WITH Valentine's Day just around the corner romantic couples might want to check out Morrisons at Dorcan Way, Swindon where they can pick up British Pacific Oysters for just 25p each - the price of an average cod fish finger.

The supermarket’s oyster price is believed to be the lowest retail price in the UK for 25 years. Currently, oysters can sell for more than £5 each in Harrods and Selfridges food hall oyster bars, twenty times the price of Morrisons oysters.

Recent research by Morrisons has identified that nearly two thirds of Brits have never eaten an oyster, even though 2,300 tonnes will be harvested in Britain this year. Fifty per cent of Britain’s oyster harvest is now exported to the continent every 12 months.

Steve Smith, general manager at Morrisons in Dorcan Way, said: “We want to make oysters completely affordable and available for everyone in Swindon to try.

"Each of our Pacific Oysters cost little more than a fish finger to buy. And if anyone is uncertain on how to serve and eat them, then just ask one of our store’s fishmongers – who are experts on oyster preparation and cooking and who will be on hand to help.”

Morrisons will be stocking live Pacific Oysters, which are cultivated on the West Coast of Scotland and Ireland. Each oyster will weigh approximately 60g. They will be available in all stores as a six-pack in the fresh fish section, and as single oysters in stores with stand-alone fish counters. Morrisons fishmongers can shuck and prepare individual oysters, should customers so wish.

The shellfish will be sold at 25p for one week by the retailer in the run up to Valentine’s Day - from today, February 8 until Sunday February14. The oyster is a well- known aphrodisiac and will make the perfect romantic dinner for a night in.

Morrisons research also revealed that 25 per cent of people said they’d never tried an oyster due to the perceived ‘expensive’ price, with 44 per cent saying they didn’t want to waste money on something they may not like. In addition, a fifth of people thought they had never shopped anywhere that sold them.