Top Chefs Name their favourite festivals

There’s no denying that food festivals are great events. They’re a one-stop-shop for all things edible, with wonderful traders in attendance, peddling their homemade tasty treats and scrumptious tipples. Celebrated chefs have also expressed their love of food festivals – read on to find out where they like to go.

Alan Hill

Alan has been the chef patron at the Devonshire Arms in Beeley, and in Pilsley, for over nine years. He has helped set up numerous restaurants, and was the head chef at Michelin-starred Box Tree in Ilkley for a time. He is passionate about using Derbyshire’s home-grown offerings; from Bakewell puddings to regional cheeses, he champions it all.

He names the Great British Food Festival as a food event of particular note. Set over the May bank holiday weekend, it includes a host of local traders, plus entertainment for all ages thanks to the circus skills workshops, cookery lessons and live music performances.

He also likes: Derbyshire Food & Drink Fair.

Martin Burge

Heading up the kitchen team at The Dining Room at Whatley Manor is Martin Burge. He has received much critical acclaim, and is Wiltshire’s only two-Michelin starred head chef.

He believes that food festivals like The Big Feastival in Kingham are a great way to connect with food. 2015’s event was a great success and included music by Paloma Faith, and cookery demonstrations by Raymond Blanc and Deliciously Ella. There was also a vintage funfair, fluffy animals to pet and glamping available for the glamorous and dedicated. Keep an eye on their listing for 2016’s programme.

Mark Hix

Dorset-native Mark Hix is the proud owner of seven eponymous restaurants. In addition to opening his own restaurants, Mark has a monthly column is GQ, a weekly column in The Independent, and has written a number of cookbooks – he’s quite the busybody.

He’s a big supporter of food festivals, including the Bridport Food Festival, which is a great event for the whole family. Set in the middle of summer, this week long extravaganza includes a beer festival, children’s activities, cookery demonstrations and cookery competitions.

Mark is also a fan of the Eat Dorset Food Fair, Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival, Food Rocks (which he helped set up) and Great Dorset Chilli Festival.

Nathan Outlaw

You’d be hard pressed to find a bigger advocate for Cornwall’s produce than Nathan Outlaw. He loves seafood and is excellent at preparing it too – his seafood bar and grill is the only specialised fish restaurant in the UK to hold any Michelin stars (and it has two).

Among his favourite festivals is the Boscastle Food, Art & Craft Festival. Set in a picturesque village, this event has now been going strong for 11 years. Last year included an art exhibit, craft displays, foraging sessions, and stalls piled with delicious wares. Check back on our website later in the year for 2016’s schedule.

He also loves Falmouth Oyster Festival and Rock Oyster Festival.

Freddy Bird

Executive head chef at the Lido Bristol and foraging-fan Freddy Bird can often be found singing the praises of Bristol and the South West’s food scene. He loves being part of Bristol Food Connections; a citywide celebration of independent local producers, food shops and restaurants in Bristol. In addition to getting people thinking about food production and waste, Freddy hopes that young keen beans will be in attendance too, to learn about cooking and shopping for food.

James Sommerin

From cooking for the opening of the Scottish parliament to obtaining a Michelin star, James’ career has been full of success. He and his wife are now at the helm of James Sommerin Restaurant, a relatively new venture which values both locally sourced and sustainably farmed fare.

James feels privileged to work with wonderful local produce at his eponymous restaurant. He also shows his support for Welsh producers by attending the Abergavenny Food Festival, which he has done for the past 13 years. The event draws some 30,000 attendees, plus a wonderful collection of the best chefs in the UK – the festival is a cornucopia of foodie delights.

James also supports (and has attended) Newport Food Festival.

Simon Hulstone

Simon is the proud owner of quite a number of accolades (including attaining the Roux Scholarship in 2003), while his restaurant has three AA rosettes and a Michelin star. The Elephant has a dedicated farm where free-range animals are reared and seasonal produce is grown.

He is a supporter of the region’s suppliers and promotes food events like Dartmouth Food Festival, which has been described as one of the top ten food festivals in the UK by The Guardian. Local traders like Devon Chilli Farm and Ashridge cider attend the event, along with top chefs and food critics. For the ambitious, there’s a number of compeitions, such as the best home cook and a challenge to make the best chutney.

Simon is also a fan of TorqEat.