Yahoo News Seaham Food Festival announces full line-up with TV chefs and Great British Bake Off finalist
Seaham Food Festival has announced its full line-up, with TV chefs, a Great British Bake Off finalist, a master chocolatier and a former prankster turned vegan food and fitness fanatic. The likes of Rosemary Shrager, Phil Vickery and GBBO's Josh Smalley will all be in attendance.
Rosemary Shrager has been on TV since 2007, with several of her own cooking shows as well as an appearance on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Phil Vickery is the resident chef on This Morning and was previously known for Ready Steady Cook, also writing several books.
Josh Smalley was a finalist on series 14 of Great British Bake Off, narrowly missing out on the win, and captivating audiences with his array of showstoppers and attention to detail. With a doctorate in chemistry, Josh loves to combine his culinary creations with an insight into the science behind them.
Josh also has a strong passion for gardening and is a big advocate of cooking with seasonal produce. He maintains a large kitchen garden at his home, growing everything to use in his cooking.
As well as this, world-renowned chocolatier Paul Young, will be giving a cookery demonstration of his own to festivalgoers on the Sunday. Paul has been named one of the world’s finest master chocolatiers since opening his first chocolatery in 2006.
He is known for his innovation, creative flavour combinations and the way that he has approached making chocolate part of anyone’s cooking repertoire. Growing up in Trimdon Station, County Durham, Paul trained to be a chef at New College Durham, falling in love with baking straight away.
He has worked in several restaurants, including at Marco Pierre White’s and La Rascasse in London, and Paul was a regular chef on Great/Good Food Live with UKTV Food, subsequently appearing on This Morning, Sunday Brunch, Saturday Kitchen, The Apprentice and Blue Peter. Paul also has four books to his name, and in 2022 he launched Chocolate at Home, a one-to-one hands-on masterclass from his home kitchen, teaching all the fundamentals of chocolate making.
Former star of MTV's Dirty Sanchez, the UK 's answer to hit American TV show Jackass, Matt Pritchard has left his pranking days behind him, now focusing on his love of vegan food, health, and fitness. His cooking series, Dirty Vegan, premiered on BBC1 Wales, released alongside his vegan cookbook of the same name.
Matt released a second book, Dirty Vegan: Another Bite, which was followed by a second instalment of the TV series, encouraging the public to try out Veganuary and lead healthier lifestyles. Matt has a busy few months ahead with the release of his third book ‘Dirty Vegan, Fast and Easy’, and his new training supplement ‘Sleep When You Are Dead’.
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for Economy and Partnerships, said: "We are pleased to announce the remaining celebrity chefs for Seaham Food Festival. As you can see, we have an excellent line up this year with diverse demonstrations that are not to be missed.
"Seaham Food Festival is not just about celebrating the fantastic produce made here in County Durham and the wider North East, but about showcasing the cookery talents to come out of the region, such as Paul and Mike. We are really looking forward to welcoming both back to Seaham, as with all our fantastic chefs in this year’s line up."
More information about Seaham Food Festival, including further announcements, can be found on the event's website here.
