NSW oysters return to the head of the table for Christmas and summer dining

That's the message from local oyster producers, who are championing the salty delicacy following several challenging seasons that saw them contending with challenges of bushfires and flooding.

Despite the setbacks, oysters are returning to their succulent best, with Gary Rodely of Tathra Oysters more than happy with recent harvests.

"The top condition for the oysters always tends to coincide with Christmas, which is nice. The water's warmed up and the oysters are getting plump, which is what everyone loves with the Sydney Rock Oyster - a lovely plump oyster," he said.

"We expect the oysters to be in great condition all up and down the coast, whether people are buying from Wonboyn, Merimbula, Wapengo, or from us at Tathra Oysters."

It's a view shared by Jade Norris, proprietor of The Oyster Shed in Batemans Bay, who says quality and quantity is looking good for Christmas.

"We've got great quality oysters at the moment, so all going well with the weather and the warmer temperatures, they seem to be setting up really nicely," she said.

"Christmas is the busiest time of the year for us - Christmas Eve is our number one day for selling oysters."

In addition to the forces of nature causing havoc in recent years, local farmers now face increased competition from Western Australian producers looking to make their mark in the local market.

Despite the influx, local farmers are confident their product will retain favour with consumers due to the distinctive quality of the South Coast oysters.

"We'd like to think that our estuaries all with their little characteristic estuarine flavour and a little bit minerally in Merimbula and the flavour of the weeds in Wonboyn and so on - they all have their own little characteristics," Gary said.

"I think they're going to stack up pretty good against the more oceanic West Australian ones."

Gary's views are echoed by Jake McCulloch of Narooma Bridge Seafoods, who says that not only are the local oysters exemplary, but sampling the local product is part of the experience for both locals and tourists alike.

"The local oysters have really started to get a lot better condition, and with the water warming up they're definitely getting better and better every week," he said.

"I've heard restaurants are not really liking (West Australian oysters) because they just haven't got the quality and flavour that we have down here on the coast.

"And people come to the town to buy local, so they're not going to stand by the water and see an oyster farm and then want something from WA."

Christmas is a bumper time for seafood dining in general, with Jake reporting strong demand for a number of different menu options.

"Prawns, oysters and our lobsters that we catch ourselves, that's our three big tickets, and then any local fish - like when kingfish are on the run - that just walks out once we start catching that," he said.