David and Ben Oakes

Food & Drink

For three days on the Isle Skye the wind, rain and snow has battered us, but this morning the wind has dropped, the rain has eased off and the sun has peeked out from behind fluffy white clouds. It’s the perfect weather to head out on the boat with David Oakes and his son Ben from Sconser Scallops.

We meet them both by their inflatable dingy on the cool clear waters of Loch Sligachan, which is on the east coast of Skye. Ben hits the throttle and we head out to a buoy which marks the territory Sconser Scallops are allowed to dive in. This area is protected by the Highland Fisheries Authority which awarded David a ‘Several Order’ to dive for Scallops in these waters 18 years ago. 18 years later he is still the only person allowed to dive in these waters. He tells us that “The scallops are lifted from the deeper waters of the Loch and then re-laid in the shallow waters, where the plankton is thicker and the scallops can achieve their full growth.” This move speeds up the fattening process creating more meat and flavour.