Easter Events in South Devon
With its warm sunshine, blooming daffodils and wildlife in abundance, spring starts early in South Devon. The calendar of...
by Janine de Lange / Events
Salcombe’s crab fishing industry is coming out of its shell on Sunday 4th May to celebrate Crabfest 2025, the harbour town’s vibrant festival of all things crab and seafood related. Like previous events, Crabfest 2025 will take place on Island Street and across the breadth of picturesque Salcombe.
Dedicated to the famously flavoursome Salcombe brown crab, Salcombe Crabfest features a brilliant line-up of cookery demos from award-winning chefs, crab picking masterclasses, quality food and drink stalls, live music and culinary competitions.
Use our quick links below to learn about a specific area, or read on for a full guide on Salcombe Crabfest 2025:
With the promise of a day of delicious local seafood and the buzz of anticipation in the air, visitors and exhibitors gathered in Salcombe on May Day in 2016 for the town’s first-ever Crabfest. The event was buzzing, and over 3,000 people came! It is still just as popular today, with similar numbers of people in Salcombe expected to join the fun in 2025.
Proudly sharing the stage and showing us all how it’s done are some of the finest local chefs South Devon has to offer…
Taking centre stage this year is renowned chef and presenter of BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped, Matt Tebbutt. Matt’s culinary journey started at Leith’s School of Food and Wine, followed by a valuable traineeship with Marco Pierre White.
Matt’s commitment to simple, fuss-free, hearty dishes forms the basis of everything he does, so be sure not to miss his cooking demonstration in the Chefs’ Demo Marquee, which promises to be a fun, inspiring and passionate experience.
With experience working at multiple Michelin-Starred restaurants, including his recent venture Little French in Bristol, who better to learn from than Freddy Bird? Freddy has appeared on television screens plenty of times, including Sunday Brunch, Saturday Kitchen, and most recently, Remarkable Places to Eat with Fred Sirieix and Michelle Roux Jr.
Seafood lovers are in for a treat, with renowned South Devon chef and food writer Jane Baxter preparing some of her favourite seafood dishes. Read our blog Meet Jane Baxter, where we find out more about this brilliant chef.
Mitch Tonks is at the helm of eight Rockfish restaurants in the South West, and also The Seahorse in Dartmouth. Firmly anchored around changing the way people experience seafood, Mitch has truly shone a light on the South West’s exceptional fish scene.
With over 25 years’ experience as a chef (and writing seven cookbooks), Mitch is extremely well-versed in demonstrating how to cook a sumptuous fish recipe.
The son of seafood aficionado and Rockfish founder Mitch Tonks, Ben is head chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant The Seahorse in Dartmouth.
Group Head Chef at Rockfish, Kirk, will be giving us an opportunity to learn from the best at this year’s Salcombe Crabfest. Rockfish are a Devon and Dorset-based restaurant group, notorious for catching, preparing and serving the freshest fish. They run some of the most popular seafood restaurants in the South West, with Sidmouth, Topsham and Salcombe restaurants coming soon.
Co-founder and food and beverage director of The 44 Group, Owen Morgan is a passionate chef with a deep love for Spanish food, wine, and sherry. He leads the group’s kitchen teams and culinary direction and brings a vibrant Mediterranean flair to every dish he creates.
A close collaborator of Freddy Bird, David is the Spanish food enthusiast behind ingredient importer Mevalco. Mevalco provides high-quality Spanish produce to some of the UK’s best chefs and restaurants.
Tom has been a chef for over 20 years, specialising in seafood, with a particular passion in linking chefs with top quality foods. Tom has run the Chefs’ Demo Marquee since Crabfest began in 2016 and is an expert in all things Salcombe Crabfest.
Renowned British food writer, critic, and broadcaster, Tom Parker Bowles is celebrated for his adventurous palate and deep-rooted knowledge of global cuisine. With a string of acclaimed books, including Cooking for the Crown, Tom combines culinary expertise with a sharp wit and historical insight. His work explores the cultural stories behind food, making him a well-respected and engaging voice both in print and on screen.
The Rotary Club of Salcombe hosts this special event in conjunction with Devon Rum Co, Marchand Petit, Coast & Country Cottages, Rockfish and Twisted Marine. As well as celebrating Salcombe’s historic crab fishing industry, it raises money for important local charities.
To date, the festival has raised over £60,000 for local charities and good causes! Salcombe Crabfest is proud to support The Wind Project, a community project run for the benefit of Salcombe and the wider sailing community. Working with local schools and individuals, the aim of The Wind Project is to make sailing more accessible for all, regardless of age or ability.
As a proud sponsor of Salcombe Crabfest, our local team at Coast & Country Cottages will be busy manning our stall throughout the festival – be sure to come and find us and say hello! Like last year, we’ll be providing a fun shell decorating activity for kids.
For adults, we’ll be running the fabulous 2025 Coast & Country Cottages Competition, with the chance to win a £500 holiday voucher and a hamper!
Salcombe Crabfest shows visitors so much about what’s great about Salcombe and South Devon – warm hospitality, care for the community and fantastic local food and drinks from the best the region has to offer. For more ways to spend your time in Salcombe, read our post on the best things to do in Salcombe, or for more local events, check out our blog, What’s on in South Devon.
Looking for more details about the event? You can download the programme for Crabfest 2025 here.
Thinking of attending Salcombe Crabfest 2025? Coast & Country Cottages offer a range of holiday homes based in a perfect position to enjoy the festivities.
Book your Salcombe holiday now
Photography courtesy of Martyn Norsworthy, the official photographer of Salcombe Crabfest.
by Janine de Lange / Events
I’ve had the privilege of living in the beautiful South West since 2010, and in my opinion there’s no better place in the worl...
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