Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, Richard Corrigan’s notable seafood and oyster restaurant which celebrates 110 years this year, is delighted to announce the return of the London Oyster Championships, in its 4th year under Bentley’s stewardship. Taking place on Friday 18 September, tickets are on sale here from today.
Since first opening in 1916, Bentley’s has been a London institution for oysters, seafood and the finest of hospitality. The event, which celebrates the start of the native oyster season, took over from the famed Tabasco British Oyster Championships in 2023 and brings together some of the country’s finest chefs, oyster shuckers and seafood enthusiasts for an afternoon of competition, champagne, oysters and entertainment.
The competition will once again feature two fiercely contested categories, the Speed Shucking Oyster Open and Best Dressed Oyster round. This year’s Championships are proudly supported by headline sponsors Charles Heidsieck and S.Pellegrino.
Oyster Open
Commencing at 1pm, the Speed Shucking Oyster Open will see competitors battle through a series of heats before a grand final, with shuckers racing the clock to see who can open oysters the fastest without maiming the mollusc. The winner will go on to represent England at the World Oyster Opening Championships in Galway, Ireland.
The judging panel remains unchanged from last year, with participants competing in front of some the great and good of shellfish such as Chris Leftwich (President of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain), David Jarrad (Chief Executive of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain) and Nicki Holmyard (industry expert, former master shucker and Director of Offshore Shellfish).
Joining the nationwide championships this year are a number of regional winners, including those who battled it out and won the speedshucking rounds this summer at the Manchester Oyster Festival and Brighton Oyster Competition. Other participants include, of course, Bentley’s very own Greby Castro, and representatives from Notting Hill Fish Shop, Wilton’s, Franco’s, Bob Bob Ricard and more.
Best Dressed Oyster
Following an afternoon of oysters, refreshments and live entertainment, attention will turn to the highly anticipated Best Dressed Oyster competition from 3pm, where some of the UK’s most talented chefs will showcase their creativity and bivalve nous through their oyster dressings.
Previous years have seen the viral duo behind Fallow, Jack Croft and Will Murray, win with their Beef & Oyster Tartare, Ginger, Apple, Sesame, Shiso, and Michelin-starred The Capital’s Tom Brown crowned for his Green Tomato, Jalapeño and Tequila topped oyster.
This year sees the return of promising participants including the crowned Fallow winners, of course, alongside 2026 National Restaurant Award Winner Bouchon Racine, The Suffolk; and The Sea, The Sea; as well as newcomers from Brigadiers; Logma; and more. Competitors will battle it out for the coveted title and the opportunity to have their winning oyster dressing featured on the Bentley’s menu.
The Best Dressed competition has become hotly anticipated, attracting some of the biggest names in food and hospitality to the judging panel over the years. Previous judges have included Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt; and celebrated chef and TV personality Dame Prue Leith, with this year’s panel continuing that tradition.
This year the team welcomes a group of renowned voices in food and culture including actor and respected food aficionado Stanley Tucci; British Food Writer Matthew Fort; British chef and proprietor at Quo Vadis Jeremy Lee MBE; and London content creator and oyster lover Georgiana Davies, aka ‘Oyster girl’.
Guiding guests through the afternoon will be Crazy Sexy Food podcast host and food fanatic Hannah Harley who takes on the role of compère for the 2026 Championships.
VIP Oyster Masterclass
Guests will have the opportunity to purchase a limited number of VIP tickets, which include exclusive access to an Oyster Masterclass hosted by Tristan Hugh Jones – the grower of the Rossmore oysters used in the competition – as well as a champagne expert from Charles Heidsieck. The intimate session will offer guests the chance to learn more about oyster provenance, preparation and tasting, and trial some of the most iconic pairings.
