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by Maria Makepeace / Events
The Dartmouth Food Festival is back for 2021, running from Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th October. Join in and celebrate this landmark culinary festival with a delicious mix of regional food and drink, chef demonstrations, workshops, lively food debates and fun for all the family!
Use our quick links below to find out about a particular topic, or read on for all you need to know about this year’s Dartmouth Food Festival!
Now in its 19th year, the Dartmouth Food Festival has become one of the top food festivals in the UK, attracting visitors near and far to the picturesque foodie town of Dartmouth, looking to indulge in delicious treats, see their favourite local chefs, learn new culinary skills and join in foodie discussions.
Showcasing over 120 hand-picked exhibitors, 70% of which are from Devon, showcasing their delicious produce, we highly recommend bringing your shopping bags!
Here’s a sample of who to expect at the event…
Dartmouth Food Festival takes place in the heart of the town. Most of the action takes place undercover, either under marquees in Coronation Park, along the Embankment or in indoor venues including the town’s eateries, The Flavel and Browns Hotel, meaning the festival is a joy to attend, come rain or shine.
One of the most important things to report about the Dartmouth Food Festival is that it’s completely free to attend, and you can enjoy entry to the Chefs’ Demonstration Kitchen at no charge, as well as free biscuit decorating at our Coast & Country Cottages stand!
However, throughout the weekend, some individual events require a booking and must be paid for in advance. There are limited places at the seminars and workshops and many sell out early, so head over to the out on the Dartmouth Food Festival events to book now! Alternatively, contact the organisers on 07974 739623 or email office@dartmouthfoodfestival.com.
With an events programme full to the brim with a star-studded line up of renowned chefs demonstrating their culinary skills to wow festivalgoers, this is a ‘first class feast’ of entertainment, which allows a fantastic opportunity to sample the best of the South West.
Below are just a few of the fabulous events to expect at this years Dartmouth Food Festival…
Chef demonstrations from local, regional and nationally acclaimed chefs
When: Friday 22nd – Saturday 24th October
Where: The Chef Demo Tent at Royal Avenue Gardens
Cost: Free
Regional wine pairings from around Europe
When: Saturday 23rd October
Where: The Chef Demo Tent at Royal Avenue Gardens
Cost: £35.00
Salcombe Gin Tasting
When: Thursday 21st October
Where: Salcombe Gin Shop
Cost: £20.00
Prosecco Brunch
When: Sunday 24th October
Where: Browns Hotel
Cost: £20.00
Crack a Crab
When: Friday 22nd October
Where: Workshop Marquee at Royal Avenue Gardens
Cost: 20.00
Make your own Devon Cream Tea
When: Saturday 23rd October
Where: Workshop Marquee at Royal Avenue Gardens
Cost: £20.00
Fresh Fish
When: Sunday 24th October
Where: Workshop Marquee at Royal Avenue Gardens
Cost: £20.00
Coast & Country Cottages together with Café Alf Fresco are proud to be hosting the ‘Family Area’ in the Royal Avenue Gardens, where you’ll find various foodie experiences throughout the weekend specifically for youngsters, including free biscuit decorating, so make sure to say hello to our team and join in the fun!
Family Fun
When: Thursday 21st – Sunday 24th October
Where: Royal Avenue Gardens
Cost: Free
Children’s Day and Tea Party
When: Thursday 21st October
Where: Flavel Church
Cost: Free
Pizza Making
When: Saturday 23rd October
Where: Flavel Church
Cost: Free
The Coastal Kitchen Home Cooks Competition
When: Saturday 23rd October
Where: The Community Café in the Market Square
Cost: Free
As well as ample activities taking place over the festival weekend, there are opportunities to take part before October 22nd including the Dart to Dart run and annual Food Festival Quiz. Take a look at all the events taking place here, and start planning your visit!
The festival welcomes many special guests, from internationally renowned chefs to celebrated writers and critics, providing a huge range of exciting, informative and downright delicious entertainment. Some of the guest chefs this year include….
Regular visitors to the Dartmouth Food Festival will all recognise Gina Carter, who acts as compere at the Chefs’ Demo Theatre in Royal Avenue Gardens, where most of the free demonstrations take place. Gina performs this role for all three days of the festival, a job she describes as “three full days of talking and trying to be witty, interspersed with the occasional glass of Prosecco!” As well as chatting with the chefs to ensure the audience gets the maximum benefit from their demonstrations, she also likes to involve the crowd directly, often eliciting questions to ask the experts. “I feel very honoured to be on stage,” she told Coast & Country Cottages, “alongside some of the UK’s top chefs where I can see them working at such close hand.”
Gina has been involved with the festival “pretty much right from the start” in various ways, including handling the PR and running food stalls. During this time, she’s been able to sample a lot of fabulous food and wine – “all in the name of research obviously!” she added. There have been too many highlights for Gina to single out any one demonstration as her favourite, but “Mitch Tonks and Mark Hix are always very entertaining together, and Matt Tebbutt is fascinating.”
This year, Gina will be back in the Chefs’ Demo Theatre for more or less the entirety of Dartmouth Food Festival, so what is she looking forward to most of all? “I always go around all the stalls first thing on Friday as they are setting up,” she explained, “so I can grab samples or get some information on any new products. This means I’ll be able to talk about them, so finding new local products is always good.”
Pop along to the Chefs’ Demo Theatre to find out more about – and more importantly sample – the best food and drink from our region!
Image courtesy of Ed Ovenden
Before and after the festival, there are still plenty of fantastic places to eat and drink in Dartmouth and throughout South Devon. Amongst the finest restaurants in the region is The Angel restaurant on the Embankment in Dartmouth, with Head Chef Elly Wentworth at the helm of sourcing delicious local food in her exquisite dishes.
Just a couple doors from The Angel is The Seahorse restaurant, run by celebrity chef Mitch Tonks. Or, for something more informal and relaxed is Rockfish, which is also owned by Mitch Tonks. Serving fresh so fish that ‘tomorrow’s are still in the sea’, a hearty portion of fluffy battered cod and chips at this fantastic eatery always delights the taste buds with tones of flavour.
Take a read of our top 10 restaurants in Dartmouth for more foodie inspiration. Alternatively, discover the best Dartmouth Cafés for a delicious and relaxed dining experience.
South Devon has an indisputable reputation for food and drink, and the region is home to some fantastic brands including the South Devon Chilli Farm, Riverford, Tideford Organics, and Sharpham Vineyard and Cheese Dairy. Fresh, locally sourced ingredients are a big part of the local food culture in South Devon, making it a great place to visit for foodies at all times of the year. Find out more about our thriving food culture from our free to download, South Devon Cookbook, featuring original recipes from the best chefs and brands in our region.
Dartmouth is a picturesque harbour town in South Devon with a busy programme of annual events. Why not treat the festival as an excuse to take a well-earned break, and choose from our collection of holiday homes in Dartmouth?
Click here to book your Dartmouth Food Festival break
If you can’t make it down for the Dartmouth Food Festival, there are plenty of other exciting events held annually in this picturesque harbour town such as Dartmouth Regatta 2022 and Candlelit Dartmouth, all of which feature stalls from leading local food producers.
For more information about events and things to do, see our guide to what’s on in Dartmouth.
by Maria Makepeace / Events
I joined Coast & Country Cottages in March 2018 as a Marketing Executive, creating exciting pieces of content here in the Salc...
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