Meet Mister Oyster. Don Quinn loves local food so much he decided to set up a stall dedicated to the area's most treasured shellfish.

Tasty treat - Don Quinn on his oyster stall, which he hopes will become a tourist attraction Picture: ROB SAMBROOK

But when he asked himself a simple question - where can you buy Colchester native oysters in Colchester? He drew a blank.

So he decided to rectify the situation.

Mr Quinn, who also represents St Andrew's ward on Colchester Council, said: "I set it up because I wanted to bring Colchester oysters back into Colchester.

"I'm really interested in local food and when I looked for local oysters in Colchester I couldn't find them. You can get them in Mersea but not in Colchester.

"I'm hoping my new stall will be a tourist attraction so that when visitors ask where they can get Colchester oysters they won't have to leave the town to go and find them."

Published Tuesday January 13, 2004