BBC Saturday Kitchen star to wow crowds at top Devon festival

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One of the Westcountry’s favourite food festivals is set to welcome more visitors and top chefs for 2024 as it celebrates a milestone anniversary.

The Dartmouth Food Festival is widely regarded as being among the most prestigious events of its kind in the country, and always credited with an unrivalled line-up of culinary talent and a feast of entertainment.

This year the South Devon festival, which is taking place from October 25-27, celebrates its twentieth anniversary and will welcome names including Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt, Professor Tim Spector, award-winning baker Richard Bertinet, MasterChef 2010 winner Dhruv Baker, and author and chef Jane Baxter.

To further mark the occasion, organisers have created a limited edition cookbook, featuring recipes from chefs who have been a part of the festival over the years.

Festival ambassador Orlando Murrin said: “The Dartmouth Food Festival was an ambitious event from the start that grew from a cluster of stalls manned by local artisans and volunteers in the market square.

“Twenty years later, it’s a phenomenal event that embraces the entire riverside town and draws over 20,000 food-loving visitors from far and wide.

“Celebrating our 20th anniversary with the release of our cookbook, makes a special year extraordinary and demonstrates how unique this event really is.” The Dartmouth Food Festival Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Friendship and Feasting has been curated by Helen Lloyd and features 60 culinary creations from the likes of Matt Tebbutt, Romy Gill and Nick Evans; as well as a host of local food heroes including producers and restaurateurs.

Illustrated by local photographer Nick Hook, it is available to pre-order from the festival website.

Taking place at key locations across the town including Market Square, Boat Float, Embankment and Royal Avenue Gardens, Dartmouth Food Festival is run entirely by volunteers and is free for visitors, meaning they can fully explore its unique programme which takes place over three days.

Mr Murrin added: “The festival has always been focused on educating and inspiring its visitors, and creating an independent event that supports its community sustainably so it can continue well into the future.” As well as nationally acclaimed chefs, the festival will be very much flying the flag for local Dartmouth-based talent with patron Mitch Tonks, from The Seahorse, hosting a special demo alongside Mark Hix on Saturday, October 26, and MasterChef: The Professionals 2016 finalist Elly Wentworth, from The Angel, and Luca Berardino, from Andria, also showcasing their culinary skills.

Furthermore, this year’s programme of events will include a children’s day on Thursday, October 24, chef demonstrations, Food Matters talks hosted by Craig Davidson, wine seminars, food and drink tastings and market stalls from more than 100 local producers, suppliers and growers. For further details and to pre-order the cookbook, visit the website www.dartmouthfoodfestival.com