How not to shell out for the ultimate luxury, oysters

Is there any food more seductive than the oyster, with its shells brimming with succulent juices? Knowing where to look, the classic Valentine’s Day treat for grown-ups is cheaper than you’d think.

High-end food markets are great places to find affordable oysters. You’ve got to have them standing up, but you know it’s better that way sometimes.

The Partridges Saturday food market near Sloane Square tops the list with the Maldon Oyster Company stall selling a half dozen for a mere, crumpled fiver. Compare this with the Harrods seafood bar, where you’ll pay £14 more for the same thing, get elbowed by tourists, and still be expected to tip the staff for being inattentive. This delicious little market, just outside the elegant Saatchi gallery, also has a SoBo chocolates stall who make the absolute best double chocolate cookies -- devilishly sweet and rich. Oysters contain just 10 calories each, so there’s no reason not to indulge in the other delectable offerings.

This also applies to Borough Market, which needs no introduction. There are a few places you can pick up oysters in Borough, but I love the simplicity of the £1 oysters at Shell Seekers. It’s hardly a glamorous experience when the food is served on polystyrene trays in a fishmonger stall setting. However, a true foodie would be most excited by the taste of the freshest oysters between some lively banter with the shopkeeper, who’s shucking shellfish in wellies and gloves.

If slurping while sitting in the warm indoors seems like a better idea in these bitter English months containing the letter R, there are still some excellent options. Loch Fyne in Covent Garden is a relatively casual affair for a seafood restaurant. It’s popular with a merry, relaxed clientele of West End theatregoers. At £9.50 for a half dozen, the pricing isn’t particularly modest oyster-wise. Nevertheless, it’s worth a mention for having one of the capital’s best value seafood platters and some generous offers online (www.lochfyne.com/ You can get £10 off bills over £30 until 13th February).

If you ever decide to swap your preferred Wednesday afternoon activity from team sport to decadence and debauchery then head to Randall and Aubin in Soho. It’s seedy-chic and their offer of six rock oysters and a flute of champagne for £7.50 (weekdays 3pm-6pm) is irresistible to the student libertine. Yes, it is too good to be true. There’s a cover charge of a couple of quid or so, but still!

Pescatori is expensive, as expected from the luxe locations of Mayfair and Charlotte Street. But what if you could pay for a visit with money you didn’t know you had? You can exchange your Tesco clubcard points for triple points to spend at Pescatori. Their cooked dishes are mediocre, but you can’t go far wrong with oysters or seafood platters where there’s such little cooking and seasoning involved.

Just be sure that your date is someone who understands that your act of paying with Tesco vouchers is practical and impressive, rather than downright stingy and unattractive. Alternatively, settle the bill while they’ve gone to the bathroom and keep the romance alive.

Partridges Food Market, Duke of York Square SW3 4LY Nearest tube: Sloane Square, Saturdays 10am to 4pm

Shell Seekers, Middle Market inside Borough Market, Nearest tubes: London Bridge/Borough

Loch Fyne Covent Garden, 2-4 Catherine St WC2B 5JY. 020 7240 4999 Nearest tube: Covent Garden

Randall and Aubin, 16 Brewer St, W1F 0SQ. 020 7287 4447 ‎ Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus

Pescatori, 11 Dover St, W1S 4LH. 020 7493 2652 Nearest tube: Green Park