is now close to half an hour in length.

Matthew says the film has inspired him to uncover "a whole world of coastal documentaries" and thinks he will next focus on the culture on Essex islands including Canvey Island and Mersea Island.