Top television chefs Chris Baber and John Whaite are joining the line-up at this summer’s Seaham Food Festival.
The TV favourites will head to the County Durham coast alongside cooking stalwart Rosemary Shrager and the county’s very own Masterchef contestant, Mike Bartley, on Saturday 7 to Sunday, 8 August.
Offering tasty treats from around 100 traders and producers, family-friendly fun and delicious demonstrations from a range of top chefs, the free Durham County Council event is set to play a key role in supporting the economic recovery of the county and its local businesses from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
TV chef Chris Baber will host a cooking demonstration at the festival on Sunday. Chris is passionate about improving everyone’s ability to cook from scratch and is hugely popular on social media, offering his 200,000 followers simple recipes and cooking methods to help them gain confidence in the kitchen, no matter their experience. During lockdown, he launched the Chris Baber Cooking School which provided free cookery demonstrations for children.
Chris said: “Growing up in the north east is where my love for food began, so it’s an absolute pleasure to be coming to Seaham this summer. I’ll be making some of my favourite dishes that the whole family can enjoy and sharing my best tips to make cooking from home even easier.”
Meanwhile, John Whaite will join Rosemary on the first day of the festival. John shot to fame after winning the third series of The Great British Bake Off and has a huge social media following. He now runs his own cookery school in the heart of rural Lancashire and is resident chef on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch, where he is found cooking inspirational yet achievable recipes each week. John also enjoyed cooking for the crowds at Bishop Auckland Food Festival in 2013.
John said: “I am really looking forward to visiting County Durham again for Seaham Food Festival. Festivals can provide so much inspiration to us all and after such a difficult year, it will be brilliant to enjoy the coastline and try a host of new recipes and ingredients.”
Visitors are being reassured that coronavirus secure measures will be in place across the weekend, with events being spread out to help keep people safe and promote social distancing. Live music, family-friendly activities and street theatre will also be spread out around the town to ensure festivalgoers feel more confident.
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris and John to Seaham Food Festival in August. Both are excellent additions to the line-up alongside Rosemary and Mike and I am confident that it is going to be a hugely popular event, supporting County Durham’s recovery from the impact of the pandemic.
“We have so much to look forward to as the festival makes its welcome return. Alongside these fantastic chefs, we have so many traders who cannot wait to welcome customers back and lots of cultural activities for families to enjoy. This is really going to highlight how much our county has to offer, encouraging people to plan return trips to enjoy our beautiful landscapes and culture at other times.”
To find out more about the festival and to stay up to date with the latest news, visit www.seahamfoodfestival.co.uk and follow @SeahamFoodFest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
