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With Dartmouth Food Festival 2023 on its way, we’re sure youre just as excited as we are to tuck into some of Devon’s finest delicacies. This year’s festival will take place from Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd October, with plenty of tastings, workshops, talks and demonstrations for the whole family to enjoy. Most importantly, there’ll be an array of delicious food to enjoy, with over 100 exhibitors attending.

Dartmouth Food Festival pastries


Use our quick links below to jump to a specific section, or continue reading for all there is to know about Dartmouth Food Festival!


About Dartmouth Food Festival 2023

Dartmouth Food Festival started in 2004 and has since become a mainstay in the foodie calendar, drawing foodie fanatics from far and wide.

Where better to host a culinary event than in Dartmouth? A picturesque seaside town with a great gastronomic offering of cafés, restaurants and local food suppliers. With an exciting line up of exhibitors and celebrity chefs, Dartmouth Food Festival 2023 is not one to miss!

Who is exhibiting at Dartmouth Food Festival 2023?

This year’s festival will see over 100 exhibitors and an abundance of mouth-watering produce to satisfy all taste buds. Most of these are from Devon, so you won’t struggle to find amazing local producers flying the foodie flag for the South West! Not only are there great eateries to be enjoyed, you’ll also find a selection of local businesses offering great activities at the weekend.

Here are just a few of the traders you can expect to see at the event:

The full list of exhibitors is available to view on the Dartmouth Food Festival website.

Where is Dartmouth Food Festival 2023?

This food festival takes place in the heart of Dartmouth, with most stalls under cover so you can enjoy all things foodie, whatever the weather. It will be hard for anyone in Dartmouth to miss the festival, with plenty going on at the Embankment, Boat Float and Royal Avenue Gardens. There will also be much more at the town’s eateries, including The Flavel, Royal Castle Hotel, Browns Hotel, Rockfish and Café Alf Resco.

Do you have to pay to enter the festival?

The simple answer to this question is no! The amazing organisers of Dartmouth Food Festival have made this event free to enter, making it perfect for families who are on a budget. Even the Chef’s Demonstration Kitchen is free to enter, and there will be free children’s activities run by Coast and Country Cottages at the event.

Although the festival is largely free, there are some events which you’ll need to buy tickets for, including seminars and workshops. These are known to sell out, so we recommend you buy your tickets on the Dartmouth Food Festival website before it’s too late!


Dartmouth Food Festival 2023 Events

As well as an extensive list of food exhibitors and some highly accomplished chefs in attendance, Dartmouth Food Festival has an excellent event lineup. From wine seminars to children’s activities, there’s guaranteed to be something that will pique your interest.

Dartmouth Food Festival

Here’s a small selection of some of the events taking place at Dartmouth Food Festival 2023:

Food and drink demonstrations and tastings:

Chef Demonstrations 

When: Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd October 

Where: The Chef Demo Tent, Royal Avenue Gardens 

Cost: Free 

Food Matters: Soil to Plate Farming

When: Saturday 21st October 

Where: Food Matters Tent, Royal Avenue Gardens

Cost: £15 

Rum Tasting Masterclass with Hattier’s Rum

When: Friday 20th October

Where: Harbour Bar, The Royal Castle Hotel

Cost: £22.50

Talk: Tales and Tastes from the Vegetable Patch

When: Saturday 21st October

Where: Browns Hotel

Cost: £15

Workshop: How to Make Sushi with Coastal Cooking

When: Sunday 22nd October

Where: The Workshop Tent, Royal Avenue Gardens

Cost: £25

Wine Seminar: Is it all Greek to you?

When: Friday 20th October

Where: Dartmouth Yacht Club

Cost: £18.50

Family Friendly Events

Dartmouth-Food-Festival-biscuit-decorating-for-kids

Children’s Activities with Coast & Country Cottages

When: Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd October 

Where: Coast & Country Cottages Stand, Royal Avenue Gardens

Cost: Free

Family Fun – Children’s Tea Party

When: Friday 20th October

Where: Flavel Church

Cost: Free

Family Fun – Bread of Life

When: Saturday 21st October

Where: Flavel Church

Cost: Free


Celebrity Chefs at Dartmouth Food Festival 2023

Mitch-Tonks-at-Dartmouth-Food-Festival

Image courtesy of Ed Ovenden

Once again, Dartmouth Food Festival have invited an impressive list of industry-leading chefs, well-published food writers and renowned critics to deliver demonstrations, talks and seminars. If you’re looking to be informed and entertained by some of the nation’s best authorities on food, then this is the place to be!

Below is a sample of some of the culinary characters attending this year’s festival:


Dartmouth’s Best Restaurants

Rockfish restaurant - places to eat - a table with food, drink and condiments.

Dartmouth is a hub for good food, with an array of great restaurants and cafés which are perfect for tasting the flavours of South Devon. You’ll still be able to find foodie heaven outside of the festival at any of our recommended restaurants below:

The Angel

Led by accomplished executive head chef Elly Wentworth, The Angel provides a quality of food and service which is second to none. The restaurant is located on the South Embankment, right next to the River Dart, with a fine dining atmosphere and an ethos focused on local and sustainable ingredients.

Rockfish

The first branch of Mitch Tonks’ now well-loved chain, Dartmouth’s Rockfish is one of the best places in Devon to taste local seafood. It’s situated on the South Embankment of the River Dart and serves fish which is fresh on the day, landed at nearby Brixham Harbour. With a focus on sustainable ingredients, diners are offered the catch of the day with a choice to have it grilled or fried.

The Seahorse

Like Rockfish, The Seahorse serves fresh fish daily and can be found on the Embankment, alongside the River Dart. They offer exquisite Mediterranean seafood dishes, with menu mainstays of whole fish cooked on the grill and seafood pastas. This restaurant was also founded by South-West culinary icon Mitch Tonks, alongside co-founder Mat Prowse. The head chef (and Mitch’s son), Ben Tonks, will also be demonstrating his skills at this year’s Dartmouth Food Festival.

Andria

Awarded with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, Andria is an ideal place to taste delectable dishes at affordable prices. Here you’ll find modern European dishes cooked excellently, in a cosy and stylish bistro setting.


The best Local Suppliers in South Devon

South Devon Chilli Farm - home grown chillies

South Devon is also home to some amazing local, sustainable food suppliers. Riverford Organic Farmers might be the most well-known, founded by local farmer Guy Singh-Watson, who’s speaking at Dartmouth Food Festival 2023. South Devon Chilli Farm are another amazing local producer, supplying spicy delights across the UK, from hot sauces to chilli jam. Tideford Organics, Sharpham Wine and Sharpham Cheese are other purveyors of wholesome, local food in the area.

You’ll quickly notice while dining at Dartmouth’s restaurants that locally sourced produce is a huge part of South Devon’s food culture. You can learn all about how to incorporate local ingredients into your own dishes with our free-to-download South Devon Cookbook.


Dartmouth Food Festival Holiday Cottages

One of the UK’s most beautiful harbour towns, Dartmouth is the perfect destination to get away from it all and pair some delicious food with a hearty portion of sea air and stunning views. If you like the sound of its annual food festival, why not spend the weekend here in one of our collection’s self-catering holiday homes?

Book your stay for Dartmouth Food Festival 2023

Or, if you can’t attend this year’s festival, there are a range of other exciting events held in Dartmouth annually. Dartmouth Regatta and Candlelit Dartmouth both feature stalls from some of the Food Festival’s local exhibitors.