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The island of Herm may be less than a single square mile<\/a> in size, but you could spend a whole weekend trying out a new restaurant here each day. The little island, one of the roughly half-dozen in the English Channel, has three formal restaurants and a population to match \u2014 just 65 permanent residents, according to the island’s website<\/a>. That may be a humble number, but the community of Herm has a secret weapon native to the island that’s lured food bloggers and chefs to make the trip over. That specialty is an exclusive variety of shellfish, Herm oysters<\/a>, that benefit from the tidal flows and closed-loop cultivation on the island.<\/p>\n In 2024, Herm even got the attention of a Michelin-starred French restaurant chef, Michel Roux Jr., Visit Guernsey<\/a> reported. On his visit, Roux tried some of the local delicacies, stating, “[The oysters] really are very very good. Very purse in flavour, not too salty and I think you can say the equivalent of ‘terroir’ in French which means that they take the flavour of where they’re growing.” To get a sample of this singular “terroir” requires a bit of effort \u2014 first involving a trip to Guernsey, then a separate ferry from Guernsey to Herm. Plus, Herm, like another Channel Island called Sark, is car-free<\/a>. Its journey is justified, however, not only for the oysters, but also for its paths tracing coastal cliffs and gorgeous cove beaches.<\/p>\n