Brighton’s ‘mother shucker’ represents the city at the London Oyster Championships
Brighton and Hove’s crowned oyster queen 2026, Annia Gawlik of English’s in East Street, represented the city at the annual London Oyster Championships this month.
Annia won the BITE Brighton Oyster Festival shucking competition in June so went through to the UK championships at the renowned Bentley’s restaurant in London on Friday 18 September going head-to-head with 15 colleagues from restaurants across the UK.
The competition had two rounds with the first being speed shucking – with every broken shell, speck of grit, or mangled piece of meat carrying a time penalty.
The second round featured the fastest five shuckers who presented dressed oysters to the judging panel that included restaurant luminaries, oystermen and actor and presenter Stanley Tucci.
“We’re delighted to have hosted the London Oyster Championships again – each year becomes a bigger and better celebration of native oysters,” said Richard Corrigan Jnr, managing director of the Corrigan Collection and owner of Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill in Mayfair.
“We enjoyed a full day of shucking – and serving Loch Ryans – with help from a few friends and shuckers from around the country. It’s been fantastic to expand this year and have Annia – the winner of the BITE Brighton Oyster Festival’s shucking competition – join us. We’re looking forward to seeing more new faces and competitors next year.”
Jonathan Speirs is a well-known personality on the Brighton restaurant scene as the oyster sommelier at English’s of Brighton in East Street.
“It was a really fun event and good to catch up with the greater oyster community who over the years have become friends,” said Jonathan.
“I think it was the best championship yet and a great atmosphere. Annia did very well and stood her ground as the only female contestant. She really did the city proud against tough competition from across the country.”
Nick Mosley, co-director of BITE Sussex and organiser of the Brighton Oyster Festival commented:
“The city’s hospitality sector is incredibly vibrant but I think sometimes we’re a bit too focussed on what happens in Brighton and Hove rather than engaging with like-minded businesses and organisations in the wider UK and further afield.”
“Having Annia – as this year’s Brighton mother-shucker – represent not only the always impressive English’s restaurant but also our city at a national level alongside the best of the best in the UK seafood world goes a long way to raising awareness and putting our food and drink scene – as a visitor destination and also sustainable in-shore fishing – at the fore of minds.”
The winning shucker on the day was Fredrik Lindfors of the Notting Hill Fish Shop in west London who will go on to represent the UK at the World Oyster Championship in Galway, Eire, in October.
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Brighton’s reputation for food, hospitality and seafood was represented on the national stage when Annia Gawlik, crowned Brighton’s “mother shucker” in 2026, took part in the London Oyster Championships. Gawlik, from English’s of Brighton, earned her place after winning the shucking competition at the BITE Brighton Oyster Festival in June.
The London championship took place at Bentley’s in London on 18 September, bringing together 16 competitors from restaurants across the UK. The first round focused on speed shucking, where competitors had to work quickly while avoiding broken shells, grit and damaged oyster meat that could result in time penalties.
The competition then moved into a second round featuring the five fastest shuckers. Their prepared oysters were presented to a judging…
These kinds of competitions are also a nice reminder of how regional food pride works. It's not just about restaurants; it's about individuals carrying the reputation of a whole city's seafood culture into a national arena. There's something properly local and authentic about it that you don't get from chain dining.
It's the same appreciation for genuine, well-executed craft that I find at tonyspins when something is done properly and consistently, it stands out.
If you can share the details once the page loads — who's competing, what the format is — I'd love to hear more!
Great to see Annia representing Brighton on the national stage — and holding her own as the only female competitor! Events like this really do put our city's incredible food scene on the map. Well done to Annia and English's, and fingers crossed for more Brighton shuckers at next year's championships. 🦪