Presenters

Expert

Abi Hardy

Born and raised on the Jurassic Coast, Abi moved to London to pursue a career in the wine industry in 2024 and is currently working towards WSET Level 3. Before her wine journey, she spent three years working aboard yachts as a deckhand, an experience that deepened her profound appreciation for the oceans.

Now part of the 10 International family as Trade support Executive, Abi covers all things Sea Change in the South West. Fluent in Spanish and a fan of Rioja, her favourite Sea Change wine is the Organic Spanish red.

Passionate about travel, education, and the environment – particularly marine – she loves sharing the Sea Change story and explaining how small, everyday changes can make a big impact and hopes to inspire more people to make sustainable choices in their day to day lives.

Production Manager at Rare & Pasture

Alex Ridge

Working on a beautiful regenerative farm near Ugborough Alex has quickly become adept at knowing how to get the best out of each cut of meat. He follows our nose to tail philosophy, to show respect for the animal. Using traditional methods in a scaled up way has taught him a lot over the last three years.  Great charcuterie starts with great meat so Alex is excited about moving to using even more regeneratively farmed meat. He sees and the future of British charcuterie as going from strength to strength.

Expert

Andy Clarke

Andy is an internationally renowned food & drink writer with cocktail books published around the world. He is a regular presenter on ITV with regular appearances on ‘Love your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh’ and ‘Jimmy & Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast’. He also hosts events such as ‘Pub in the Park’ and ‘The Royal Bath & West Show’. 

Andy regularly hosts live cocktail demonstrations at ‘Good Food Show’ events across the country and is a judge for many food and drink awards such as ‘Great Taste’ and ‘Food, Drink Devon’. 

Andy is one of four culinary champions for Princess Cruises, sharing the love of their food and drink offerings. He also works regularly with Marks & Spencer, has an occasional column in ‘The BBQ Magazine’, has written for Craft Gin Club’s magazine ‘The Stir’ and The Telegraph and has had cocktail recipes featured in The Guardian’s ‘Feast’ supplement. 

Chef & Food Writer

Angela Hartnett MBE

Angela Hartnett, MBE, is one of the UK’s most loved chefs and restaurateurs, known for her sophisticated yet simple, Italy-inspired cooking, Executive Chef and Proprietor of Murano, the Michelin starred restaurant in the heart of Mayfair, London.

Born in Britain, her passion for good, honest food and the best ingredients was instilled in her by her Italian grandmother and mother. After starting out in the kitchens at Aubergine, Zafferano, L’Oranger and Petrus, Angela became head chef at Petrus within seven short months, helping the restaurant to achieve a Michelin star. She went on to launch Amaryllis in Scotland; Verre in Dubai; Menu and The Grill Room at The Connaught, with Gordon Ramsay.

In 2007 Angela was awarded an MBE for services to the hospitality industry, and the following year she opened her own restaurant, Murano in Mayfair, where she is Chef Proprietor, and holds a Michelin star. Murano is one of the few restaurants to hold 4 AA rosettes and was included in the Good Food Guide’s Top 50 restaurants for 2015.

In 2012 Angela opened Hartnett Holder & Co in partnership with Robin Hutson and Chef Luke Holder. In September 2013 Angela launched the critically acclaimed Merchants Tavern in Shoreditch, in collaboration with Head Chef Neil Borthwick, and Canteen founders, Dominic Lake and Patrick Clayton-Malone. In November of that year she opened the similarly championed Café Murano, a brassier little sister to Murano, where she creates the menu with Sam Williams as Head Chef.

Angela has two cookbooks to her name, Cucina (2007) and Angela’s Kitchen (2011). Published by Ebury.

Drinks Expert

Angus Lugsdin

Angus Lugsdin is the Co-Founder and Director of Salcombe Distilling Co. The idea for the distillery first took shape while Angus was living in New York, where he witnessed the rapid growth of the US craft distilling movement. Spotting the same opportunity
emerging in the UK and inspired by Salcombe’s heritage as a destination for those who appreciate life’s finer things, Angus envisioned the town as the perfect home for a luxury spirits brand.
Reuniting with old friend Howard Davies, whom he met as a teenager teaching sailing in Salcombe, they co-founded Salcombe Distilling Co. in 2014 and launched the now iconic ‘Start Point’ gin in 2016. Collaborating with world renowned chefs and iconic winemakers. Angus regularly judges at the World Drinks Awards and IWSC awards, indulging his passion for whisky in addition to gin.
This year, Salcombe Distilling Co. is proud to support Dartmouth Food Festival as sponsor of the chefs’ demo tent.

Expert

Barny Butterfield

Barny Butterfield is the founder and owner of Sandford Orchards, one of Devon’s leading independent cider makers. A passionate cider evangelist, Barny began making cider as a hobby in 2002, before turning his love of real cider into a full-time mission to champion the craft and future of this sustainable, traditional drink.

Cheese Maker

Ben Harris

Director Ticklemore Chesse Ltd, head cheese maker for 24 years. Maker of Devon Blue, Beenleigh Blue and Harbourne Blue.

Chef

Ben Tonks

Cantina Chef  at the Seahorse 

Ben started cooking in Bristol, from there he worked at the Seahorse before embarking on several years of discovery cooking in Australia. Ben moved to London and joined the opening team of “Sabor” ,Nieves Barrigan’s celebrated Mayfair restaurant where they were awarded their first Michelin star.

Ben re joined Jake at the Seahorse where he cooks for clients in the Cantina, the private room at the seahorse and alongside Jake in the main Kitchen.

Chef

Charlie Ramsdale & Dan Teage

Charlie Ramsdale and Daniel Teage took on the restaurant at Sharpham Vineyard in 2018, and ran it with great success for 4 years, until the relocation of the winery to Sandridge Barton.

They live near Dartmouth where they are now focusing on event catering, private dining, growing produce in their organic no dig kitchen garden and caring for the animals on their smallholding.

Chef

Cherie Denham

Cherie is a cook, shaped by her upbringing on a farm in rural County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. She grew up in tune with the seasons, living frugally, eating seasonally, and wasting nothing. Her grannies and great aunts baked daily, cooking recipes handed down the generations, handwritten on paper scraps.

Cherie’s recipes collect and collate the essence of these memories but add a contemporary twist.

Cherie is Leith’s School of Food and Wine trained, has worked as a junior teacher at Leith’s, has been a private chef and run demonstrations and cookery classes. She has been a contributor to both Country Living Magazine and delicious. The Irish Bakery, is her first book and her second is The Irish Kitchen (release date 23rd October) both published by Montgomery Press. The books’ generous recipes and atmospheric photography pays homage to her rich cultural legacy of her upbringing in Ireland. Cherie is an ambassador for Magimix UK

Colin Wheeler-James

Colin Wheeler-James is lead chef and co-owner of Ground Up Cookery School, an award-winning, family-owned cookery school in Devon.

With more than 30 years’ experience as a professional chef, Colin has enjoyed a varied career spanning fine dining, hospitality, development and food education. Alongside running and teaching at Ground Up Cookery School, Colin works as an Executive Development Chef and specialises in foraging, fermentation and sustainable cookery, bringing professional technique to ingredients that are often overlooked or underused.

Ground Up Cookery School was named Food Drink Devon’s Best Cookery School 2025/26 and received the Gold Sustainability Pioneer Award 2025. Colin and the school have also featured on BBC Two’s Marcus Wareing’s Tales from a Kitchen Garden.

Having previously lived in Dartmouth for many years Colin returns to a town that has played an important part in his career, bringing together professional technique, wild and seasonal ingredients, and his belief that sustainable cooking should, above all, taste fantastic.

The Cookery School

Ground Up Cookery School is a purpose-built, award-winning, family-owned cookery school in the Devon countryside, specialising in foraging, fermentation and world cuisines. Its eclectic programme of hands-on courses also takes in everything from fish and shellfish to baking, patisserie and seasonal cookery.

Food here is about discovery. Courses are relaxed, sociable and properly hands-on, combining professional chef knowledge with ingredients, techniques and flavours you might not otherwise encounter.

Named Food Drink Devon’s Best Cookery School 2025/26 and Gold Sustainability Pioneer 2025, Ground Up has also featured on BBC Two’s Marcus Wareing’s Tales from a Kitchen Garden.

For Dartmouth Food Festival, Ground Up is going mobile, bringing a pop-up cookery school to the festival with four completely different workshops. Expect wild and foraged ingredients, flavours from around the world and plenty of opportunities to roll up your sleeves and cook.

Food Matters Co-ordinator

Craig Davidson

Always fond of good food and wine, and an enthusiastic domestic cook, Craig has since retiring to Dartmouth become a lobster fisherman, sourdough bread maker and dedicated seasonal eater. He has also become interested in how food is produced and became aware of the ecologically poor record of modern farming and the food industry

Drinks Expert

Dan Farrell Wright

Dan Farrell-Wright founded Wickhams to bring the wines he loves into the hands of the UK wine buying public. He has a particular passion for esoteric wines or those produced in overlooked European regions. Dan works directly with small, sustainable, family owned wineries.

His focus on provenance and quality has been rewarded with multiple awards including the prestigious Decanter Retail Award for Best Specialist Retailer South & Regional France and the International Wine Competition award for Specialist Merchant of the Year England. Dan appears regularly on Toby Buckland’s BBC Radio Devon show as the international wine correspondent.

He wrote a regular column in the Western Morning News and has contributed to many industry magazines. He has also judged many wine competitions, including WineGB, Sud de France Top 100, and Food & Drink Devon..

Chef

David Jones

David is the bread guru behind the wood-fired oven at Manna From Devon Cooking School, just over the river from Dartmouth in Kingswear.  

As a passionate baker and co-owner of acclaimed cookery school, Manna from Devon, he teaches a variety of bread courses that can turn the most yeast-averse bakers into regular experts of all things leavened in no time.

Writer

Dorothy Woods

Dorothy Woods is an American- born chef, nutritionist, food writer, and the author of Cook Together, the viral cookbook that reimagines dinner as a shared experience. Her second book, Cook Together: Vegetarian and Vegan came out in September of 2026. Since publishing the first Cook Together book in 2023, Dorothy has built a growing global community around the idea of cooking side by side.

Trained at Le Cordon Bleu and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Dorothy spent more than a decade working as a private chef across Los Angeles, London, and Europe, helping families navigate healthy eating, food sensitivities, and the realities of busy modern life. Her work blends professional culinary training with a relaxed, practical philosophy inspired by healthy California living: fresh, no-fuss food, joyful cooking, and habits that genuinely stick.

Now based in Somerset with her husband and two children, Dorothy writes recipes and teaches cooking with a focus on bringing people together in the kitchen: couples, parents and children, housemates, friends and families. Through Healthy Dot, her coaching work, and the expanding Cook Together series, she continues to champion food as a tool not just for nourishment, but for stronger relationships and healthier homes.

Book: Cook Together: Vegetarian and Vegan

Expert

Dr James Marsh

Rigsby's Seasonal Foods CIC make the widest ranges of commercially available foraged, homegrown and Surplus food and drink products in the world. Our products in Shrub Cordials, Infused Sea Salts, Raw Honey infused with Fruit, Foraged Liqueurs, Pickle, compotes and more

In 2026 we have won 9 awards so far including a Gold Medal at this years World Marmalade Championships made from Surplus Grapefruit with foraged in Torquay Elderflower & Alexanders

We also teach foraging via our Rigsby's Forage and Make LTD business with 4 venues in South Devon. Guests learn how to make foraged products such as cordials, Sauerkraut, Pickles and more using locally foraged ingredients and we also teach how to made natural dyes from food waste. Our next game changing product is Pasta made from waste UPF fee bread from local bakeries infused with wild garlic.

CEO and Head Winemaker

Duncan Schwab

First Foray into Winemaking: At age 15, Duncan helped plant his family’s vineyard, St. Sampson’s, in Golant, Cornwall. What began as a semi-retirement hobby started by his parents, sparked Duncan’s lifelong passion for viticulture and winemaking. Since then, he’s travelled extensively, learning from winemakers around the globe and sharing in the collective dream of creating great wines.

Sharpham Winery: Duncan’s journey with Sharpham Winery spanned 30 years, starting when they expanded from 5 to 10 acres. From these humble beginnings, Sharpham grew into one of the UK’s most respected vineyards and a top tourist destination in Devon. 

Sandridge Barton Wines: Originally known as Sandridge Barton ‘The home of Sharpham Wines’, the business now operates on the opposite side of the river near Stoke Gabriel. With the new location they’ve had the opportunity to revitalize their focus, planting a diverse range of vines including Bacchus, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay enabling them to increase their range of wines.

Drinks Expert & Food Writer

Fiona Beckett

Fiona Beckett is a contributing editor to the wine magazine Decanter and former wine columnist for The Guardian.

She is an award-winning food and wine writer and one of the UK’s leading experts on food and drink pairing. She has her own website Matching Food & Wine and Substack newsletter Eat This, Drink That 

Volunteer Manager & Partnerships Officer, FareShare South West

Georgina El Morshdy

Georgina is a Volunteer Manager & Partnerships Officer at FareShare South West – the region's largest food redistribution charity. Passionate about social justice and reducing food waste, Georgina is part of a small, but mighty team that rescues good food, fights food poverty, and empowers communities.

Drinks expert

Giles Gray

The guys behind Devon Rum Company. Dave Seear started the business in March 2020 after a 30 year career in sales and business consultancy. Giles Gray joined in August 2020 to head up sales following an earlier career in sales and the hospitality sector. Dave and Giles both love Devon, the outdoors and rum; so that’s a great start! 

COMPERE

Gina Carter

I love compering the festival as I have been involved in it since the very first one 20 years ago. I have seen it grow from a tiny festival in the market square on hay bales to a superb national success attracting the top chefs in the country and 100’s of producers from Devon and the South West. I have been lucky to share the stage with the UK’s best loved chefs and rising stars of the future.

Gina is the fabulous compare of our Chef Demo tent and has been living in the South Hams for nearly 30 years following an eclectic career in the music business working in recording studios and record companies.  She loves music, travel, film, eating and drinking, driving – has driven across the Sahara in a banger and loves theatre and started treading the boards herself ten years ago and can be seen with the Dartington Playgoers amongst others.  She now spends her days selling superb tailor made safari and beach holidays to Eastern and Southern Africa with Safari & Beach Travel in Kingsbridge and spends a few weeks every year in both Tanzania and Kenya.  She is extremely fond of rose and champagne, so feel free to buy her a glass at any time!

Expert

Greg Parsons

Greg Parsons is a leading figure in the South West food and drink sector, with extensive experience in artisan food production, business development, regional food strategy, and collaborative supply chains. He is currently Director of Food Drink Devon, an membership organisation representing one of the UK's most vibrant food and drink regions, and has played a key role in strengthening relationships between producers, retailers, hospitality businesses, and consumers across Devon.

Greg & his wofe Nicky are also owners of Sharpham Dairy, an internationally recognised cheesemaker based in South Devon, where he leadsbusiness growth, innovation, and market development. Throughout his career, he has worked across a wide range of food and farming businesses, developing expertise in branding, marketing, route-to-market strategies, customer engagement, and sustainable business practices.

Passionate about creating resilient local food systems, Greg has been instrumental in several collaborative initiatives including the South Devon Food Hub and the Dartmoor Food Plan, helping connect farmers, producers, public bodies, and communities. His work focuses on strengthening local supply chains, improving access to regional food, and ensuring that food businesses can thrive while delivering environmental and social benefits.

A regular speaker, facilitator, and advocate for the South West food economy, Greg is known for bringing people together to create practical solutions and shared opportunities. Whether championing artisan cheesemakers, supporting rural enterprises, or shaping regional food strategies, he is committed to building a stronger, more sustainable future for food and farming in Devon and beyond.

Food Producer

Guy Singh-Watson

Guy Singh-Watson has over the last 30 years taken Riverford from one man and a wheelbarrow delivering homegrown organic veg to friends, to a national veg box scheme delivering to around 80,000 customers a week. Tired of meetings, brands and the assumption that greed is our predominant motivation, Guy converted the business to employee ownership in 2018, using the proceeds to buy a small farm and return to growing organic vegetables.

In common with many of Riverford’s new co-owners, Guy is an advocate of using business to shape a part of the world, however small, to be kinder, more considerate and sustainable; more like the world most of us want to live in.  His weekly newsletters connect people to the farm with refreshingly honest accounts of the trials and tribulations of producing organic food, and the occasional rant about farming, ethical and business issues he feels strongly about.

Nutritionist

Hannah Barth

Hannah worked as a paediatric nurse in the NHS for nearly two decades. She always felt so honoured to support families through some of their most difficult moments, offering comfort and care when they needed it most.

After having her second child, Hannah found herself struggling with unexpected crazy hormones. Multiple lockdowns left her exhausted, on the edge, feeling disconnected from her body exhausted, out of balance, and unsure how to get back to feeling like “me” again.

Now, as a qualified nutritionist, and a mum of two young boys and a step-mum to a teenager, Hannah is passionate about helping others who might be feeling the same way. Through her work, she offers the same holistic approach valued so much during her nursing career.

“It's about so much more than just nutrition – it’s about reclaiming your sense of self, feeling vibrant and connected again, and thriving as yourself and as a mum.

Food Producer

Helen Boyd

Helen and her husband Martin bought their first goats in 2023 and set up Stone Tree Dairy in 2024. They are now tending and milking a herd of 200 goats here in Dartmouth and producing a variety of award-winning cheese. Helen is also on the Board of Rowcroft Hospice.

Food Writer

Henry Dimbleby MBE

Henry Dimbleby is co-founder of Leon Restaurants, the not-for-profit Sustainable Restaurant Association, and the charity Chefs In Schools.

Henry Dimbleby was made lead non-executive board member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2018 and in June 2019 the Environment Secretary appointed him to lead the National Food Strategy. Henry co-founded the Leon restaurant chain in 2004, the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2009, the charity Chefs in Schools in2018 and co-authored The School Food Plan in2013. This set out actions to transform what children eat in schools and how they learn about food. 

Henry previously worked as a Strategy Consultant at Bain & Company where he advised businesses on strategy, performance improvement and organisational design. Before that he worked as a journalist on The Daily Telegraph and a chef at the Michelin-starred Four Seasons Inn on the Park

Chef

Henry Harris

A self-confessed classicist, Henry Harris cooks the food we all want to eat, and plenty have thanked him for it over the years. Food shaped his childhood and his most vivid memories. His mother was a superb home cook, and his father ran Le Grandgousier, a successful restaurant in Brighton. Its simple, classic French menu gave young Henry his first taste of bistro cooking. There was crudités, lentil salad, aioli, chicken liver pâté, a basket of salamis and a plat du jour, then brie and dessert, all with a half bottle of wine. Coffee was extra.

Chef

Hilary Anderson

Hilary, founder of BBQlads, is a passionate advocate for outdoor cooking and the culture surrounding live-fire food, with a particular love for exceptional steak cooked over flame. Dedicated to inspiring others to embrace the BBQ journey, he created BBQlads to celebrate the people, produce, and community behind barbecue, encouraging everyone to get outside, fire up the grill, and enjoy the theatre and flavour of live-fire cooking.

Chef & Food Writer

Holly Jones

Award winning chef and co-owner of Manna From Devon Cooking School with husband, David, trained at Leith’s School of Food & Wine. Love British Food said, “Holly Jones is a hugely talented cook with a great sense of humour”.

Softly spoken, she is immensely knowledgeable and passionate about local food and enjoys nothing more than sharing that passion with other people. 

After graduating at university, Holly went on to join the Army. Upon leaving the military Holly moved back to the UK and enrolled at Leith’s Cooking School, after which she worked as a chef, demonstrator, TV presenter and food writer for, among other things, the nascent BBC Good Food website.

She and David, gravitated to Kingswear in Devon to do the catering at the Royal Dart Yacht Club where they built up a network of local growers, suppliers and fishermen. It was also where the idea of producing their own food and creating a cookery school using the ingredients from these local suppliers took shape. Holly and David started Manna From Devon in 2006.

Cheese Retailer

Ian Wellens

Ian Wellens is a Director and co-founder of The Cheese Shed in Bovey Tracey, which has now been selling Westcountry cheese for twenty years. It started as an online-only venture before adding a ‘bricks and mortar’ shop and – most recently, – a cafe in its courtyard offering exceptional cheese toasties with an optional glass of something.

Its range of around 130 regional cheese is unrivalled, while the displays and floor-to-ceiling shelves of whole cheeses in its chilled shop offer customers a cheese experience hard to find outside cities like London and Edinburgh.

Previously Ian was a cabinetmaker, which was followed by work in music and in education – before the cheese called in 2006. His second book “A History Of Palestine In Five Fruits” was published this year.

Book: A History Of Palestine In Five Fruits

Chef & Food Writer

Jane Baxter

Head Chef, writer and TV personality, Jane is a familiar face on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.

It was whilst studying at Leeds University that she decided that a career in cookery was for her. She began at ‘Riverside’ in Helford under George Perry-Smith, then had the honour of working with one of her major influences – Joyce Molyneux at ‘The Carved Angel’ in Dartmouth.

Her love for all things Italian and in particular Puglia, started at her time at The River Café in London. Then, after working in various other London establishments, Jane went ‘off-piste’ to live and work in the South Pacific for 7 years.

On her return she started working for ‘Riverford’, first setting-up the staff canteen, then the local school meals and finally was responsible for the style of food and service at the Field Kitchen.

Jane also wrote the recipes for the two Riverford Farm Cookbooks, the first of which gained two ‘Guild of Food Writers’ awards.

Jane is also a regular contributor to the Guardian and Observer Food Monthly and has written 3 books for the global natural fast-food chain – ‘Leon’.

Leon Fast Vegetarian, Leon Happy Salads and Leon Fast & Free.

And her latest book is titled ‘Recipes For A Better Menopause’.

Jane makes 'Celebrity Chef' appearances on Saga Cruises, at Dartmouth Food Festival, Salcombe Crab Festival, Rock Oyster and is based in Devon.

Cheesemaker

Jane Quicke

Jane has recently taken on the day-to-day running of the farming and cheesemaking operation at Quicke's from her mother Mary. She is the 15th generation of her family to farm their land in Devon, England. On the farm, Quicke's make a variety of award-winning handmade clothbound cheddars and cheeses using the milk from their mixed dairy herd. Jane is interested in the science and social history that underpins farming and cheesemaking and how to make a delicious product in balance with nature.

Jordan Bartholomew

Jordan Bartholomew (Head Chef & Stoke Lodge Hotel)

Nestled in the South Hams, just outside of Dartmouth and a short walk from Blackpool Sands, Stoke Lodge Hotel is an independent, family-owned hotel run by husband-and-wife team Myles and Alex Bruce. Since taking over the hotel, they have been passionately restoring and reimagining the property, creating a warm, welcoming destination that celebrates the very best of Devon hospitality.

At the heart of the hotel is Wildflower, the hotel’s restaurant, where seasonal menus showcase exceptional local ingredients with a focus on quality, simplicity and flavour.

Leading the kitchen is Head Chef Jordan Bartholomew, whose cooking is rooted in the outstanding produce of the South West. Jordan believes that the finest ingredients need little intervention, allowing their natural flavours to shine. He has a particular passion for fresh local seafood and pastry, combining refined techniques with a relaxed, modern style.
Jordan brings an impressive wealth of experience, having held Head Chef and Head Pastry Chef positions at respected Devon hotels including Thurlestone Hotel and Lincombe Hall. His thoughtful, produce-led approach perfectly reflects the ethos of Stoke Lodge Hotel and Wildflower.

Chef

Josh Tilt

Josh Tilt is head chef for the Rockfish Group

Expert

Josie Lockwood

Josie Lockwood is the Quality Laboratory Coordinator at Lyme Bay Winery, where she helps ensure every wine meets the highest standards through quality control, laboratory analysis, and production support throughout the winemaking process. A certified Spanish Wine Scholar, she is currently studying for the WSET Diploma with the support of Curious Vines, further developing her knowledge of the world's wines. Passionate about the quality and potential of English wine, Josie enjoys sharing her enthusiasm through tastings and events. When she's not talking about or tasting wine, she can usually be found at the beach with a good book.

Chef

Kate Jenkins

Kate Jenkins, the creative force behind Gower Cottage Brownies, has built a reputation for crafting some of the most indulgent and beloved brownies in the UK. What began in 2006 supplying the local village shop from her home kitchen in Gower Cottage has blossomed into a thriving business. Now, nearly 20 years later Kate is delivering hundreds of gift boxes daily from the picturesque Brownie Barns in Reynoldston, Gower. Known for her commitment to quality, sustainability, and local sourcing, Kate's brownies have become a symbol of heartfelt gifting and culinary excellence. She has appeared on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen and ITV’s This Morning and has been providing brownies to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for 10 years.

Chef

Kathy Slack

Kathy Slack is an award-winning food writer, cook and veg grower. She’s a rat race escape who began her life in food at Daylesford Organic Farm before becoming a full-time writer and presenter sharing recipes and stories inspired by her back garden veg patch.

Her latest book, Rough Patch: How a year in the garden brought me back to life, a memoir with recipes, explores how growing food helped her recover from depression, leave her highflying career and build a new life inspired by the land. Her debut cookbook, From the Veg Patch, was shortlisted for The Guild of Food Writers Award for Best Cookbook.

She has written regular features for Delicious magazine, Simple Things magazine, OcadoLife, Borough Market’s Market Life, is a regular contributor to the BBC Gardeners World website, and writes the bestselling Substack newsletter, Tales From the Veg Patch.

Kathy gives talks and demonstrations about seasonal food, both in her role as Fortnum & Mason’s vegetable expert and around the country at various festivals, radio shows and podcasts, all with a focus on growing and cooking your own food.

Book: Rough Patch: how a year in the garden brought me back to life

CHEF

Kirk Gosden

With a remarkable 40-year journey in hospitality spanning Europe, the USA, and the Caribbean, Kirk Gosden’s prosperous career has taken him to chef in renowned restaurants and hotels worldwide. For nearly 15 years, he successfully owned and operated two restaurants in the Caribbean. Returning to the UK a decade ago, and with a profound love for cooking, Kirk joined forces with Mitch Tonks and Rockfish, assuming the role of Chef Director

Expert

Kirsty Magee

Dr Kirsty Magee is a resident doctor training in general practice and public health with an interest in helping everyone live sustainably as equitably as possible. She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Sustainability and Human Health and teaches healthcare professionals how to integrate sustainability into clinical practice. As both a clinician and educator, she is passionate about exploring how the choices we make in healthcare shape not only individual health, but the resilience of our communities and the wider food system. Her work focuses on adapting health and care services to meet the population health challenges of today and tomorrow.

Chef

Luca Berardino

Senior Policy Officer for Farming and Land, Soil Association

Lucia Monje-Jelfs

Lucia is a Senior Policy Officer at the Soil Association. Her work involves advocating for a more supportive policy environment for agroecological and organic food production, particularly for fruit and vegetables. She lives in Bristol but dreams of moving down to South Devon eventually!

Report: Homegrown: a roadmap to resilient fruit and vegetable production in England (Soil Association)

CHEF

Luke Holder

Born in the UK and raised in Dubai, Lime Wood’ s Hartnett Holder & Co. Chef Director, Luke Holder has a wealth of culinary influences and experience.

The restaurant opened in 2013 as a relaxed, stylish and comfortable restaurant – full of character, yet unpretentious, much like Luke and Angela who are famed for their informal, grounded style of cooking and their respect for local produce. With both chefs embracing the philosophy behind great Italian food, the seasonal menus centre around locally sourced British ingredients to make distinct variations of Italian classics.

In keeping with the times, Angela and Luke aim to ensure that nothing becomes outdated in the restaurant, resulting in a daily changing menu for longer staying guests, quality produce and better awareness for the health of their team. A firm advocate for staff health and wellness, Luke ensured that the Lime Wood team could eat as well as the guests, stopping the practice of buying produce for staff food and only using the food they were serving to the guests. The shift away from the deep fried food culture, (so often experienced in hotel staff canteens) was instrumental in upholding Luke’s ethos of “we are what we eat”.

Chef & Food Writer

Mark Hix

Celebrated chef, restaurateur and food writer Mark Hix is known for his original take on British gastronomy Mark is frequently lauded as one of Britain’s most eminent restaurateurs with an unrivalled knowledge of ingredients with provenance. He is an award-winning author and food writer with 12 cookbooks to his name, the latest of which, Hooked, regales stories of fishing from his childhood through to the present day. He has a weekly award-winning recipe column in The Telegraph Magazine, as well as contributing to Dorset Magazine and Marshwood Vale. He has previously been a regular contributor to City AM and GQ, Mark was previously the food writer for The Independent on Saturday for 14 years.

After 17 years with Caprice Holdings, he left his Chef Director role in 2007 to open HIX Restaurants which spread across London’s West-end and City as well as his native Dorset, until they closed in 2020 as a result of Covid-19 Mark opened The Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis in July 2020 as well as launching his HIX Oyster & Fish Truck in Morcombelake, which sold wet fish and seafood from Lyme Bay Reserve fishermen during lock downs. He opened The Fox Inn pub in Corscombe in December 2020 but sadly due to the continuing challenges in the industry the pub closed on 17th July 2022. The Oyster & Fish House closed on 8th December 2024.

Mark received an MBE for his services to hospitality in the New Years’ Honours list 2017.

Writer

Martha Collison

Martha Collison is a food writer, broadcaster and recipe creator who first captured the nation’s attention as the youngest ever contestant on The Great British Bake Off in 2014. Since then, she has become one of the UK’s most trusted modern baking and cookery voices, writing a long-running column for Waitrose Weekend, publishing three cookbooks – including Pull Up a Chair (Kyle Books, 2025) – and building an engaged online community.

Martha was the resident Show Chef on The Graham Norton Radio Show with Virgin Radio for almost 3 years, and has appeared on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen. Shortlisted for the Guild of Food Writers’ Recipe Writer of the Year in 2024, Martha is passionate about making delicious food accessible, championing sustainable produce and cooking up a storm for her young family. Her warm, modern approach to food continues to resonate across digital, print and broadcast.

Book: Pull Up a Chair

Academic & Food Writer

Martin Caraher

Focused on inequality and how many in our population don’t have adequate access to food; this leads to food poverty and obesity.

Martin is Emeritus Professor of food and health policy, at City, University of London.  He has spent decades working on issues related to food poverty, local food systems, food in schools and food banks. His recent focus is on how rising levels of debt during the Covid crisis has impacted on food poverty.

Presenter and Facilitator

Mary Nightingale

Mary Nightingale is an award winning journalist and broadcaster, probably best known for presenting the ITV Evening News for more than 25 years. Mary lived in Dartmouth for much of her childhood, and worked in various local restaurants, including the legendary Carved Angel, for Joyce Molyneux. When she’s not working Mary and her husband Paul spend as much time as they can in Dartmouth. Favourite places to eat include The Seahorse, and also The Counter in the Old Market – especially their oysters and chowder.

Chef

Masaki Sugisaki

Executive Chef and Chef Owner of Dinings SW3, Masaki Sugisaki is a traditionally trained Japanese chef, whose cooking bridges the precision of Japanese technique with the seasonality, produce and openness of London’s dining culture. Born in Saitama, just north of Tokyo, Masaki grew up surrounded by food. His family ran a traditional kaiseki restaurant, where he began working from the age of 15, starting as a kitchen porter and frontof-house member, before progressing through the kitchen. His early training was rooted in the seasonality and respect for ingredients that define classical Japanese cooking, from early morning visits to the fish market to the meticulous preparation expected in a traditional kaiseki environment. Keen to experience life beyond Japan, he moved to London in the 1990s. He began working in Japanese restaurants across the capital but was struck by how limited the understanding of Japanese food was at the time, with many diners unfamiliar with dishes beyond sushi and sashimi. This experience became a turning point, sparking his ambition to help introduce British diners to the depth, beauty and accessibility of Japanese cuisine. In 2005, Masaki returned to London to join Nobu Berkeley Street – an experience that had a lasting influence on his approach. At Nobu, he saw how Japanese food could remain rooted in authenticity while being translated for a wider international audience. Today at Dinings SW3 in Chelsea, he leads a restaurant that combines Japanese technique with European influences, British produce and a relaxed sense of hospitality. His food is guided by the principles of seasonality, balance and respect for ingredients, while allowing space for creativity beyond the stricter conventions of traditional Japanese kitchens. Sustainability is a defining part of Masaki’s work. He has built close relationships with fishermen in the Southwest of England, particularly in Cornwall, sourcing seafood directly from day boats and taking the time to understand how the fish is caught, handled and transported. He is a strong advocate for using the whole fish, a philosophy brought to life through Dinings SW3’s “Gill to Tail” series, which celebrates sustainable seafood and makes use of parts that are often discarded. Under Masaki’s direction, Dinings SW3 has become known for refined yet approachable Japanese European cuisine, intimate omakase experiences, chef collaborations and a strong focus on thoughtful sourcing. His cooking reflects a career spent between two cultures: grounded in the discipline of Japanese tradition, but shaped by the freedom, diversity and creativity of London.

Drinks Expert

Mat Follas

Drinks Expert

Matteo Lamaro

Matteo is one of the founding forces behind Curator, bringing together Italian heritage and Devon’s landscape to build a brand rooted in craft, community and flavour.

Chef & Chocolatier

Michael Barber

Discover the world of craft chocolate with Barbers Bean to Bar in this interactive chocolate tasting experience. Join award-winning chocolate maker and pastry chef Michael Barber as he takes you on a journey from cocoa bean to finished chocolate bar. Learn how chocolate is grown, fermented, roasted and crafted, while tasting a selection of single-origin chocolates and exploring how origin, roasting and cocoa percentage influence flavour. Along the way, you’ll uncover the fascinating history of chocolate, discover what makes fine chocolate so special, and pick up expert tasting techniques. Whether you’re a dedicated chocolate lover or simply curious to learn more, this fun and engaging session is the perfect way to experience the incredible world of bean-to-bar chocolate.

PATRON, Director

Mitch Tonks

“Everything that is great about British cooking, growing, harvesting, catching, eating and drinking is represented here for the four wonderful days of the Dartmouth Food Festival every October. It is a festival that is loved by locals and visitors alike. We have a great friendly neighbourhood here and we all celebrate together with friends, family and visitors, it’s a party atmosphere from start to finish, I absolutely love it and love being a part of it!”.

Festival Patron & Company Director

Looking out across the waters of the Bristol Channel would be Mitch Tonks’ first significant connection with the sea. He grew up with his mother in Weston-super-Mare. Just a few doors down the road lived his grandmother. It was in his grandmother’s kitchen that his earliest food memories would form. He recalls buckets of eels arriving at her back door, fished from the Rynes by the local children. The eels would win an hour’s reprieve swimming around in her sink before being chucked, boiled and jellied. Mitch would run errands for his grandmother. He’d return home from the fishmonger with shrimps, which he’d help to peel and prepare sandwiches with, which they would then devour together. These simple shared pleasures were the first small steps of a food journey that would take Mitch to culinary experiences all around the world. But home would always be the coastline of the south-west of England and the place where his fervour for seafood in particular would shape and resonate most profoundly.

Mitch has become one of the most respected and knowledgeable seafood people in the country and an acclaimed restaurateur, chef and author in the process. His Seahorse restaurant has won the Observer’s ‘Best UK Restaurant’ gong; his Rockfish takeaway restaurant chain has twice claimed ‘Best Independent Restaurant’ at the National Fish & Chip Awards. Of his books, one of them – Fresh – scooped ‘Best Fish Book’ at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. And his achievements and influence have been further recognised with a nomination for Ernst & Young’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ and inclusion in The Caterer’s prized ‘Top 100 Most Influential Foodies’ list.

Such accolades are an acknowledgement for a philosophy that is genuine and refreshing in a world where Michelin stars and viral social media campaigns so often steal the limelight: keep it simple and do something as well as you can possibly do it.

Each new day at The Seahorse, the Dartmouth quayside restaurant he co-owns and runs with his best friend Mat Prowse, begins as though it was their first. Acutely aware that they are only as good as the weather and climate and the food they source, they must rely on their kitchen team to treat those ingredients with care and respect and trust their front-of-house team to welcome each new customer into the restaurant with the warmth afforded to an old friend.

And so it is with each of the other restaurants under his stewardship – Rockfishes in Dartmouth, Torquay, Plymouth and Brixham, and the Spiny Lobster in Bristol. In Brixham, the restaurant stands proudly amongst the bustle and noise of the fish market, allowing the Rockfish chefs to see and hear the catch of the day, every day. 

The recipes in his books are the recipes of his restaurants, dating right back to his debut FishWorks Cookbook, named after the original Bath-based restaurant which grew into an award-winning 13-site-strong chain. But these restaurant recipes belong to the home and to tradition, often inspired by his travels and by such legendary writers as Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson, and always informed by the best of what the local land and sea have to offer, embracing simplicity, freshness and flavour over everything else. Home is the ethos that underpins every aspect of his restaurant business. He wants people to walk into a place and they feel like they belong there, a restaurant that knows everyone. 

His fifth cookbook is the absolute embodiment of this philosophy, featuring the people who produce, source and supply his restaurant, the cultures and traditions that pass recipes down from generation to generation and the simple wonders of the ingredients themselves. The Seahorse: The Restaurant and its Recipes was published in June 2015.

On TV he’s known for his ten-part fishing series with Matt Dawson and appearances on Saturday Kitchen and Market Kitchen. He is a consultant for the menus on the distinguished Pullman trains run by Great Western Railway and also to a number of brilliant national restaurants, including Hawksmoor in London. He is a champion of sustainability and driven by a strong belief that the South West coast is Britain’s Seafood Coast and produces some of the finest seafood in the world.

He is committed to constantly giving back to the community that has given him so much. He has embarked on an academy scheme in partnership with South Devon College to help train the next generation of aspiring chefs and to supporting the local fishing industries. On matters of UK fishing, sustainability and supply, his is arguably one of the most erudite and credible voices out there.

Chef

Nathan Outlaw

Originally from Kent, Nathan has lived in Cornwall for most of his adult life and is a proud ambassador of all things Cornish. His style of cooking is one of simplicity but with complex flavour combinations using local, seasonal, responsibly sourced ingredients.

Nathan has had several restaurants over the years, all of which have all attracted numerous accolades, including Michelin stars. Currently, he has a restaurant, a bistro and a Guest House in the village of Port Issac in Cornwall, as well as 2 self-contained holiday lets.

His restaurant, Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, is situated in a tiny fisherman’s cottage opposite the harbour. Here you can expect the highest quality of seasonal fish and seafood from Cornish waters, with world cuisine twists. It has held one Michelin star for 12 consecutive years. On the 3rd April 2026, Nathan opened Outlaw’s Bistro within his existing Guest House. This new space offers an à la carte menu for lunch and dinner 7 days a week, and for the first time in many years, also includes seasonal game and local meat dishes. Outlaw’s Bistro listed in the Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants 2026.

Outlaw’s Guest House, which opened in 2022 and now houses Outlaw’s Bistro, is a beautiful Victorian property and has an elevated position which affords glorious views across the bay along with high quality, relaxed accommodation and exceptional hospitality. In addition, he is able to offer two high quality, self-contained holiday lets, both former fishermens’ cottages, which are situated in the harbour area.

Nathan’s easy manner, enthusiasm and obvious passion for his work make him a hit with audiences of all ages and he regularly appears on TV programmes such as ‘Saturday Kitchen’ and `James Martin’s Saturday Morning’. He has also written several successful cookery books, including ‘Fish For Dinner’ (2023) and ‘On Fish’ which was published on 16th April 2026.

Book: On Fish

Chef

Neil Borthwick

Neil Northwick, Head Chef of the Merchants Tavern, a neighbourhood tavern in the heart of Shoreditch, London. Born in Edinburgh, Neil fell in love with food while up to his elbows in soap suds – washing pots at the age of 14. From this modest start, he has since honed his skills at The Connaught, Michel Bras, Maison Pic and The Square, amongst others, and went on to win the Nestle Toque D’Or in 2000.

Time spent as Sous Chef with Michel Bras had a strong influence on Neil, and his Merchant’s tale was a fundamental inspiration for Neil. Viewing chefs as ‘merchants of good fortune’, Michel’s idea is that chefs are in a privileged position, able to use their skills and craft to create excellent food for their patrons – a concept that is fundamental to Neil’s approach at Merchants Tavern. 

Chef

Nick Evans

“I really enjoyed taking part in the Dartmouth Food Festival, it was very well organised with so much going on there was always something to do or somebody to see. …I even managed to to some hobnobbing with suppliers and chefs. With the festival spread out over the majority of the town centre it gives a great sense of community and involves so many local business’. I look forward to being part of it again in the future.”

Nick Evans grew up in East Sussex and from a young age worked the land around their home with his brother and father growing everything from potatoes to a small vineyard. It was fate that brought Nick to work in kitchens, covering for his brother as a kitchen porter when he fell ill.

Nick never looked back. Whilst studying for a degree in hospitality, he worked a year at a variety of Rick Stein’s businesses, learning a great deal about French classical cooking under Stephane Delourme at The Seafood Restaurant. Nick returned as Chef de Partie in 2007 and over the next 6 years worked his way up to Senior Sous Chef, before joining the team at St Petroc’s Bistro in 2014 as Head Chef. In 2016, Nick took on his current role, becoming Head Chef Lecturer at Rick Stein’s Cookery School. 

Photograph by David Griffin

Chef & Food Writer

Orlando Murrin

“I’ve been to dozens and dozens of food festivals, on islands, up mountains, underwater (I made that last one up) but there is none as delightful and picturesque as Dartmouth. The harbour setting – stalls draped along the waterfront – is beautiful and unusual, and gives the festival a unique atmosphere. I also think it is the friendliest festival, with festival goers in a really good mood”

Orlando Murrin is a highly experienced food writer and editor, based in Exeter. 

Orlando Murrin has worked in practically every area of food – as editor, writer, chef and teacher. His latest books – Two’s Company and Two’s Company Simple – are focused on cooking for two. In early 2024 his first crime novel was published – with a culinary twist.

Chef

Paul Hegley

PAUL HEGLEY | CHEF OWNER, VERSE Paul Hegley is the Chef and Co-Owner of Verse in Kingsbridge, South Devon, bringing more than 20 years of experience in professional kitchens to the restaurant he runs alongside his wife, Hayley.

Paul’s career has taken him through some of the UK’s most respected hotels and restaurants. His early experience included working at the five-star Luton Hoo Hotel in the Werner restaurant, as well as The Vineyard, where he worked within John Campbell’s acclaimed kitchen. He also spent time working with renowned chef Jean-Christophe Novelli and later ISS corporate dining across the city of London which included the Sunborn group the luxury super yacht hotel.

After relocating to South Devon, Paul became Executive Head Chef at Gara Rock hotel, overlooking the coast near Salcombe. During six years at the hotel, he developed a strong connection with the exceptional produce available across Devon and the South West.

That connection now sits at the heart of Verse.

Paul’s cooking is produce-led, generous and uncomplicated, combining classical technique with a more relaxed, modern approach. Local and seasonal ingredients take centre stage, with cooking over fire, sharing dishes and carefully sourced meat, fish and vegetables all playing an important part in the menus.

Verse is the culmination of Paul’s career so far: an independent neighbourhood restaurant where serious cooking is served without the formality often associated with fine dining.

Together, Paul and Hayley have created a restaurant that reflects the things they love most — great food, great drinks, great music and genuinely warm hospitality.

Expert

Paul McNabb

Writer

Pip Payne

Pip Payne is the author and creator behind The Slimming Foodie, a food brand she launched in 2015 to share delicious, healthy, accessible recipes for real-life family cooking.

Born in Torbay and raised in Broadsands, Pip has always had a strong connection to Devon. After living in Cardiff and London, she returned to the county 14 years ago and now lives with her family on the edge of Dartmoor.

Over the past 11 years, Pip has built The Slimming Foodie into a hugely popular online food community and has written seven cookbooks, including three Sunday Times bestsellers. Her books cover everything from quick family meals and air-fryer recipes to comforting favourites and budget-friendly cooking.

Pip’s cooking is all about making good food achievable. She champions straightforward recipes, accessible ingredients and cooking from scratch, with an emphasis on food that the whole family can enjoy together. Her approach is about showing that lighter, balanced cooking doesn’t have to mean compromising on flavour or enjoyment.

Book: Ultimate Comfort Food

Drinks Expert

Polly Hilton

Expert

Rachel Davey

Rachel is Director of the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships and
founder of Speakeasy PR & Communications. With 16 years of experience in drinks PR, media and events, she works with a portfolio of premium drinks brands and has developed a particular specialism in the world of sparkling wine. Combining industry insight with a deep passion for all things effervescent, Rachel brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective to conversations around Champagne and sparkling wine.

Drinks Seminar Co-Ordinator

Rebecca Mitchell

Rebecca Mitchell is delighted to be the Drinks Seminar Coordinator for this year’s Dartmouth Food Festival.

Rebecca is an inspiring wine professional, drinks consultant, copywriter, competition judge, and educator with 29 years of wine trade experience. She is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and a certified educator for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Rebecca’s wine career began in Bordeaux. She has previously worked in global wine tourism and for a UK wine importer, before becoming a Drinks Consultant for independent hotels and restaurants in the South West. She was the former Head Sommelier at 2* Michelin starred Gidleigh Park Hotel on Dartmoor running an extensive wine cellar and award-winning wine list. Rebecca now teaches WSET wine and spirits qualifications to enthusiasts and hospitality and drinks trade professionals. She hosts private and corporate wine tastings including for The London Wine Academy. Rebecca is a Wine Judge and Panel Chair for various international wine competitions at the IWSC, IWC and WineGB. Rebecca is an ambassador for English wine producers and a member of the Association of Wine Educators . She is an ambassador for Smell Taste , a charity which supports people affected by smell and taste disorders.

Chef & Food Writer

Richard Bertinet

Originally trained as a baker in Brittany, Richard has been in England since 1988 and is now very much an Anglophile. With 35 years’ experience in the kitchen, baking, consulting and teaching behind him, Richard moved to Bath in 2005 to open The Bertinet Kitchen cookery school. His sell out classes attract customers from all over the world who to come to learn to bake with him. Richard was named as BBC Food Champion of the Year for his work on baking, is an Academian of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and has been awarded an honorary degree from Westminster Kingsway college for his work with the college on baking.

Richard’s first book Dough was published in 2005 and was awarded the IACP Best Cookery Book of the Year 2006, the Julia Child Award for the Best First Book, the James Beard Award for Best Book Baking and Desserts and The Guild of Food Writers Award for Best First Book. It has been translated into many languages and is sold all over the world. A further 5 books followed and plans for his seventh book are underway.

Chef

Richard Hunt

Executive Chef Noss on the Dart Hotel
Opening Spring 2027

• Devon Born and Bred, worked in various operations in Devon
  from Large Hotels to Golf Clubs in the UK and abroad from USA
  to Singapore and has been a consultant chef nationwide
• Over 35 years as a chef
• Passionate about Devon and British produce, believing we have
  one of the best larders in the World
• Opened as Executive Chef the 250-bedroom Courtyard by
  Marriott Sandy Park and The View Restaurant
• Previously Executive Chef at the Lensbury and Wentworth Clubs
  in Surrey and Executive Chef at Queenwood club in Surrey
• International Culinary Judge from Rotary young chef to National
  Chef of the Year and Military culinary competition
• Master Craftsman of the Craft Guild of Chefs, British Culinary
  Federation, Institute of Hospitality
• Various TV appearances for Ch.4, BBC (Kirsty Allsopp,
  Edwardian and Victorian Farm, Iron Chef UK)
• Loves food festivals and helping promote the industry to local
  schools and colleges.
• Awarded ‘Paul Harris Fellowship’ from Rotary international for
  services to young people
• Poor Golfer, Better Cricketer, and sea angler with built in anti-
  fish device!

Expert

Ross Griffiths

Ross's journey has taken him far beyond the traditional travel industry. After starting his career in sports travel, he spent a year backpacking across Asia, travelling through Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia with little more than a rough plan and a curiosity for what lay beyond the next border. His adventures then led him to Japan, where he worked in Niseko, Tokyo and Okinawa, before continuing on to Canada, managing guest services at Whistler Blackcomb.

In 2020, Ross founded Your Endless Travel, drawing on more than 20 years of travel industry experience and a belief that the most memorable journeys are built around authentic local experiences rather than sightseeing checklists.

That philosophy eventually sparked the creation of BBQ Travel Club, a concept that combines travel with the world's great fire food traditions, from Argentine asados and South African braais to Texas barbecue and Japanese robata grilling. Today, Ross hosts and curates unique culinary adventures that bring travellers closer to the pitmasters, producers and communities that keep these traditions alive. Based in Hereford, he's happiest around a fire pit, sharing stories, food and a passion for discovering the world one flame-cooked meal at a time.

Writer

Rupert Bates

Rupert Bates is the founder and editor of BBQ: Fire, Food & Outdoor Living – a quarterly print magazine for the barbecue community around the world.

The multi-media platform – across print, digital, socials and events – caters for fire chefs and trade professionals, outdoor cooks and live fire influencers, and anybody simply enjoying cooking outside for family and friends and eager to learn more.

From a lockdown idea in 2020, the magazine has grown to be the most respected international brand for live-fire cooking, featuring the people, the products and the places that make up the global barbecue village, inspiring, informing and entertaining.

Rupert is also editorial director of Show House magazine, the leading trade title for UK housebuilders, with rising new homes interest in the value and variety of outdoor living, dining and entertaining.

The host of the annual What House? Awards, the biggest accolade in British housebuilding, and a former sportswriter for The Sunday Telegraph, Rupert is also property correspondent of the Field magazine and is a regular speaker and presenter at events and festivals across the country.

Artisan Producer

Salami Steve Williams

Salami Steve has not always been his name, he spent 20+ years in a suit and tie and went by the name Spreadsheet Steve. Spreadsheet Steve was not very interested in what he did, he made money for other people and his work was a sole less existence. He spent his spare time outside hunting and preparing his game for the dinner table. He also loved to cook, making amazing food for his family from scratch. Steve has always been interesting in the outdoors and wild cooking. He decided enough was enough. Spreadsheet Steve came home to Devon. Once back in Devon Steve started to make salami and cured hams, he made his own sausages. Steve converted his garage into a Salumeria and Salami Steve was born.

Good Game was launched and soon they got a name as an amazing artisan producer of charcuterie. Over the years Good Game grew. They opened a very successful restaurant in Topsham. Then, one day Salami found himself spending most of his time in the office, Salami became aware that spreadsheets were his Kryptonite….. with the arrival of the COVID pandemic Salami got to work, broke up the factory and went back to his true artisan roots producing small amounts of charcuterie as a small team. Now Salami is teaching the future charcuterie makers at River Cottage and The School of Artisan Food.

He is now allowing everyone to learn from his past and hopefully they can become their own charcuterie super hero and join an amazing new charcuterie family.

“A superhero is just an ordinary person who has found a better way to mask their human frailties.”

Coffee Roaster

Sam Regan

Sam is the skilled roaster at Curator, working from the company’s South Devon roastery in Totnes where every batch of coffee is wood-roasted in the Italian tradition.

Chef

Sigourney Mayer-Hughes

Sigourney was born in the midst of her family’s hotel in the coastal idyll of Stoke Fleming, Devon. Never far from the kitchen and developed the first of her culinary skills while learning on the job. After working in a Boutique Hotel in London and travelling the world she returned to Devon to chef in a local Dartmouth restaurant.

It was only a matter of time before she took the position she was destined to. The little girl on her tiptoes stirring pots became the Head Chef at her family’s hotel.

Following the sale of the Hotel, The Greedy Table was born and is rooted in a rich heritage of making people happy through food, prepared with the best local produce, showcasing global flavours learnt throughout her travels. Sigourney’s passion for creating and sharing delicious food is entrenched in every part of who she is and where she comes from.

Chef

Stephane Delourme

STEIN Group Head Chef

Stephane spent his childhood between Brittany and Paris and developed a love for cooking at a young age inspired by his uncle’s travels around the world, returning with new dishes and stories from his adventures.

He started an apprenticeship at the age of 16 at two Michelin starred Sully D’ Auteuil, before moving on to Le Vieux Berlin which specialised in game. His keen interest to learn a new language led him to England in 1989 where he worked in London’s Roof Restaurant at the Hilton on Park Lane. Stephane was also instrumental in the opening of some of London’s most distinguished restaurants, working alongside leading chefs of the time including Michael Croft at Mirabelle and Martin Webb at Quaglino’s.

In 1994, Stephane returned to France where he worked at Michelin-starred restaurant Prunier in Paris for two years. His career has taken him around the globe on the world’s most famous cruise liner, the QE2, as well as to Dublin where he worked with Patrick Guilbaud in his self-named two Michelin-starred restaurant.

After years of travelling around the world, Stephane and his wife made the decision to move to Cornwall to settle down. After just 6 months working with Rick Stein, Stephane was promoted to head chef at The Seafood Restaurant where he remained for over 20 years. Working closely with Rick, he helped to develop new menus and lead the restaurant team.

In 2019, Stephane took on a new role in the business as Group Chef. In which, he shares his skills and knowledge across our kitchen teams as well as hosting dinners in our restaurants.

His passion for cooking is shared with a love of the fresh Cornish produce that is available to him in this part of the South West, as well as great local suppliers.

When not in the kitchen, he can be found travelling the world, watching Rugby and relaxing in St. Issey with his wife and three daughters.

Drinks Expert & Writer

Susy Atkins

‘Dartmouth Food Festival is absolutely a highlight of my year, every time, and I really enjoy showing
and discussing wonderful wines from all over the world there, including local Devon labels. I am
delighted to be an ambassador for the Festival.’

Susy Atkins has been writing about wine for over 30 years; she was co-editor of The Which? Wine Guide in
the 1990s and 2000s and has written several other award-winning books on wine and drinks.

She has been a wine and drinks correspondent for The Telegraph/The Sunday Telegraph for many years
with regular features at telegraph.co.uk and in print, and she is well-known to many for her 12 year
stint as wine expert on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen.

She won the Champagne Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Award in 2014 and was Rioja Recognises ‘Communicator of the Year’ in 2016.

Susy lives in Devon and is a board director of Food Drink Devon.

Expert

Tony Byrne

Tony is the Wine Development Manager for LWC in the Southwest. He began his career in hospitality, managing boutique and independent hotels, with personal highlights including Dartmouth’s very own The Royal Castle and Barnsley House. Wine was always the fun part of the job and it eventually inspired a full-time career shift into the trade.

Tony joined LWC in 2022 and moved back to Devon, after several years with Majestic in Oxfordshire. He completed his WSET Diploma, with merit, in 2023 and followed this with the Wine Scholar Guild’s Italian Wine Scholar programme in 2026. Unsurprisingly, Italy is also his favourite place for wine, food and travel.

At work he’s always looking for new and interesting wines to share with customers and particularly enjoys delivering training, hoping to inspire a little of his wine curiosity and excitement in others.

Contributer

Victoria Benns

Victoria Benns is the founder of BeWild CIC, a community-driven initiative inspiring people and businesses to support biodiversity. After many years as a teacher, she went on to study environmental science before creating Wild About Nature, a platform dedicated to helping people reconnect with the natural world. Her ethos is simple yet powerful: if we were all more connected to nature, our planet would be thriving — and so would we.

Drinks Expert

Will Freeland

Will is highly regarded in the brewing industry for producing award-winning ales. Before co-founding Bays, he spent over a decade as Head Brewer at Skinners Brewery in Cornwall, gaining a wealth of experience and a strong reputation for quality and innovation. In 2007, brothers Mark and Peter Salmon joined forces with their brother-in-law Will to realise their vision of creating beers inspired by their hometown of Torbay. Since then, Will’s passion for brewing has been at the heart of Bays. Drawing on his local roots, he has crafted a distinctive range of ales that celebrate tradition while capturing the true taste of Devon.

Drinks Expert

Will Lyons

Described by The Spectator magazine as having one of the finest palate’s in Britain Will Lyons is a wine writer, author and broadcaster.For more than a decade he has published a weekly column on drinks, formerly in The Wall Street Journal and now The Sunday Times. His humorous, informed, down-to-earth writing has been recognized in both the Glenfiddich and Roederer wine writing Awards. While his entertaining podcast Wine Times was recently named ‘podcast of the year’.

Will began his career in London, where he developed a love for the classic wines of Europe working in St James’s for Justerini & Brooks and Berry Bros & Rudd. Known for his discerning palate and accurate predictions Will is also an accomplished blind wine taster and has lectured on the art of wine appreciation at Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities. He is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford, a past president of the Edinburgh University Wine Society, a Commanderie de Bordeaux and a Freeman of the Vintners’ Company. Will is Vice President of The Sunday Times Wine Club and co-host of the award-winning Wine Times podcast